Any teacher working in the UK will know what the National Curriculum is; set by the Department for Education (DFE), it is a broad scheme designed to make sure education is provided to all children to prepare them for work or higher education. Once you start to consider working abroad the question arises what curriculum sets the standard for international schools? One of the most established programs is the International Baccalaureate, founded in Switzerland in 1963 with the intention of creating a high standard of education for international schools; it is a highly recognised and respected curriculum in the global educational community. It is designed to comply with international compulsory education laws, providing a qualifying level of education to children from ages 3-19 and is accepted by universities as an advanced college diploma.
The goal of the International Baccalaureate Foundation is to create a system of education in the English language that can be provided globally and with worldwide recognition. Designed to establish a global standard for private education for English-speaking expats and families moving between countries often. It has since become a much sought-after educational program taught across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America, provided in prestigious schools that are used by both English-speaking families living abroad or nationals hoping to privately educate their children in English.
The curriculum provided by the IB is globally focused, developed to be relevant and practical in any country it is taught, providing a well-rounded, holistic education that allows pupils to move into higher education or the workplace with critical thinking skills and relevant knowledge. With a focus on intercultural awareness and allowing students to attain a level of competence that is internationally relevant, IB is a uniquely global curriculum. It is taught in non-denominational and religious schools, private and state-funded institutes in all four corners of the globe. Teachers working in schools providing an IB curriculum report higher classroom engagement, better results for their pupils and better job satisfaction overall.
If you’re thinking of working in education internationally it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the IB curriculum and others like it. The Foundation itself provides a qualification for educators, delivered through universities and online, in the form of the International Baccalaureate Educators Certificate. Putting the time and effort into an extra certification like this one can give you the edge in the application process for international teaching jobs, letting you choose to work in a more prestigious school or allowing you to negotiate for a better wage.
There are a number of useful links for educators interested in learning about the International Baccalaureate program:
Start off here at the official IB foundation site: https://www.ibo.org
Or if you need resources to help you plan IB classes a library can be found here: https://ibresources.in
Or to compare international schools running IB courses a league table is available: https://ib-schools.com/league-tables/global-top-ib-schools.
If you’re already International Baccalaureate certified and want to find specific international work that focuses on the IB program then PureTeach has a whole section of its website dedicated to jobs in institutes operating an IB curriculum here or you can sign up to make sure you have access to all the latest info about IB Schools jobs.
