GETTING HIRED
"What is the hardest full-time job in America?"
Answer: "Finding a full-time job in America."
Finding a full-time teaching job is a full-time job! You must approach it as your primary work. Hopefully, this full-time seeking assignment is a short one, and you can switch your energies to becoming a full-time teacher very soon!
Job Banks
In California, a teacher job bank was developed a few years ago that has been a real help in finding out where the teaching positions are located.
This website is: www.edjoin.org
To be sure you understand how to use it to full advantage, contact a SEARCH California staff member.
Substituting
There are three reasons to substitute as part of transition to a new career in teaching:
- To determine if teaching is the right choice for your next career. Teaching is the only profession where you can "try it out" before you commit to the initial training and investment in time, money, effort, blood, sweat and tears! Doctors can not perform sample operations to see if they like it before they decide to go to medical school; but teachers can get in the classroom and practice teaching before commencing a professional teacher preparation program.
- By subbing in different schools and districts, you can determine where is the best place to work and where you should avoid! Like all professions, some schools are full of wonderful faculty teams with great leadership and some schools are not! By subbing you can identify which school has the workplace culture you most desire.
- Networking is the obvious reason for subbing. People are more inclined to hire someone they like before they hire a stranger. Those with hire authority cannot like you until they get to know you -- and subbing gives them that opportunity. However, there is an efficient way and a poor way to build a network when subbing. Be sure to discuss the best techniques with your recruitment specialist.
Suggested Steps to Finding a Teaching Position.
Of course, the available teacher assignments listed on these websites is a small fraction of what is totally available. Besides following any job leads you might get from these websites and local newspapers, your job search should include many other actions.
- Research school districts to determine which interest you. Steps to this research include:
- Use www.greatschools.com to get a wonderful statistical profile of the district and individual schools.
- Visit the district headquarters and talk to human resources personnel and ask how hiring is done in the district, what are their current vacancies, pay scales and benefits, and an application package. Discover the process for becoming a substitute in the district and apply to be one.
- Request to observe classes at a school that interests you. Be sure to look for the level of teamwork and leadership in the school. These will be important factors in determining your level of satisfaction should you be hired there.
- Have a professional resume and portfolio. Hand deliver these if possible to individual schools you think would be a good fit for you. Then do the same to nearly all the other schools in the district! Every new teacher has the dream of walking to the school down the street along sweet smelling paths of jasmine. If you restrict your search to such a commute or something similar, then you will probably need to exercise great patience before you receive your first paycheck! Flexibility and a willingness to relocate will greatly improve your chances at landing a teaching position in the near term. There are over 1,000 school districts in California. If you look at just one district, you are screening out 99.9% of other opportunities.
- Network, network, network. Just like any other job search, the more people who know, like and trust you provides more opportunities for one of them to think of you when a position comes open. Substitute teaching is often an excellent way to get your talent, attitude, dependability and caring before those with hiring influence. Parent events, community service, volunteering at the school or district, and children sports/clubs involvement are excellent ways to become known by influential educators.
