# Teaching in the US



## thehig (Jan 24, 2009)

Hi
I'm a fully qualified teacher currently working as Head of Department in a mixed secondary school in the UK. I want to move to the US within the next few years (2-3) and I need lots of advice! I definitely want to continue teaching, I just don't know exactly what or where!

My degree is in English Literature, my teaching qualification is in RE - I need to know about the subjects taught in the US education system at the same age that I teach now around 11-18 years old.

Any recommendations on which State to move to would be gratefully received, as well as general advice on moving.

Thanks in advance

Nikki


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

The education system is very different, and the range of ages you specify pretty much means everything, since 11 year olds are still in elementary school, and 18-year-olds are either graduated from high school or about to graduate. There are no national standards for what is taught, or what subjects students must take. These are set by the states, and can be very general. What is available is different from school district to school district. The districts are usually structured around a town or county. Someone must have written a book describing the differences between the systems somewhere.

However, this isn't really your problem. Your problem will be in getting a work visa. Public schools are not able to sponsor you, as government agencies hire citizens or permanent residents. Private schools will probably be cutting back as the financial situation forces parents to put their children in the free public schools.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Google "US foreign teacher". It will bring a number of useful sites up. So does "US teachers association".


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## thehig (Jan 24, 2009)

*Thank you*

Thank you for the replies so far! I'll check out the info you've given.


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## Spurkle (Dec 4, 2008)

California has a demand for teachers, but are you considering other factors as well? The type of city you want to live in, the student demographic that you want to teach (student demographics and learning styles vary across the states), etc.


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## thehig (Jan 24, 2009)

Spurkle said:


> California has a demand for teachers, but are you considering other factors as well? The type of city you want to live in, the student demographic that you want to teach (student demographics and learning styles vary across the states), etc.


I'd like to teach the older end of the range, about 14-18, but I'm open to the type of city. I'm looking for a change and a new culture - I don't have anywhere that I particularly don't want to go to.

I teach a range of learning styles and abilities here already - from SEN to OxBridge candidates, and also a mixture of socio-economic backgrounds so I'm pretty much prepared for anything!

I need more help with the application process and the US school system itself - I am really Humanities based in subject area.


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## Erica712 (Feb 26, 2009)

thehig said:


> Hi
> I'm a fully qualified teacher currently working as Head of Department in a mixed secondary school in the UK. I want to move to the US within the next few years (2-3) and I need lots of advice! I definitely want to continue teaching, I just don't know exactly what or where!
> 
> My degree is in English Literature, my teaching qualification is in RE - I need to know about the subjects taught in the US education system at the same age that I teach now around 11-18 years old.
> ...


Hi, Nikki.

You will almost certainly have to wait longer than 2-3 years to make a go of it over here. Unfortunately, teaching jobs are being cut all over the country. Most districts are on a hiring freeze. Some areas are even cutting salaries of teachers as well.

Teacher unions are strong in the northeast US. (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc) The unions have NO power in the southern states. (Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, etc) My district in Georgia is laying off about 100 teachers and telling us to prepare for a 10% salary cut. California is also a disaster with layoffs.

I think 2 or 3 years is the minimum needed for things to begin to turn around over here. We are in a really scary situation. I'm not sure all of the teaching positions will ever come back, even if things get better.

Your only hope would be to target a high-growth area (maybe Texas) and also an "urban" area where they have a high turnover of staff. Even then, English jobs are not very much in demand. (more demand for math and science, or special ed) I don't think you would enjoy this type of teaching very much.

Sorry for the bad news, but this is the worst time ever to be a teacher in the US. We are all hoping for a turn around, but it will take years at best. There will be a large and ready supply of US teachers for a good long while here.


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

Hi Nikki,

New York City has been recruiting teachers from abroad for a while. I am not sure if they are still doing it given the economic crisis. They do pay a little more for math and science teachers than for humanities. They recruit the foreign teachers to go to the worst schools. The recruits usually have no idea how expensive the city is so they leave and so the city keeps recruiting. If you do get a teaching job in NYC bear in mind that it will probably not cover your day to day expenses.


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

theresoon said:


> Hi Nikki,
> 
> New York City has been recruiting teachers from abroad for a while. I am not sure if they are still doing it given the economic crisis. They do pay a little more for math and science teachers than for humanities. They recruit the foreign teachers to go to the worst schools. The recruits usually have no idea how expensive the city is so they leave and so the city keeps recruiting. If you do get a teaching job in NYC bear in mind that it will probably not cover your day to day expenses.


Unfortunately, most places seem to have stopped doing it. Although if anyone knows where it's still active please post here.

"Please Note: In order to work as a teacher in New York City, you must be a United States citizen or permanent resident. For the 2009-2010 school year, the New York City Department of Education will not sponsor international teachers who have not already met federal regulations to work here."
Source: Overview - International Teachers - New York City Department of Education


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