Special Education Teaching Position

[amberflo]

Hello,

I was hoping people may be able to point me in the right direction. I am moving to Singapore (mainly for my husbands career) and was hoping to be able to teach.

We are currently living in Hong kong but are from the US. I have a teaching certificate that certifies me to teach K-12 Special Education from the state of Virginia. I will be on a dependent visa.
I have begun looking at International schools and the Department of Social Services but with no luck. 

Any insights or directions would be helpful.

[SEN teacher]

Your best bet will be international schools, though overall, there is very little awareness of special ed in Singapore. Most schools only accept students with very minimal learning needs and offer low levels of support. Others will not accept students with any learning differences at all (I've heard of children with dyslexia being denied admittance to schools, for instance).

There are a few local schools but I would not recommend seeking employment there. There is an assumption that only bad teachers teach special ed because the smart/good teachers are sent to top schools (no, I'm not kidding). Special ed teachers are often paid less because of this - they are seen as glorified teacher aides.

Having said all that, there is HUGE need for early intervention here. If you were so inclined, you could do very well setting up a business aimed at this, then approaching international schools and offering your services as a private tutor to children who are emerging with learning difficulties.

[Another sen teacher]

I don't agree with all of the above.  It is true that most international schools only accept children with mild sp needs so it really depends where your experience lies.  If in dyslexia and you have an Orton gillingham based qualification, you should have plenty of opportunities either at an int school or specialist centre like DAS.  If your more into severe learning difficulties then look at Dover Court School.  Beyond that you would need to look at local special needs schools.  The international schools have loads of private tutors offering consultancy work on their books.  You would really need to get yourself known first so working for an organization would be best to begin with.

[Parent of SN child]

I suggest that you try to contact St. Clare School for Special Education. It is privately run and teaches both expat and local children with special needs. You can google their website for their contact information.