Science Teaching Jobs Abroad

What’s needed to teach science abroad?

New opportunities to teach science subjects such as chemistry, biology, physics and environmental science in countries around the world are being created all the time. That means you have the perfect chance to broaden your horizons while adding invaluable experience to your CV. 

To teach science abroad you are generally required to have experience of teaching the subject to a similar age range in your home country.  

In most cases you will not be required to have a TEFL certificate, although having one could be an advantage. This is because English is likely not to be the mother tongue for some of the children you will be teaching. 

The Ministry of Education in each country you apply to will lay out the requirements needed to teach science in their international schools. 

What sort of personal skills are required?

Aside from your professional experience, international schools want to ensure you are the right character fit to teach science. This may require things such as:

•    Strong communication skills for communicating with students, parents and colleagues about the science lesson you teach 
•    Be enthusiastic about the science subject being taught and be willing to work as part of a wider team
•    An ability to promote use of digital science learning tools
•    Cross cultural awareness, so you are attuned to the various cultural differences of working in the particular country

What education is needed to teach science abroad?

To be sure you are eligible to apply for a science teaching role in another country, you will have to meet the minimum requirements of the role. While this will differ from country to country, in general international schools look for a range of the below:

•    A bachelor’s degree or above in chemistry, biology or physics (PGCE, B.Ed. etc.)
•    GCSE or IGCSE, A-Level, or K-12 school teaching experience 
•    Degree certification from the country’s embassy, along with grade marks

To apply for jobs teaching a specific science-related curriculum (such as an International Baccalaureate) it is expected that you will be able to provide documented experience in teaching the curriculum. 

How much work experience is needed?

The amount of science teaching experience you have will play a big role in how successful your application will be. International schools tend to look for:

•    At least 2 years’ experience teaching a science subject to students of a similar age group
•    Science teaching experience in a multicultural international school is not essential but preferred
•    Experience teaching English as Additional Language (EAL) students is also preferred but not essential

What are the legal requirements?

You will need to obtain a relevant work visa or be a passport holder from a regulated list of countries in order to be legally able to teach science abroad. For example, China’s visa regulations dictate you must have a passport from the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. 

The school will also likely run a criminal background check that may also have to be notarized to verify the details are correct.