Finding Teaching Jobs

Education Hiring Fair
Online Job Postings
Networking
Applying for Teaching Jobs
Out-of-State Teaching

Education Hiring Fair

Every spring the Chico State Career Center sponsors the Education Hiring Fair. You can anticipate from 50 to 125 school districts in attendance. Districts may be looking at student teachers, credentialed teachers, and those seeking an internship for career positions. Appropriate dress for the career fair is business casual. Bring plenty of resumes to give to the recruiters. You should be assertive about approaching the districts. The more people you talk to, the better your chances are of securing a position and the better you get at answering and asking questions. Our office will keep you posted regarding the date of the fair and districts attending. Check out this link for more information about the Education Hiring Fair.

Online Job Postings

The best source of teaching jobs is Ed-Join.org(opens in new window), They have an excellent list of teaching positions, and you can complete an application and submit a resume that will reside on the site for you to use. There are also other excellent sites for teaching jobs, and we have most of them listed in our Education Online Job Posting section.

Networking

Asking teachers, friends, and relatives, and calling or visiting schools in which you are interested are all excellent means of locating possible job openings. Do as many of these things as possible to increase your chances for finding a great teaching position. Check out the Career Center Networking section for more help.

Applying for Teaching Jobs

Initial contact with a school district hiring official most often takes the form of a written communication. All paper correspondence with a hiring official should be, or look like, individually prepared letters on good 8-1/2"x11" bond paper. Be sure all information given is accurate and neat. Sloppiness will almost always create a bad impression. Be certain to state your attributes, but do not exaggerate.

There are three major forms of written communication used in seeking a teaching position. Whether you are applying electronically or on paper, the basics are the same. Include your resume, cover letter, and application form.

Each school district has its own application form. This document must be filled out completely and accurately even if it is repeating information on your résumé. For the most professional appearance, we suggest accessing the application electronically from the district’s website so you can complete it via a computer and print it out. If this is not possible, we recommend that you type it, or at the very least, print very neatly in blue or black ink. We suggest that you return it to the district with a résumé and cover letter. If you register with Handshake(opens in new window) or with Ed-Join.org(opens in new window), you will only need to complete this once.

One of four things will generally result from your letters/resume:

You will get an application and/or invitation to come in for an interview.
You will receive a letter stating no positions are available.
You will receive notification that you are placed in a "pool" for further consideration as positions become available.
You will hear nothing from the school district.

If you receive notification that there are no vacancies, it does not mean that there will never be a teaching position open. School districts often do not know about openings until the last minute, sometimes not until after school has started. After your initial written correspondence, it is important to keep in contact with the hiring officials until you are able to obtain an interview. This can be done with a follow-up letter, e-mail, or a telephone call.

This is the typical way to apply for a job— it is not the only way. You should try anything that seems effective and appropriate—from networking with friends and colleagues, dropping into district offices, to telephone calls. We only urge you to be sensitive to how people react to you. They are looking for eager, enthusiastic, and persistent teachers, but shy away from over-anxious and overbearing persistence.

Out-of-State Teaching

You can use your valid California teaching credential to gain a credential without additional course work in the following states. For further information, contact the appropriate state department of education.

States that have a credential agreement with California

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Washington D.C.
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia