GETTING HIRED

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 California Troops to Teachers staff member.

A nationwide job bank that lists schools who desire to hire Troops to Teachers is:www.jobs2teach.doded.mil

In addition to searching the Troops to Teachers job bank, the following assistance is available through registration with TTT.

Referral

This process allows school districts to research the TTT database for recruiting purposes. Also, the TTT State Offices use the database to find participants who might be eligible for various teaching positions in their state. All participants in an active TTT status who are not currently employed in a full-time K-12 position are included in the referral process. Therefore, it is important to keep database records up-to-date with the latest contact and personal information such as: address, phone number, E-mail, states in which you are interested in teaching, degrees and teaching certification earned after your registration with the TTT program, and current teaching employment status. Once you attain full-time K-12 employment, your name will be removed from the referral list. Should you require referral services again, contact our office.

If your file is relegated to an inactive status due to non-response to requests for information, recall to active duty, or upon your request, you will be removed from the referral list. Should you require referral services again, contact our office.

Mini-Resume

Your registration information creates a mini-resume for review by potential employees. If you desire, you have the opportunity to submit a more detailed resume when you register. If you are in an active referral status, you can review your basic contact and referral information and personalize your “mini-resume” that may appeal to a potential employer. Once you receive your user name and password (see www.jobs2teach.doded.mil), you can access the mini-resume at http://www.jobs2teach.doded.mil/Jobs2Teach/DefaultPage/J2TDefault.asp

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.
• Keep doing these things until you get the teaching position you desire. You can not do it just once and expect to be hired. Start as early as you are “hire-able” and then expect it to be a long road before you reach your destination. It might take you just one day or it might take two years. But if you continue to do the right things, then you WILL get the right results... eventually.