# Teaching in America



## lhigdon223 (Feb 1, 2012)

My fiancee is going to be trained to be a teacher in Scotland but we were considering moving here after hearing about all the new law changes in the UK. So we were wondering if she has a biology degree, an honors degree in physiology and has been through teacher's training in Scotland what will we need to do so she can teach in the states. Most likely Alabama. Any information on the topic would be helpful. Thanks.


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

lhigdon223 said:


> My fiancee is going to be trained to be a teacher in Scotland but we were considering moving here after hearing about all the new law changes in the UK. So we were wondering if she has a biology degree, an honors degree in physiology and has been through teacher's training in Scotland what will we need to do so she can teach in the states. Most likely Alabama. Any information on the topic would be helpful. Thanks.


A teacher would need an H1b .. public schools could not afford the cost of the visa and there are many US teacher unemployed

Private schools maybe ... but the visa is the hard bit


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## lhigdon223 (Feb 1, 2012)

She would need the visa even in addition to the spouse visa?


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2012)

A teacher's state certification / license is needed, as well as other requirements. Here is Alabama's homepage:

ALSDE - Teacher Education & Certification

There is a lot of information here on the left margin.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

OP is a US citizen planning to mary his fiance. That should take care of visa issues.

****** posted the link for AL accredidation. Contact the school boards around Tuscaloosa/Northport to find out if they are a) hiring at all and b) hiring Green Card holders.


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## spengler (Apr 7, 2012)

Dear all,

I am currently trying to fix a move and thought that, as my degree is essentially useless (there is apparently very little demand for nonsense-poetry specialists in the current US economy) I was considering re-qualifying as a teacher. This I could do with a PGCE here in England with basically no difficulty and a lot of subsidy and it would take around a year. Alternatively, I could do whatever qualification is needed to teach in the USA in the USA. 

I was wondering, is there any value to my getting an English teaching qualification, is there a system in place through which I could transfer my PGCE into an American qualification? Alternatively, how difficult would it be for me to apply to study and attain the relevant American qualification a. From here b. Over there.

Thanks!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

spengler said:


> Dear all,
> 
> I am currently trying to fix a move and thought that, as my degree is essentially useless (there is apparently very little demand for nonsense-poetry specialists in the current US economy) I was considering re-qualifying as a teacher. This I could do with a PGCE here in England with basically no difficulty and a lot of subsidy and it would take around a year. Alternatively, I could do whatever qualification is needed to teach in the USA in the USA.
> 
> ...


US teaching credentials vary by state. Check the board of education for the state you have in mind. But teaching English is not in high demand in the US. LOTS of unemployed English teachers already haunting the temp agencies and unemployment lines.

You might have a shot at it if you had a hard science or math background and then qualified as a teacher - but even those programs have fallen victim to local budget cuts.
Cheers,
Bev


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## spengler (Apr 7, 2012)

Rightyho, thanks for that. Quick additional question: in England you can teach at primary level (5-11 years old) with a PGCE, and you would be teaching everything, but obviously not to a particularly advanced level, and in the UK there is a high demand for male primary school teachers. I'll check out the state by state things but is there a minimum qualification or anything that I could be working towards, and do you know if there is a structure in place similar to that for the UK with regards to primary education?


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