During our recent educator job fair, I was amazed at the number of candidates who were discarding phenomenal opportunities because of their lack of research. When asked if they had talked to the charter schools, the most common response I received was "what is a charter school?" Here is my attempt to define public, parochial, charter and magnet schools. Let's start with the easy one first. Public schools: a tuition free school in the United States supported by taxes, controlled by a school board and run by certified teachers and administrators. Students attend the school designated in established school district ...

There have been volumes written on how to conduct a successful job search. This is my attempt to boil it down to the essential tools needed to develop your professional brand. First, you need to develop a marketing plan - yes educators this means you. How are you going to sell yourself to potential employers? What is your personal brand i.e. image? What is your competitive edge? What makes you unique? When you leave the room or hang up the phone, what do you want the person to remember about you? Here are the tools you need to develop. ...

In today's economy, however, actually getting a job can be more of a challenge than it was just a few years ago. Many individuals outside of education have taken to the education field to find meaningful employment and new opportunities. With this added competition, how does one successfully gain an edge and obtain the highly acclaimed first teaching position? My advice is to network for the right teaching position. Networking is the key. Gone are the days that you, as a new education graduate, can walk into a college job fair and walk out with the perfect teaching job offer. ...

Do you remember your favorite teachers? Did they inspire you to graduate and go to college? Or did your favorite teachers help you find your passion in sports, band, or drama? Did a teacher get you started on the path to a love of reading or math? Do you want to be someone's favorite teacher - helping them learn and grow? Teaching is a wonderfully fulfilling career, and salaries and benefits have improved greatly. Teacher salaries, while considered low, have continued to increase. Salaries generally average $40,000 to $80,000 a year for classroom teachers, kindergarten through high school. ...

In order to compete and win internationally, our nation needs a highly educated workforce that is second to none. Rising levels of education are critical to creating shared economic growth and mobility for every American. And keeping America's teachers in our classrooms is central to that goal. Over the past several months, President Obama has been working with Congress to pursue this legislation that would make sure these thousands of teachers can return to their schools and classrooms in the coming months. The legislation signed by the President in August 2010 marks an investment in our economic prosperity and in ...

Teacher candidates are wise to consider all the teaching options available to them, particularly in non-traditional classroom environments. One option that is often ignored is teaching in corrections systems. Prisons and jails typically have teaching and training programs for adults and youth. Working in corrections is not on a lot of people's radars, so there's not a lot of competition. Even if it isn't the job of your dreams, the experience alone would be valuable... and impressive on your resume. What's it like working with the incarcerated? In both one-on-one and group sessions, they tend to be like everyone else. ...

When applicants apply for a teaching job, they generally go to the school's website to learn more about the district. While this approach can render some good information, applicants should strive to learn even more about a district. Logical sources are the community's newspaper (either in print or on-line), contact with the state's education association, or the website of the state's Department of Education. All of these would prove to be valuable in providing more depth of information. I would recommend another website that I encourage applicants to use for each school that they are seriously considering for employment--School Data ...

I am hesitant to respond to any career changer before determining that there is ample reason for a change, but that is especially true of my interactions with educators who wish to leave the field. First, I know very well that good, experienced teachers are hard to find and for a variety of reasons are all too often harder to keep. I also know how much time and effort goes into the preparation for this profession, regardless of whether it is a four-year degree program in education or an alternative certification program. So, I hate to dissuade anyone from becoming ...

I was just reviewing the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Job Outlook 2011 report and one of the sections caught my eye -- "What Employers Want: Candidate Skills and Qualities". I found it interesting that employers are much more interested in verbal communication skills rather than written skills, ranking it at the top of the list. Following that was strong work ethic, teamwork skills, analytical skills and initiative. Rounding out the top ten list were problem-solving skills, writing skills, interpersonal skills, computer skills, and flexibility/adaptability. What really struck me was that I am currently serving on a ...

A new year, for many of us, signifies renewal or new projects. For me personally, I'll tackle organizing the garage and shedding some unwanted holiday pounds. AAEE bloggers would like to begin this bright new year with an invitation to you. The American Association for Education in Employment has been partnering with Education Week Top School Jobs for over four years now, sharing thoughts about education careers and employment in the field. But rather than just writing about what we think interests you, we are hoping to engage in a meaningful exchange with Career Corner blog readers. We know that ...