The Lund Family Overseas Story

For the most part, this site is to assist interested K-12 educators of the United States who are considering teaching in a school overseas for the first time.

My wife and I are public school teachers from Minnesota who sold everything and took a 5 year leave of absence to teach high school social studies in Saudi Arabia and Japan.

With our three children, we have seen a good part of the world in the last 5 years, working in two distinct regions and seeing 18 different nations. We are about to return to the US to finish our careers in our home school district. Or so we believe.

Below, I have organized available web sites according to background information and discussions of the expat life to more "nuts and bolts" sites that show you how to go about and secure an overseas placement.

Job search opportunities – international teaching search organizations and US government sites of interest:

http://www.escapeartist.com/jobs34/jobs34.htm - A most comprehensive site – if not overwhelming – that can get you links to most all you need to become knowledgeable of the international teaching scene. Many of the links below are found here.

http://www.odedodea.edu/ - Department of Defense web site with job opportunities worldwide. You don’t have to be in the military – just willing to educate military kids. Some great perks, according to some.

http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/c6970.htm - Another US State Department site which contains some helpful background information about international schools.

http://www.uni.edu/placement/overseas/ - The original job fair site for international teachers in the US. Though this Northern Iowa Fair comes a bit late in the international recruitment cycle, there are usually a number of great opportunities for qualified candidates. We were offered positions to a variety of Asian, MidEastern, and European schools here.

http://www.iss.edu/index.html - ISS is a major player in the international school market. Not only do they have international job fairs, but they offer the teacher some excellent resources as well.

http://www.tieonline.com/ - Here’s a must subscription if you are interested in overseas work. Subscribe to the online as well as the printed publication. It will give you an excellent insight into the culture of the international school scene and prepare you for a job fair. Openings are up to date and easy to navigate.

http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html - If you are going overseas, it is best to check with this US State Department site for travel warnings. Do these investigations before you go to a recruitment fair. Openings abound in risky areas.

http://www.itc-training.com/?src=overture - The ITC International TEFL Certificate is an internationally recognized qualification for teaching English abroad. Travel to a wonderful location.

http://www.worldlearning.org/wlid/index.html - An organization which works with developing nations. This group may be able to point you toward a job overseas or have you consult on their behalf.

http://workabroad.monster.com/articles/travelandteach/ -You can learn a lot about the adventure of overseas teaching from this treatise by T.J. Fournier. Included at the end of the article is a review of the sites you need to consider working with in landing the perfect job. This should be a must read for the truly curious

http://www.expatforum.com/Resources/traits.htm - Though somewhat dated, this writing piece informs you of the type of personality characteristics that serve one well if you live overseas.

http://jobsmart.org/tools/resume/index.cfm - If you are going to look for overseas work, you are going to need to write a resume. Here’s a site that can help you get started on that task.

http://www.escapeartist.com/ - A good clearinghouse of sites for the expatriate (what you are when you move out of the US and into another country). Many links that give you a flavor of life overseas.

http://www.hiqhq.com/movingabroad.asp - A site introducing yet another book - Moving Your Family Overseas by Rosalind Kalb and Penelope Welch – for those considering overseas life.

http://sales.internationalplan.com/ - In order to live and work overseas, you will most likely need health coverage. This site will show you what products are available. Schools generally have an insurance that you can buy into, but you may like to see what is available. Also, some nice links to travel warnings, world currency, etc….

http://www.earcos.org/ - East Asian East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools serves many of the Asian international schools.

http://www.cois.org/ - This is an excellent site that can link you up with recruitment fairs and staff development opportunities.

http://www.nesacenter.org/ - When you are checking into overseas school positions, check into the staff development opportunities. I was able to present at a NESA conference for teachers held in Bangkok, Thailand back in 2000. This led to more staff development opportunities for me in Kuwait City, Kuwait and Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Check out this site for international staff development opportunities. It beats sitting in your school district office somewhere!

xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">

Job search opportunities – international teaching search organizations and US government sites of interest:

http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/c6970.htm - Another US State Department site which contains some helpful background information about international schools.

http://www.iss.edu/index.html - ISS is a major player in the international school market. Not only do they have international job fairs, but they offer the teacher some excellent resources as well.

http://www.search-associates.com/ - Another major player in the international job search for educators.

http://jobs.escapeartist.com/Openings/Education-Teaching/- This site can give you ideas of current openings and at no charge.

http://www.fulbrightexchanges.org/ - If you would like to exchange homes and jobs, check this site out. Or this one: http://www.learning-network.org/teacherexchanges/teacherexchange.html

http://www.overseasdigest.com/jobfairs.htm - An excellent site that can take you through the basics of attending and succeeding at a job fair.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ - CIA basic information on every country in the world.

http://www.ummdivofed.org/gsteltap/public/gst/index.asp - International student teaching opportunities through the University of Minnesota.

Teaching English in the developing world:

http://www.itc-training.com/?src=overture - The ITC International TEFL Certificate is an internationally recognized qualification for teaching English abroad. Travel to a wonderful location.

http://www.teacher-training.net/index.html - Teach and travel overseas.

http://www.alliancesabroad.com/Teach/ecuador_teach_01.htm - Another excellent opportunity to teach English overseas.

http://www.esl-lounge.com/teflguidetop.html - All about teaching English overseas. This is a comprehensive site with plenty of opportunities for you to interact.

http://www.teflcertificatecourses.com/ - If you want to learn how to teach English overseas, this may be an interesting alternative.

http://www.worldlearning.org/wlid/index.html - An organization which works with developing nations. This group may be able to point you toward a job overseas or have you consult on their behalf.

http://www.travel-to-teach.org/ - A small site – but maybe of interest if working in Mexico or Thailand appeal to you.

Background resources for moving overseas:

http://workabroad.monster.com/articles/travelandteach/

You can learn a lot about the adventure of overseas teaching from this treatise by T.J. Fournier. Included at the end of the article is a review of the sites you need to consider working with in landing the perfect job. This should be a must read for the truly curious.

http://www.expatforum.com/Resources/traits.htm - Though somewhat dated, this writing piece informs you of the type of personality characteristics that serve one well if you live overseas.

http://jobsmart.org/tools/resume/index.cfm - If you are going to look for overseas work, you are going to need to write a resume. Here’s a site that can help you get started on that task.

http://www.10minuteresume.com/ - Another resume writing site.

http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ecep/resume/ - An excellent free resume writing site put together by the University of Minnesota.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0933662599/102-2484489-8096111?v=glance - Survival Kit for Overseas Living: For Americans Planning to Live and Work Abroad by L. Robert Kohls may prove to be a valuable purchase if your considering life overseas.

http://www.hiqhq.com/movingabroad.asp - A site introducing yet another book - Moving Your Family Overseas by Rosalind Kalb and Penelope Welch – for those considering overseas life.

http://asbointl.org/EducationLinks/LinkList.asp?c=6 – A clearinghouse of international school contacts generated by a non-instructional “school business” organization.

Staff development opportunities overseas

http://www.earcos.org/ - East Asian East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools serves many of the Asian international schools.

http://www.cois.org/ - This is an excellent site that can link you up with recruitment fairs and staff development opportunities.