Introduction
Once you have successfully acquired your teaching credential, you are ready to begin the process of searching for jobs in education. Searching for a full time job takes time, energy and perseverance. As a newly certified teacher, it is unlikely that you will walk into your own classroom right away. In fact, chances are you will start out as an assistant in a part-time capacity before you find a great full-time position. However, finding a job in education does not have to be a daunting task if you know how to get started and where to look. Networking, volunteering, substitute teaching, and assisting veteran teachers are all strategic ways to gain experience and to get you one step closer to finding the perfect job, whether it is in secondary education or in higher education.
Network
One of the best ways to secure a job is to network and stay connected to other professionals in your teaching program. Many of the professor and administrators at your college will have connections to principles and other leaders in education who are hiring.
You should begin your search by seeking job placement assistance from the Education Department in your school. You should also stay connected to the cooperative teacher you worked with during your practicum or student teaching. Sometimes the school where you did your practicum will hire you based on your cooperative teacher's recommendation. If the school does not have an opening, your supervising teacher may also be able to help you network with other educators at schools looking to hire new teachers.
Volunteer
In addition to networking, volunteering your time is an excellent way to gain experience and eventually secure a full time job. As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities, including after-school tutoring, chaperoning field trips, mentoring children, and assisting in school fundraisers. You will also have a chance to network and connect with other professionals who can keep you informed of job openings. To find volunteer positions, contact the school system's human resource department; call the school principle, network with teachers during open houses or Parent Teacher Association meetings.
Become a Substitute Teacher
Another way to get your foot in the classroom door is to work as a substitute teacher. A substitute teaching position can put you in a good position to hear about possible full-time job openings in your district while adding more to your resume. You can apply for a substitute teacher job by first completing the application and interview process in a local school district. Once approved, you will either be enrolled in an automated calling system or more currently, via a system that uses the internet to post available substitute teaching jobs. Substitutes can also find work by contacting private schools in their district.
In some regions, the qualifications for substitute teaching may not be as strict as those for a regular teacher. For example, some schools will hire a substitute teacher, without any training in the subject being taught, to simply supervise students working independently on work previously assigned by the regular teacher. Some school administrators may not hire full-time teachers unless they have had substitute teaching experience.
Substitute Teaching
A substitute teaching position can put you in a good position to hear about possible full-time job openings in your district while adding more to your resume.
Become a Teacher's Assistant or Aide
Like substitute teaching, working as teaching assistant can allow you to gain valuable experience while getting paid. A teaching aide (TA) can work at the graduate, undergraduate and secondary and elementary school level. In higher education TAs can serve as the sole instructor for one or more classes each semester as a teaching fellow or graduate student instructor. On the other hand, secondary and elementary TAs often help the main teacher manage students with learning disabilities, such as ADHD, or even physical disabilities, such as blindness or deafness. While graduate and adult TAs generally have a fixed salary determined by each contract period (usually a semester or an academic year), high school TAs are sometimes unpaid and, in the US and other countries with the credit system, can receive course credits in return for their assistance.
Become an Adjunct Professor
Another way to get one step closer to a full time job, especially in higher education, is to work as an adjunct professor. An adjunct is generally not required (or permitted) to participate in the administrative responsibilities at the level that the institution expects of other full-time professors, nor do they generally have research responsibilities. However, an adjunct professorship position can provide you with opportunity to work with and learn from established professors and to gain some valuable classroom experience. Serving as an adjunct can be a wonderful starting point for those looking for jobs in higher education.