Even though the U.S. is experiencing a severe teacher shortage right now, that doesn’t signify it’s an easy task to get a job teaching in the us. A part of that have to do with the stringent requirements established through the U.S. government, and portion of that have to do with the peculiarities in the American classroom experience. Let’s have a look at both these factors in greater detail.
The U.S. State Department, which coordinates a well known work visa program for foreign teachers arriving at America, lists seven different criteria that must be met one which just teach in a U.S. school. First and above all, you’ll want a teaching certification or license at your residence country and meet all qualifications for teaching in that country. Secondly, you need to be being employed as a tutor at the time of the job — and that means you can’t “come beyond retirement” to land a teaching gig in the usa. You must furthermore have a university degree that’s equivalent to a four-year bachelor’s degree in the us, and also you must have a minimum of at the very least 24 months of relevant teaching experience.
Those are only the federal requirements, though. Additionally, there are the state, or local, requirements that you need to meet. It may differ of all 50 states, because they are free to make minor tweaks with their teaching requirements to reflect their own specific needs. So, you could meet every one of the qualifications to show in California – and not in Texas. It varies with a state-by-state basis.
You must also demonstrate English language proficiency, which can be natural enough, considering that you’ll be teaching to American students (even though many only speak English being a second language). Finally, you have to pass experience check to make sure you are “of good reputation and character.”
But it’s the American classroom experience that’s probably the most daunting. One big focus might be the “Common Core” as well as a related concept — “teaching on the core.” This means your teaching style must adapt to specific curriculum components — you’re not free to teach a subject the way you might prefer. Secondly, there’s a huge focus now in American schools on “interdisciplinary” teaching. Which means you’re not supposed to use concepts from the 3 major different fields inside your J1 visa for teachers, in order that a category is not really “just” a math class or possibly a science class but in addition pulls in ideas coming from a discipline like “social studies.”
Finally, Americans place a considerable amount of focus on creativity, innovation and educational enrichment. This is very different from the knowledge abroad, where questions frequently have very specific answers, and there is a clear “right” and “wrong” in a response. The U.S. system places a much greater focus on a more holistic classroom experience.
However, many foreign teachers – even though these are qualified at home and have ample classroom teaching experience – often need a little help out with navigating the U.S. system. American schools are proud of “getting the correct fit,” knowning that requires foreign teaching candidates to give their background, skills and experiences in a way that is going to be most attractive to U.S. schools.
The good news is that two locations where U.S. schools get each year an actual shortage – math and science – also are already two locations where foreign teachers could be most capable of help. This might turn into a “win-win” situation, where American schools can overcome their teacher shortage, while foreign teachers can leverage their skills and experiences in precisely those disciplines where these are most capable of help.
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