A proposed pipeline program between the Escuela Internacional of San Pedro Sula, Honduras and the schools of education of selected universities of the United States of America.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION.

Overseas schools in Central America have continually found it difficult to recruit and retain for more then one year qualified Northamerican teachers who are dedicated to their profession. This problem is not original to Central America, rather it is a universal problem to overseas schools.

Recruiting difficulties at these schools are the end result of various causes. Initially, the pool of available teachers is fairly shallow due to the general conservative nature of teachers: most will not consider teaching overseas.

For these who will, there is a worldwide competition amongst the various international schools. Teachers who consider Iatin America, and especially Central America, as an optional area are discouraged by the very low salary schedule of the schools of the area in comparison to other world areas.

In relation to wages in the United States, teachers new to the profession can earn in Central America a little more than one half of what they would begin at if they stayed borne. Experienced teachers earn less that one half. Married teachers with family cannot even consider an offer of employment. And, lastly, of those remaining, many eliminate this area from their consideration because of the political inestability of the countries and the high incidence of violence as has been reported in the American press.

Once teachers have been recruited, the schools have, year after year, engaged in an ongoing struggle to retain those teachers that the administration has been cager to rehire. There are several reasons for the losing nature of the struggle. The personal commitment to an overseas teaching exrerience by many teachers is for one year only, and at the end of that time they return home or move on to another country in which they have an interest. A Second group has difficulty ir adjusting to the culture and to the Spanish language, and they quickly become homesick for their own culture, family and friends. For those who do adjust to the overall culture, many find teaching in the conservative atmosphere of Central American schools personolly difficult; this is especially true of younger teachers. Fihally, whether they adjust or not, most find the cosi of living in these countries to be higher than they had been led to believe and need to obtain second jobs in order te support their life styles or to travel, something they hadn't considerad before coming, and which they find enervating to both their strength and their interest in the overseas experience.

For these general reasons as well as a host of reasons individual to each teacher, the overseas schools of Central America have found it difficult to recruit qualified Northamerican teachers and to retain those teachers whom they do hire.

Given the complex nature of the problem as mentioned above, how does one begin to overcome such difficulties? Are there ways to recruit quality teachers from the United States and retain them in a teaching situation for more than one year? Have all avenues been explored? Toward the end of trying to answer there questions a group of international educators was convened in Guatemala in the early months of 1981 with the idea of brainstorming in the two areas of recruitment and retention.

The group consisted of three present Directors and four Principals of Central American schools. The three Directors, al] with their doctorates in Education, had a combined experience of 40 years working in overseas schools. All had taught, had been Principals, and had directed in an overseas school. Their experience covered South America, Central America, the Carribbean area, Europe and the Far East. As theirs teas the ultim2te responsibility for staffing and atterapting to maintain and retain the staff once assembled, they had lived with this problem on a daily basic.

The four Principals had a combined experience of 25 years, all spent in Central America, Three had experience in teaching overseas before becoming administrators, one bad been a Director of an overseas school. Two had their Masters Degree and two were working toward that goal. Although at a different level of responsibility, all had had experience at recruiting and in retention. RR