The Job Market ATM...

[Feybie]

Hi all,

I'm new here! I've been having a look around and this place looks great!

I live in Australia and I'm just finishing up my teaching qualifications at the moment. I'll be done in six weeks time. My husband just got a job in the USA and we'll be moving at the end of this calendar year.

I'm very worried about my job prospects. We'll most likely be moving to Washington State (we can live wherever we like with the nature of his work) and I've been hearing a lot of conflicting information about whether or not I'll actually even get a job. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Some say because I'm not educated in the US, state schools wont be interested in hiring me, and others say the exact opposite. I understand there are always private and international schools but if state schools arent going to consider me for employment, my job opportunities will be drastically reduced.

I have a bachelors degree in Journalism and a masters in literature (plus my teaching degree), so I'll be qualified to teach secondary English and media and other associated strands.

I don't know whether its worth putting myself through the agony of staying here for a year alone while my husband goes to the US so I can get a little more working experience while the economy gets better, or whether I should risk it and just come with him.

Oh, I'll already have a working visa, so potential employees wont need to worry about sponsorship and all that jazz.

Any comments?

[Chef Dave]

I have good news and bad news.

First the bad news.

If you visit the state website for teacher certification in Washington, you will find that the site information is divided into two categories: teachers who are already certified to work in Washington and teachers certified from another state. The site doesn't seem to address teachers who were trained outside the United States.

The state website for teacher certification may be found at:
http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/TeacherMain.aspx

The website also lists an e-mail address as well as a phone number to the state office.

Does this mean that you can't teach in Washington? Here's the good news ... yes you can.

Districts may apply for a Limited Teaching Certificate This is basically an emergency certificate for districts which can't find enough teachers with regular certificates.

On June 29, 2009, the Seattle Times ran an article about foreign teachers hired to work in Seattle. I tried to provide a link, but the link won't come up.

All of these teachers were hired by the Seattle School District which had critical shortages in certain areas. The district sponsored these teachers using an H-1B visa. Please note that the type of visa you have is important because if you enter this country on a tourist visa, you will be legally prohibited from working.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. To get an H-1B visa, you first have to be employed and your employer has to sponsor you.

If you know where you're moving, you might want to look up local school districts via the internet. Contact the human resource office and introduce yourself.

Please note that if you enter this country on a tourist visa and find a job, you will have to literally leave the country so that you may be readmitted under the new visa. Given Washington's proximity to Canada, if you needed to do this, I'd recommend driving over the state line.

Here is another site that might be of interest. This site was developed for non-American teachers wishing to work in the states. It lists certification requirements for every state in this country and outlines the steps you need to follow to get your visa and to get your teaching certificate.

http://network.latpro.com/profiles/blogs/teaching-in-the-us-teacher

Best wishes!

David

[Feybie]

Thanks for your input. I've been in touch with the people at the teacher certification website that your provided and asked about certification. They're relatively confident that I'll be eligible for a teaching license in WA... I'm currently going through those motions at the moment.

But I'm not really worried about certification.... I'm worried about actually getting a job. I'd like to hear from teachers about the availability of jobs at the moment. If I get a teaching certificate, will I be overlooked for job openings because I am not American?

I've been looking at the school district websites and looking for job openings. While there isn't a lot, there definitely are some.

And as I said in my previous post, I've already got my working visa sorted, thankfully. I will definitely not be entering the US on a tourist visa.

I've been agonizing over this for weeks and I'm desperate to talk to someone, particularly those with knowledge about WA about my concerns.