How does a teaching job in Hawaii amidst the sun, sand and surf sound to you? You can learn how to get a teaching job in Hawaii when you find out what the requirements for teachers are in this island paradise in the Pacific. The State Boards of Education in Hawaii are committed to hiring only highly qualified teachers to work in the schools in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act. The school system follows a standards-based education and has high levels of academic and professional standards for its teaching personnel.
How to get a teaching job in Hawaii starts with getting a Bachelor’s degree at an accredited university. You also need to have either experience teaching in Hawaii or another state or graduation from a teacher preparation program. The transcripts of your university and teacher preparation courses must accompany your application for Hawaii teacher certification. You must also pass the appropriate practice exams as outlined in the application form. This form contains a list of the designations of teaching certification that you can apply for and you must have the corresponding Praxis exam score.
You can get a teaching job in Hawaii if you have an out of state teaching license that is still valid in the issuing state. You also have to provide proof that you have teaching experience and that you have passed the appropriate state mandated teacher certification exams.
When you read the information about how to get a teaching job in Hawaii, you will also see that you need to have recommendations from two references that can attest you will make a good teacher. In the case of a teacher with experience, these references should be from the administration of the school(s) you taught in or a program coordinator or other high-ranking official at the school district level. For a recent graduate, the references must be your professors from the teacher preparation program.
It is possible to get a teaching job in Hawaii with a degree obtained from an online degree program. Before you start the program check with the State Board of Education to see whether the online university is on its list of approved universities. There are many online universities that offer Bachelor’s degrees and teacher preparation programs. If you obtain your teacher training in this manner, you will have to first apply and receive a teaching certificate in the appropriate grade level or content area from the state where the university is located. Then you have to apply for certification to teach in Hawaii. The student teaching component of the teacher-training program will satisfy the teaching experience requirement for out-of-state certificated teachers along with the evaluations of your supervisors and cooperating teachers.
Once you receive your initial teaching certificate in Hawaii, there is still more to learn about how to get a teaching job in Hawaii. Because Hawaii wants all its teachers to be professional, there is a procedure to make sure that teachers continue with their education. In the first year of teaching in Hawaii, you must prepare a Professional Growth Plan for yourself, which should include two performance standards from the Hawaii Professional Teaching Standards that you want to concentrate on during this year. This plan will stretch over five years, during which time you will work on and add activities that will help you achieve the goal you set for yourself to develop professionally. At the end of the five-year period, if you have been successful, you can have your license renewed and become a permanent teacher in Hawaii.
