February 1

Ep 14 – From Slovakia to the world: being a non-dominant passport holder & British-style vs IB w/ Jana Beydoun

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON:

Jana Beydoun had no idea what she was getting herself in to!

A one year teaching post in the UK was simply meant to be an opportunity to develop her teaching skills and do some travel. As a Slovakian national with an English Language/Literature and Music Education double major, Jana was well-qualified and happy to try some new things! 

Twenty years later, Jana has lived and worked as a music educator in Tanzania, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong and Thailand. She has collected some incredible experiences teaching both 'British-style' and IB curricula, but has come up against a bunch of barriers due to the fact that she holds a 'non-dominant' passport.  

In this episode, Jana and I discuss:

  • a potential definition of what it means to be a non-dominant passport holder.
  • her experience finding/securing music teaching positions in international schools as a non-dominant passport holder.
  • Jana's top tips for those seeking a music teaching job in an international school who do not hold a dominant passport.
  • some ideas for how to transition between teaching various 'international' curricula, specifically the IB and 'British-style' approaches.
  • how the community can find support from her when starting to teach an international school music curriculum for the first time.

This is a wide-ranging and challenging topic that I thoroughly enjoyed exploring with Jana. Do reach out with any questions, or if you need support. There is a plenty of academic literature currently exploring this topic and I would be happy to share links to these papers for those interested. Also, do feel free to add your comments to the YouTube version of this episode if you would like to engage further with this conversation.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON:

Get in touch with Jana:

Email: beydoun.jana@gmail.com
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-beydoun/

Links to other content referenced in this episode:

Jana's consultancy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/InTuneWithJana/

Researchers & groups looking into international school hiring practices:
Dr. Liam Hammer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-hammer/
Joel Jr. Llaban: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeljrllaban/
Dr. Megel Barker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-megel-barker-fima/
Esther Bettney Heidt, PhD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherbettney/

International School Anti-Discrimination Task Force: https://www.ecis.org/taskforce/

Subscribe to the podcast newsletter!

You'll get an email every two weeks with the latest episode, links to a PD opportunity, and links to a music teaching resource that I've come across! Short and sweet - direct to you.


Tags

British-style, IB, Interview