(Updated to reflect some points that others have raised. Thanks for the amazing feedback)

I want to start out by saying that nothing about this is scientific. This is my educated opinion of what is happening in the international teaching market based upon what I am reading in multiple news sources, social media, what I am hearing from administrators and educators around the world and what I know about the international teaching jobs market. This is my opinion. Obviously, everyone should do their own research and determine what is the best course of action for themselves. Hopefully, this post will give you some things to think about while you do that research.

So, the first piece of advice that I would offer is that whatever happens, it is probably going to be messy. As you have already heard multiple times, this crisis is unprecedented, and on many levels that is true. Therefore, my first piece of advice is that if you already have a good job that you can hold onto for another year, or that you have been promised for the coming year, it might be best that you stay put and save yourself the stress of going through this transition during such uncertain times. Not everyone has that luxury, so the rest of this post is going to be about what you can do to secure employment if you don’t already have a job for next school year.

So, the good news is that many schools are still hiring and they are planning for as normal as possible of a school year for next year. My company, Webber’s Ed – Teacher Talent, is working away in Latin America to provide educators for the schools in our region. However, there are many recruiters out there with good opportunities for next year. After all, the students are going to have to go to school somewhere. In many countries public schools just are not an option for students who come from families with the resources to provide them with a private or international school education. There may be some downgrading of enrollment to more affordable schools but all in all, the students are probably going to attend a school similar to the one that they attended last year. So, the first and best thing that you can do is to look around for a few good recruitment companies that you can count on to assist you with finding employment. There are quite a few of us that offer free services and can point you in the right direction.

Another opportunity that is going to come about, due in part to the pandemic, is the opportunity for online teaching. There are many sources that are speculating that some schools will not be able to reconvene in time to start the new year and they will still be online as the new year begins. Even if some schools do start the new school year on the date anticipated, there will be students who will attend the school and there will be some parents who will be reluctant to send their children back into a crowded school while the virus may still be out there. If we have learned anything from the lockdown it is that online teaching is a grueling job that requires a lot of planning, energy, execution and follow up to even be remotely successful. By the way, my hat is off to the thousands and thousands of teachers who were able to turn their classrooms into online learning in a matter of weeks. It may not have been perfect, but your efforts and passion are commendable. Due to this, I feel confident that many schools are going to be in need of teachers to teach online even if it is just for the beginning months of the school year. Additionally, after things return to the “new normal”, there is a lot of speculation that many schools will continue to turn to online teaching for the delivery of some classes anyway. That should not be surprising considering this was already happening even before the virus came along and we went into lockdown mode. There are opportunities out there and I know that many of you may be groaning and saying no more online teaching but hey, if this is what you have to do to stay afloat and pay the bills, then it is what it is. Hang in there. But another important aspect is that this strategy fits in perfectly with what I think will be an unavoidable consequence of the situation that we have experienced, which I want to talk about next, the new hiring season.

Many schools are commenting that they have no idea what to plan for in August or September because they will probably not know the numbers on their enrolment until they open those doors at the start of school. Due to this, I am more than certain that there is going to be a rush of hiring in August and September as classrooms fill up and more teachers are needed as enrolment builds.  This will probably go on all the way through the first semester until the winter break in December and more than likely into the beginning of the second semester as schools continue to adjust for students who are coming back or joining their schools for the first time. So the key, is not to panic if you don’t have a job settled by the beginning of the school year. There will most certainly be many jobs to fill once things get started. In fact, this is the single most important time that my company is planning for in the coming year.

Even if you strike out in the first semester, keep in mind that there are still opportunities that also take place in certain parts of the world such as South America, where we have A calendar schools that start in late January, mostly in February, or early March and run on the southern hemisphere calendar until late November or early December. These schools are rife with great opportunities as most international teachers are on the B calendar starting in August and therefore we occasionally struggle to get really strong candidates for these schools unless we can convince teachers to come from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.

I think that there are some other things that you might want to take into consideration even if you have a position for next year. Some of the schools will no doubt be cutting positions and may even back out of contracts if their enrolment dwindles due to economic circumstances. I have also heard that some schools may be hiring only local teachers or honoring their agreement with new hires but cutting back on some of the foreign hire benefits. These are going to be difficult times for a while and most certainly there will be some belt tightening taking place. You should probably be prepared for this to some extent no matter where you are going to work and think about being flexible. Another question that keeps coming up is that some teachers have already committed to positions but are not certain if they will be able to get into the country in time for the start of the school year at their new school. This is where flexible needs to come in as you may be asked to do your orientation to the new school online or even begin the new school year with your new students online. Obviously that will be a decision you will have to make as to whether you are willing to commit to online teaching or not but I will say that schools are going through some major hard times and right now a bird in the hand is very appealing.

Certainly when we come out of this, we will be living in a different world. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “You cannot step into the same river twice.” The world is changing around us and we must also adapt and change with it if we are to survive and succeed. Hopefully, we will also come out of this with a greater appreciation for each other and know that we can count on each other to get through the rough times. That is what life is about and the only way to get through the hard times is to put your head down and keep moving forward. Better days are on the horizon. Webber’s Ed wishes you and yours all the best in these difficult times. Please stay safe and healthy.