Exploring Careers: Internationally

Save the Children

As an independent organization the focuses on creating and maintaining immediate and lasting change for children in need, Save the Children, helps to improve their health, education, and economic opportunities to support and sustain the improvements (Save the Children, n.d.). Save the Children staff are on the front lines, working directly with the children and families in need and being a part of that, being able to initiate change directly as opposed to indirectly resonates with me. One job opportunity that caught my eye was their Education Manager who “provides early childhood technical assistance, management, oversight, and support to the Head Start program to ensure effective coordination, implementation and monitoring of the education services (Save the Children, 2019).” Ideally, I would like to take the role of their HS Education Manager who “provide[s] training and technical assistance to the Head Start staff to ensure high-quality programming… monitors child and teacher progress and performance” (Save the Children, 2019). The required experience and skills include:

·  Minimum of Baccalaureate or advanced degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development or any subject and coursework equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education with experience teaching preschool-age children.

·  Minimum 5 years of experience working with infants and toddlers or pre-school age children.

·  Experience in supervision and training; and experience with developing consistent, stable and supportive relationships with very young children.

·  Extensive knowledge of early childhood education and child safeguarding and methods for communicating effectively with infants and toddlers or preschoolers, as well as parents and other staff.

·  Must have extensive knowledge of Heat Start Program Performance Standards, developmentally appropriate early childhood education practices in preschool programs.

·  Experience with program planning and supervisory techniques and practices.

·  Ability to exercise sound professional judgment and evaluations.

·  Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with agency staff, children and parents, and outside agencies.

·  Effective communication skills, strong problem solving and time management skills.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UNESCO works to develop the educational tools needed to help all children and citizens gain access to quality education and “helps countries adopt international standards and manages programmes that foster the free flow of ideas and knowledge sharing”(UNESCO, n.d.). What resonates with me about UNESCO is their passion for cultural equality and ensuring that, regardless of one’s culture, heritages, etc. they are offered the opportunity to participate in quality education to improve their future success. One of the job opportunities that stood out to me was their Head of Learning and Development Unit based in Paris. Some of the responsibilities of this position include: “Lead[ing] and manag[ing] a team to design, deliver and maintain learning programs and ensure that programs are offered on a global scale meeting the needs of the Organization… Lead[ing] the conceptualization, design and delivery of new and/or revised development activities at all levels of the organization in both HQ and field locations…ensuring that policies, practices, procedures and content are in line with the organizational priorities… monitoring and evaluation of learning supported by on line delivery and as part of blended learning programs… Monitor[ing] and evaluat[ing] the effectiveness and impact of staff development programs, oversee[ing] impact assessment projects, and recommend[ing] ways to enhance effectiveness and impact” (UNESCO, 2019). Required qualification include:

Education

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in adult learning, pedagogy, organizational design, psychology, education, human resources management or related discipline.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant progressively responsible professional experience in the field of talent management, learning and development in the private and/or public sector.
• Demonstrated experience in identifying learning and development needs for different staff groups.
• Experience of designing and delivering learning and development interventions in an international context.
• Successful experience in leading, managing and motivating a small team of professional and administrative staff to deliver learning in a global organization.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong communication, interpersonal, leadership and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to maintain good working relationships with external and internal stakeholders.
• Strong IT skills.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English and good knowledge of French.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Qualification in executive coaching from a recognized institution or association.

Work Experience

• Experience acquired at the international level.
• Experience in using 360 degree evaluations as part of development processes in organizations.

Languages

• Good knowledge of another UNESCO official language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

The Online & Overseas Teacher

With offices on the UK and China, The Online & Overseas Teacher (TOT) places teachers in progressive schools physically or virtually to teach English to 3-12 year olds and provides ongoing support throughout their teaching career. I looked into and interviewed for a teaching job in China a month ago with the thought of travel, saving money, and stepping (waaaaaaaaay) out of my comfort zone. I had a skype interview with one of the representatives who places you and was offered the opportunity to interview for a position in a kindergarten class in Hangzhou, China but I decided last minute to pull from the interview as it would be a significantly big move, too far away from my family. As an online/virtual teacher you would be responsible for “deliver[ing] well-prepared classes, adapt[ing] your teaching material to fully engage your learners, motivate[ing] and inspire your students and identify[ing] their strengths and weaknesses. [Additionally, you would] use readily-available technology such as virtual white boards and screen-sharing to supplement your teaching [and] strive to improve and develop your teaching style” (TOT, n.d.). The requirements to teach online include:

·     Graduate or currently studying towards a Bachelor’s degree.

·     Native English speaker.

·     Must have meticulous time keeping.

·     Reliable and strong broadband speed (20mb/s or above).

·     Suitable PC/laptop with built-in or external webcam.

·     Availability to schedule a minimum of 10 hours of teaching per week.

·     Cultural sensitivity and awareness of your learners’ needs.

References

Save the Children. (n.d.) About us: Careers. Retrieved from https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/careers

Save the Children. (2019). Manager, education: Job details. Retrieved from https://recruiting.ultipro.com/SAV1002STCF/JobBoard/7d92e82b-af74-464d-859b-c5b8cba6e92e/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=df0896d6-79db-4eb5-8e45-cc0c8c6791b5

The Online & Overseas Teacher (TOT). (n.d.). Teach online. Retrieved from https://www.the-online-teacher.co.uk/teach-online/

UNESCO. (n.d.) UNESCO in brief: Mission and mandate. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/about-us/introducing-unesco

UNESCO. (2019). Vacancy notice: Head of learning and development unit. Retrieved from https://careers.unesco.org/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl;jsessionid=txcXbQr9Jbyl8m6nQHMWOg11uqLmhus8OllYqwr2fIfCkLJ-ctuD!895292952