Even though the U.S. is experiencing an intense teacher shortage right now, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to obtain a job teaching in the United States. Section of that has to do with the stringent requirements established by the U.S. government, and section of that has to do with the peculiarities in the American classroom experience. Let’s examine both of these factors in greater detail.
The U.S. State Department, which coordinates a popular work visa program for foreign teachers going to America, lists seven different criteria that needs to be met simply uses teach at a U.S. school. First and above all, you need a teaching certification or license at home country and meet all qualifications for teaching in this country. Secondly, you must be working as a teacher at the time of your application — which means you can’t “come away from retirement” to land a teaching gig in America. You should also have a university degree that’s equal to a four-year bachelor’s degree in the United States, and you also should have at the very least no less than Couple of years of relevant teaching experience.
Those are just the federal government requirements, though. There are also the state of hawaii, or local, requirements you need to meet. These can differ among all 50 states, because they are free to make minor tweaks to their teaching requirements to think their particular specific needs. So, you may meet each of the qualifications to teach in California – although not in Texas. It varies over a state-by-state basis.
You should also demonstrate English language proficiency, that is natural enough, given that you’ll be teaching to American students (even if many only speak English as being a second language). Finally, you should pass an identification check to make sure you are “of good reputation and character.”
But it’s the American classroom experience that’s maybe the most daunting. One big focus might be the “Common Core” as well as a related concept — “teaching for the core.” That means your teaching style must accommodate specific curriculum components — you’re not free to teach a subject the method that you might prefer. Secondly, there’s an enormous focus now in American schools on “interdisciplinary” teaching. This means that you’re not anticipated to use concepts from the 3 major different fields within your J1 visa for teachers, in order that a class is no longer “just” a math class or even a science class and also pulls in ideas from your discipline like “social studies.”
Finally, Americans place a boat load of emphasis on creativity, innovation and educational enrichment. This is often not the same as the knowledge abroad, where questions usually have very specific answers, and there is a clear “right” and “wrong” in different response. The U.S. system places a much greater emphasis on a much more holistic classroom experience.
That being said, many foreign teachers – even if they’re qualified at home and have sufficient classroom teaching experience – often require a little bit of aid in navigating the U.S. system. American schools are proud of “getting the proper fit,” knowning that requires foreign teaching candidates presenting their background, skills and experiences in ways that will be most attractive to U.S. schools.
The good news is that two areas where U.S. schools get each year an actual shortage – science and math – also are actually two areas where foreign teachers may be most able to help. This could turn out to be a “win-win” situation, where American schools are able to overcome their teacher shortage, while foreign teachers are able to leverage their skills and experiences in just those disciplines where they’re most able to help.
More information about J1 visa for teachers explore our new net page: read here