Hi All,
I am currently a Science Teacher in Australia. I teach general science to years 7-10 and senior biology. I would love to work in Colorado and am currently aiming for the start of the next school year (spring 2008). At this point, I will have been teaching for 3 years. My current principal is originally from California and was a principal there for many years before moving to Australia seven years ago. She has been very supportive of my wanting to teach in the US, however doesnt feel that she is up to date with current hiring procedures.
What I am unsure about, is how to actually go about getting a job. As an Australian, I can get an E3 visa- which I need to apply for from Australia, but must already have a job offer. I also know that I need to become certified in Colorado, so I will need to have my qualifications assessed etc. I think I can at least start this process here in Australia.
My biggest question however is to how to actually get a position. I am flexible in terms of the district I would work in. I have previously lived in Summit County and would love to return to this area, however I imagine jobs there are limited. So I am more than happy to look elsewhere. I am wondering whether it will be possible to apply for jobs over the internet, by sending in a resume/cover letter and responses to selection criteria (if that happens in the US). I am happy to send references and phone interview, but I feel that principals may feel that is easier to hire someone who is there and that they can meet in person. In my research so far, I have found that there are also job fairs in March/April. Is it worthwhile attending these? If it is needed, I am happy to fly over to the US to attend interviews, however realistically, I can only do this once. It is quite a long and expensive trip to make and I will need to take additional leave from my school to do so.
I know my thoughts in this post are a little scattered, but if you have any insights to offer on gaining employment in a school- I would be very grateful.
X-posted in USA branch
I'm a teacher in Canada and I've seen advertisements for the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program in a few places. They hire certified teachers from foreign countries to teach in the United States. I don't know much else about the program, but this would be for a temporary move, not a permanent one, I'd imagine.
To my understanding , science teachers are in short to supply.
However, the school year in the States starts in September (different academic/agricultural calendars from down South) - shoot for autumn 2008, not spring 2008 - but do start looking a good six months before you want to start. Visa processing alone might be time consuming and that probably wouldn't start until you have a contract/agreement with a school.
Your best bet might be to go to the website for the State Department of Education for Colorado and start looking from there. Every State will tend to have a different organization/hiring system and I am not familiar with Colorado's system.
This site has all kinds of information: jobs available, a map of school districts and schools, online application and licensing requirements. Good luck!
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