At one time all you needed to have in order to obtain a teaching position was a degree and a teacher training position. Once you did obtain a position with a school board or in a school, you could move about within the school or district and teach a variety of grade levels and subjects. However, times have changed and now beginning teachers find themselves in need of tips for finding teaching jobs. Competition for acceptance into teacher training programs is fierce because each year, the institution can only accept a limited number of new students. Usually they choose those with the highest GPA’s and those with the specific concentration of courses based on the need for teachers in the region.
Finding teaching jobs is not as difficult as you may think. Beginning teachers need experience, which often makes it difficult to get hired for that first job. Once you have the necessary degree and graduate from the teacher training program, you do have to pass the state teacher certification exam. If you have a specific state in mind where you want to teach, you need to check to ensure you do the correct exams for the grade level and subject. Without this certificate you will not be hired. If it doesn’t matter what state you teach in, your best bet is to take the Praxis exam. This is because this is the required test for most of the states in the country. Texas, Colorado, California, Georgia, Arizona and Florida are some of the states that have their own slate of teacher certification exams.
Search the postings for jobs when you set out finding teaching jobs. There are many places you will find these postings, such as in your local newspaper, at online teacher recruitment centers, and the websites of the various school districts. If you Google teacher jobs in specific locations, it is quite likely you will come up with a list of positions you can apply for. Read the requirements for each position carefully to make sure you meet the criteria for the position.
You do have to submit a resume when finding teaching jobs. In most cases, the school principal handles the hiring of new teachers, even though you may have to submit the application and the resume to the person in charge of Human Resources at the school district level. Take particular care in creating your resume to make it as unique as possible. Highlight your skills and experiences so that the recipient will include your name in the short list of candidates sent to the principal for the interviewing process. The key to having a great resume is to include everything without making the resume long and wordy.
Setting about finding teaching jobs means trying to get your foot in the door, so to speak. If you want to teach in a larger center, you will find more competition than you would with applying for positions in small rural areas. This is a great way to gain experience that will help you move to another location later on in your career. You do need to look at your teaching career for the long term. Take substitute positions, which will make you known to the principal so that when a permanent position becomes available, your name will be easily recognized. If you have performed well in temporary duties, then you will likely be the first one on the list for the next available job.
