How’s It Like to Teach Special Education Abroad? Your Questions Are Being Answered!
17th November 2020
Teaching in a foreign country can be a transformative experience for educators. The basic criteria of a special education job will be the same as any other teaching job, wherever you go. This area in the field of teaching requires a good amount of flexibility, creative thinking along with perception. With special needs courses, the 21st century special education teachers work with students who have a variety of learning, mental, emotional, and physical special needs. For anyone who likes travelling, for going to another country is a wonderful opportunity. You get to experience other cultures, you will be able to explore exciting places and so on.
Special education is one of the fastest growing careers in the world right now and the write-up will deal precisely with international careers in the field of special education.
Well, the duties of a teacher vary bestowing to where the teacher works and the needs of his/her students. The role of SEN educators can differ even more when working overseas. Now you must be thinking why is like that? The fact is: not all countries share the same attitude towards special needs. While in some countries they are extremely accommodated for and while in others, their education needs are hardly addressed.
Moreover, the students may not be grouped in the way you expect. Different countries have their individual traditions of establishing their students. Special education may be combined into the mainstream classroom or maybe completely separate from the mainstream education.
How do you teach special education abroad?
Well, the first step is deciding where you want to teach, which country you wish for, which country has always fascinated you etc. We understand that these answers are as personal to you as your motive for teaching, but it’s significant to distinguish where you want to go exactly, otherwise, you could have an unhappy experience hypothetically. Try researching about the country well, find out the climate, the political atmosphere, and so on. Also, no matter how interesting a place may look, the most important thing is that it’s safe. Once you distinguish where you want to teach, you need to see what that country offers for the special education teachers.
The special needs courses are ideally well-matched for people who are looking for teaching experience for their career. Another best part is that most countries and places don’t require you to know the local language, so your career possibilities are endless. Also, you need to focus on the requirements of that specific country. Most teaching jobs are by contract-basis, salaried and several of them still deliver the amenities such as housing, airfare, vacation and benefits. There are many sites dedicated to posting international teaching jobs, like the International Educator External link, and also those sites that are specific to certain countries.
After grabbing the job, you need to get the proper authorization to travel abroad apart from just the passport and visa. Well, this process can be a complicated one as every country has its own guidelines for issuing visas. Therefore, pay attention to every step of the way. Observe all important targets, gather the correct documentation and fill out every form that is obligatory.
Where can you teach special education overseas?
Well, the different countries have vastly fluctuating facilities for special education teachers and students! The demand for special education teachers is similarly growing as the number of students with developmental disabilities is rising. About one in every six kids between 3 and 17 years old goes to school with a physical, mental, learning, or behavioural special need, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the National Center for Education Statistics reports that between 2000 and 2016, the number of students receiving special education between the age group of 3 and 21 years has increased by approximately 400,000.
Countries like UAE, Japan, Kuwait, China, etc. have a great demand for the special education and requirements also vary. The UAE is taking western expat teachers all over-they want to advance their education system, so this is resourcefulness of their educational system.
Becoming a special education teacher
A French physician, Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard is the father of special education. Well, depending on the requirements, you might consider working toward a bachelor's degree in special education along with. This kind of specialized professional program focuses on the fundamental subject areas and trains you to teach a wide age range. However, if you are an already experienced special ed teacher, to further upraise your job prospects and the chance at landing your dream job, you can look at different online special needs courses.
For taking up a career in special education course, passing the 12th standard is obligatory. Pursuing an advanced special needs course degree will also give you the real-world tools to be an improved teacher, while allowing you to specify in the elements of teaching that matter most. A growing number of international universities are showing their assurance to special education by demanding special education teachers to complete their professional credentials along with the basic bachelor’s degree.
Unlike other professions or jobs, the work profiles for special educators are quite different.
- Mostly, special educators work with children and youth who have a variety of special needs.
- Special education teachers instruct students at elementary, middle school and secondary school level.
- The responsibility of special educator includes working with students suffering from high-incidence special needs such as speech-language special needs, behavioural disorders and learning disabilities.
- Special Educator for Emotional or Behavioural Disorders, who specialise in emotional or behavioural disorders usually works with students who display a varied range of features including anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, depression, attention deficit, hyperactivity disorders etc.
- Special Educator in College/ University teachers teach students with special needs beyond school education.
There are more but the above-mentioned are the major ones.
Topmost Recruiting Agencies for Special Needs Educators
Although it is difficult to grade companies or agencies that recruit special educators, still we tried to make a list of them that will be helpful for you.
- Schools for Disabled Children
- Special Educator Teacher in B.Ed Colleges
- Rehabilitation Centres
- Hospitals that treat Children with Special Needs
- NGOs
- Consultancies that provide Special Education Trainers to Schools
A special needs educator must be even-tempered, flexible, tranquil, highly intuitive and creative in a long list of must-have potentials. Most schools desire to hire teachers who are highly qualified with special needs courses to teach special education students, so teachers who complete a special education credential will find a wide range of international job options.
