The immense benefits of the International Baccalaureate (IB) for students are pretty well known across the globe, with IB schools in China, the US, Europe, and many more regions taking advantage of IB programmes. But how can this rigorous curriculum serve the instructors that teach it?
A quality curriculum
Teaching a superb curriculum doesn’t only positively impact the students that study it. IB courses are a pleasure to teach since each aspect of an IB programme is guaranteed to be relevant and hold real value for students — say goodbye to arbitrary modules with little application in the real world. Furthermore, teaching resources such as the education frameworks, unit planners, and evaluation tools from IB are top-notch.
The IB programmes encourage students to think critically, self-reflect, and apply their knowledge to real-world activities and situations. But don’t think this only pertains to students — to teach the IB, you will also need to constantly self-analyze your teaching and ensure you are conveying the interconnectedness of the IB topics to your students. Teaching the IB is a dynamic and multi-faceted experience that means you should never become bored or feel teaching to be monotonous.
Plentiful opportunities for professional development
Unlike plenty of other curriculums, teachers of the IB are not simply handed some textbooks and sent on their way. IB encourages teachers to take up their frequent and valuable learning courses, workshops, and conferences. Currently (May 2021), these are all held online due to restrictions on large gatherings, meaning you have even more of an opportunity to get involved with events held all over the world.
In addition to the skill-learning events offered by IB, being a teacher of this prestigious curriculum is a sought-after accomplishment to add to your resume. If you decide to move on to a different teaching job in the future, the fact that you worked at an IB school is a fantastic selling point to future employers.
Quality schools and (usually) dedicated students
To become accredited as an IB school, the institution needs to prove itself to be of a high enough standing, and a representative of IB must visit the school to verify it meets the required standard. This vetting process carried out by IB means that typically, the school is of a world-class caliber. Students accustomed to the IB style of education are usually eager to learn and appreciate the importance of their education.
There are now over 5,400 IB World Schools across the globe, with this number rapidly going up. Before choosing an IB school to teach at, it’s advisable to check how long the school has been using the IB curriculum so you can be sure they’re well-organized and teachers are experienced.
Things to know about teaching the IB
Because the IB is such a rigorous curriculum for students, teachers must be qualified and cut out to teach it. To teach the IB, you must first undertake an IB certificate programme. To be eligible for the programme, you will need to hold a valid teaching license or be considered an “expert teacher”. This means you have completed a graduate degree in your subject area and have at least three years of experience as a classroom teacher.
If you’re looking to teach the IB in China, schools such as the Western International School of Shanghai (WISS) offer fantastic opportunities. This school is the first and only school to offer all four IB programmes: the Primary Years Programme (ages 3–12), Middle Years Programme (ages 11–16), Diploma Programme (ages 16–19), and Career-related Programme (ages 16–19). WISS has been teaching the IB curriculum since 2010 and is an esteemed institution with the potential to seriously enhance your career. Check out the teaching opportunities currently available at WISS.
