NeilBr

Hi all! I recently did a degree in History (& Politics) and I want to be a teacher. I'm looking into the different graduate routes I can take at the moment. My dream is to move to America before I'm 30, and I've heard there's a shortage of teachers. I want to teach history. After reading Pulaski's Ways and the other resources available, I've looked at a few different ways of fulfilling my dream. I was wondering if you fine people could take a look and advise me? I know History isn't a shortage subject which obviously makes things harder.

-Doing a Graduate Teacher Programme in the UK, then after the year required to get QTS making my applications to American schools
-Doing my teacher training in the USA, under a student visa, then looking to transfer it to an employment visa. I know the rules have changed on this, but I don't know whether it can be done
-Doing my training, then working at a school in London for three or five years to give me the necessary experience. Will that make things easier?
-Because of my Irish heritage, I'm able to apply for Irish citizenship. And the route of immigration is, I've heard, much less difficult for an Irish citizen. Would this be viewed as blatant deception by the immigration authorities or do people do it?

Thanks!

dunroving

Couple of pieces of advice I can offer:

If you do a US degree programme, you'll subsequently be eligible (pretty much automatically) to work in the US for one year on Optional Practical Training. This can help get you over the initial hurdle of a potential employer worrying about your immigration status, and give you a year during which your employer can work on getting you an H-1B visa. I don't know whether most schools would bother getting you a visa, though, particularly in a non-shortage subject.

AFAIK, Irish citizenship does not make you eligible for the diversity visa lottery - you have to be born in Ireland.

ian-mstm

You'll need to have those qualifications verified... but, quite frankly, nothing less than an MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) will get you anywhere in the US.


This is your best choice of the ones listed. Concentrate on an MAT and you'll be in good shape. Worry about the visa later.


Waste of time as far as the US is concerned.


It's only easier if you were born in Ireland. Having Irish citizenship is irrelevant for immigration purposes.

Ian

Ginblossom

Ian, a word of caution, I know of a good number of folks who teach in the US without a Masters. It certainly helps but isn't critical.

Some states, Texas is one I understand, will bump up your pay for having one but there isn't absolutely required to actual teach.

tonrob

I'm not sure that there is a shortage of teachers in the US. Round my way they are laying teachers off and making class sizes larger, and I know newly-qualified teachers who are pursuing other jobs (if they can find them) because they can't even get supply-teaching work.

Like everything - teaching is suffering with the current economy, and when the economy picks up there will be thousands of US citizens (who don't need to jump through hoops to get work authorization) queuing up to get new jobs as they become available.

As always, there is doubtless regional variation when it comes to demand but you may need to consider your goal a long-term one.

Ginblossom

Perhaps the OP should pm the poster who moved to FL in two easy steps after becoming a teacher....

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=632953

tonrob

I did half-wonder whether that was where they got the idea that teachers was in such demand....

OP - The contents of that thread may or may not be utter BS. You have been warned...

ian-mstm

Likely in an underseved or inner-city area where finding good teachers is difficult. At any rate, in many states you can't get tenure without a Masters degree. Generally, a US Board of Education isn't going to consider someone with a UK Bachelors degree to have sufficient qualifications to teach - considering that most US Bachelors degrees require 4 years of school. And, of course, then there's PRAXIS!

I'll stand by my comment that a Masters degree should be the minimum qualification for successfully immigrating and being a teacher. Can you do it on less - sure... but if you're trying to maximize your chances of success, why would you want to?

Ian

Ginblossom

My friend works in Houston and the school is just fine. Has a Batchelors and TX teaching certificate.

Texas institutions do not offer a degree in education funnily enough.

Ian, I am not saying you are wrong, and your last comments were right, but I was just cautioning that a Masters is not the be and end all, but certainly very useful. In a slow economy, all things being equal, I am sure those candidates with them are more favourably looked than those without.

And of course, the OP or anyone else, wants to maximise their chances.

ian-mstm

Sheila and I are visiting in TX just now... indeed, we'll be in Houston later this morning - catching our connecting flight home.


What? Barbarians!

Ian

dbj1000

That's an understatement.

They don't trust people with too much book lernin' round these parts! All that educashun fills your head with liberal thoughts, and doesn't leave any space for your preacher to fill with the Word.

lisa67

That about sums it up in my little corner of TX

Bob

Sure, but most are already here and don't need sponsorship, you need to stand out from the crowd and have a load of experience or most school districts just won't bother with the hassle and cost, and also the start date of the visa not fitting in with start date of academic year.

OP doesn't say where he plans to be in the US, would make a massive difference to planned chances.

Best option, e-harmony

mayhemuk

Where do you think you're headed? California will be trouble.
My wife has been pink slipped twice the last 2 years and she has tenure!
It is a real messy world especially for public schools that are over subcribed.

Mummy in the foothills

Our district Pink slips just about everyone ever year, then hires them back for the new school year.
They just laid off the history teacher my Ds really liked, his job has been taken over by other teachers in the school, by splitting classes and increasing class sizes. Teaching is a pretty dire job to be in round here.