Job Hunting Tips

Tailoring Your Skills to Their Needs

From Tomorrow's Teachers

NEA member Stephanie Urlage (Kentucky) says that landing the right teaching job requires good research on the market and a good portfolio.

Urlage did her own research, securing help from the Kentucky Education Association and NEA. She used the resources and information to create her own portfolio and get the job she wanted.

A good portfolio need not be a 3-inch binder that includes everything you've done in school and student teaching. In fact, don't bury your skills in an armload of papers. Be selective about the work you show prospective school hiring committees.

As you prepare for the job hunt, take time to research the schools where you want to teach and match your skills with the skills each school is seeking. By asking about the demographics and special programs unique to the school, Urlage customized her portfolio and stood out from other applicants. "I had a different portfolio for almost every interview, tailoring my skills with their needs.

What else do new teachers need? "Confidence, flexibility," says Urlage. Don't get discouraged. I applied for 46 jobs in Kentucky, 13 in Maryland. I ended up near where I wanted to live."

More Tips to Get You Going
Don’t know how to begin? These tips will get you going:

• Use the Internet in your job search. Many sites help you prepare your resume and detail the most frequently asked questions in teacher interviews. Others post teacher vacancies.
  
• Consider a certificate in a specialty area – like science, math, special or bilingual education – where there is a constant demand for new teachers.
  
• Don't rule out relocating.
  
• Keep a journal of your student teaching experiences and use the journal to reflect on what you've learned.
  
• Make sure you have good references. List your student teaching references, professors, academic advisors, and counselors. Did you tutor another student? Did you do volunteer work? List the people supervising you. Don't forget to include addresses and phone numbers.
  
• Before interviewing, list your beliefs on a piece of paper (for example: I believe the classroom should be student centered, not teacher centered). Also answer the question: What makes a good teacher? Use these exercises to help develop your philosophy of teaching.
  
• The following are ideal portfolio pieces: lesson plans, proof of student learning, and photos of interaction with students. Better yet, include a video of yourself in front of the classroom.
  
• Share your portfolio with a trusted educator, like your cooperating teacher or academic advisor. Ask for feedback on the portfolio's clarity. Taking this step will also give you an opportunity to discuss your strengths before that all-important interview.

Resources

Teachers-Teachers.com
www.teachers-teachers.com
Speed up your job search with this free service that allows you to post your résumé and cover letters online, search for jobs by location, receive notices by e-mail about available teaching positions, view school Web sites, and send application materials electronically. You can even record an interview that hiring schools and districts can review.

Educator's Job Search
Educator's Job Search: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Positions in Education.
This interactive guide can help you identify and promote your educational strengths, write an impressive resume, master job interviews, maintain a job network, stay motivated, and evaluate job offers. ($10, from NEA Professional Library, 1993)

School Locator
http://Nces.ed.gov/ccdweb/school
The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics provides an online national public school and school district locator.

K-12 Jobs
www.k12jobs.com
This site posts job opportunities available at K-12 schools around the nation and also provides nice links to each state licensure/certification office.

Great Teacher.Net
www.greatteacher.net
This site offers job postings, plus direct links to most subject area organizations and state education employment offices. Nominal fee.

Teachers.Net
www.teachers.net/jobs
Teachers.Net has now created the Teachers.Net Career Center, offering job search advice, a networking service, and a free job posting service for school districts. It's a good source of practical information.

Related Link

Landing That First Job - Planning, preparation, and persistence can snag you that primo paycheck. From NEA Today (May 2003).

Source: Tomorrow's Teachers 2000.