Applying

The applying process really begins before you graduate; often students end up finding jobs through connections made during interning. Network with other teachers and administrators in the building, inviting them to your class during the last weeks of intern teaching to watch and give you pointers. Stop in and meet the personnel director at the central office. Provide him/her with a resume and also invite s/he to stop by and see you in action. Remind other teachers that you will be on the market and ask if they have heard of any openings. If your mentor is happy with you, be sure s/he says so to administrators and others who have a lead on a job elsewhere.

Right after intern teaching -- maybe even before it is over -- start examining job lists and begin applying. Apply to every conceivable opening. Don't rule possibilities out until you have multiple offers! Teaching jobs can surprise you; sometimes something in a place or institution you would never have considered turns out to be ideal.

Much of the applying process is now done on line: Check out Applying On-Line!

If there is something right up your alley, and where you want to live, make a personal visit to hand-deliver your materials right away. Follow up with letters/phone calls on a regular basis. Don't be defeated by the impersonality of large districts; they simply require more persistence. Alternative schools and special programs for "at risk" students are often looking for new people and new energy. Peterson's //Independent Secondary Schools// and Paterson's //American Education// are books that lists private schools across the country (at WMU available in the Career Resources Center, 1st floor Ellsworth). They are valuable resources in applying to many very interesting schools.

Always attend job fairs. Although they can be a depressing experience, a real "meat market" as they say, many students have gotten jobs through these events. Employers take them seriously, so be prepared for real interviews. WMU's Teacher Placement Day is in April. MSU, CMU, EMU all have teacher placement days that you can attend -- plan to hit several. Enthusiasm is key at job fairs -- have smart and colorful handouts from your portfolio to leave with interviewers.

Job fairs are a good opportunity to look into working in other states. There are recruitment fairs in states across the country that you can learn about and attend. Teaching in another part of the country can be very exciting and facilitate your personal growth and education. Examine //Teacher Certification Requirements in all Fifty States// (Boydston, 1995) (at WMU available at the Career Resources Center). You can also get this information more quickly from sites on the web. Try: the University of Kentucky's [|50 States Certificate Requirements,]Academic Employment Network's [|Certification Requirements State by State], or [|Phil's Place], a website of educational resources, which also has a page with links to teacher certication requirements.

If you plan to find a job in a new state, take some time to familiarize yourself with their state standards or curriculum expectations, usually available at the website for that state's Department of Education. Having this knowledge will allow you to show potential employers your interest, dedication and smarts.

The Michigan Teacher Network Educator Job Listings posts jobs for districts of your choosing across the state as well as to a variety of national sites recruiting teachers. This site also has links to pages on resume writing and interviewing. The [|Regional Education Applicant and Placement Program (REAP)] allows you to apply to many participating districts with just one application. [|SchoolSTAFF] is a for profit site of the Education Career Company where districts seeking teachers and teacher applicants can get connected. [|Career Jet] gathers links to English jobs. If / when you are seeking to be a professor of English education, [|NCTE]has job announcements on its web pages listing some current positions.

Following the usual methods is important, but not enough. A great number of students land English teaching jobs by making "cold" contacts at schools where a position has not yet been advertised. For a job in Michigan you could go to the [|Michigan Schools Directory] listing the addresses and phone numbers of all the schools in Michigan. (The same information is available non-electronically in the //Michigan Education// can copy this book at the WMU Career Resources Library or purchase your own copy by calling MDE at (517) 482-8464.) Using this on-line directory (or the book), call all the school secretaries in the area you decide to concentrate on and ask them if they know of any openings coming up for English teachers -- they may have heard of something even before the principal does! When you find a "hot" possibility, call the principal, hand deliver your file, and stay in regular contact. For example, a young woman with a 2.6 gpa had three offers in no time by using this approach. (By the way the [|Michigan Department of Education] has a good web site with lots of resources beyond the directory.)

Be aware of the hiring schedule of districts. They may do their most intense looking in the late spring and early summer so that is the time to be sure to be ready and active. On the other hand, hiring goes on all year long. At the time of a sudden opening if you are the one who happens to be there, you may be the one to get the position. Schools also do a good deal of hiring at the last minute. After a summer of frustration, you may suddenly find yourself with opportunities the week before school starts or even during the first couple of weeks of the new year. Make your presence known and obvious, especially at these times.

As you go through the job hunting process you should be continually refining and improving your materials, skills and strategies. If you don't have a position after a year (very unlikely if you are following the Webb plan!), you need to thoroughly reexamine your materials and approach. (You aren't still using a one-page resume, are you??? You are making plenty of cold calls, right???) At this point there is also another option to consider: a professional employment agency or job placement service (also called "third party recruiters" and "head hunters"). You can find phone numbers of such services listed on the Want Ad pages of the Chicago papers. As these services continue to grow Career Services may have some information or suggestions. Several people have gotten jobs with the help of a placement service, but they had to promise to hand over their first child in exchange (Actually, you pay a percentage of your first year's income...).