Presently looking into the possibility of teaching in the USA . I am an Aussie primary school trained teacher with 20 years teaching experience and have my Bachelor of Education and Masters of Education in Learning Support as well as being a NET in Hong Kong for 6 years. Anyone know of the chances of picking up a job; what would I need to do to be in the running for getting a job and how would I go about it. I have just started looking into this and would appreciate any advice in order to point me in the right direction.

Most states require certification by that state to allow you to teach... massive cutbacks in the US budget are putting thousands of public school teachers out of work...

However almost all districts post their openings on the internet... pick a city and have a look... you might find something in a private school that allows you to certify after you are working there... good luck

Not a good time to be looking for a teaching job in the U.S. Just in Los Angeles we have issued 5,000 layoff notices this year. Not everyone will end up being laid-off, but you get the picture. Try going to edjoin.org for teaching positions in California. Not sure where you would look for other states. Not all private schools require you to have a state certification, which might help you. What's an NET?

For public schools, you would need to contact the department of education in any state that you would be interested in teaching in to have them assess your qualifications and determine if you could be licensed there.

Jobs are scarce here and teachers have been laid off, so you might find some resistance.

Otherwise you might look into private or religious schools as they have different rules in some places.

There might also be the matter of a green card.

The US education system is local - not just state by state but often town by town.

But- your biggest problem is getting a visa and permission to work when there are teachers here out of work. I can;t imagine any pubic school, never mind a decent private one - willing to hire someone illegally. (When you apply for any job in the US you must prove you are a citizen or have a visa allowing you to work legally - which is very difficult to get.) (Granted dishwasher or lawn care workers working on a daily basis can get by without papers - but a teacher - never.)

You would have to find a job before arriving and use the job offer and help of the district hiring you - to get a visa from the government.


Typically good school districts are very particular about who they require - and a state certificate is the first requirement. With you degree you might teach elementary school - to teach in upper grades you need a degree in your subject - not education.

In the past NYC was desperate to hire new teachers (for the worst neighborhoods) but due to the economy they are now laying teachers off.

So - I can;t imagine how you can pull this off - unless getting a job with a private company teaching employees- but don;t know what skills you have for that.

Look for an exchange. They are very common between US schools and UK schools. A US teacher will take your job for a year while you do hers/his, often exchanging houses and cars. Sorry I can't point to particular programs but they should be googleable.

Otherwise, look to private (usually called "independent" schools. They have their own associations, etc, with information about each member.

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You still have to be "legal", whether the school is private or public.

Yes, many states are cutting back on teaching positions. But, with pension reform issues being discussed in places like NJ, where I live, there has been an increase in teacher retirements.

By chance you became fluent in Mandarin while in HK, you might find a lot of interest in an ability to teach that at private schools. My daughter's former prep school offered Mandarin classes.

Probably unlikely there is an Australian ex-pat school in NY or LA, but by chance there is, you might check there. My French colleague sends his children to a school in NY that could just as easily be in Paris from the curriculum.

I think the work visa is probably the largest stumbling block given the recent teacher lay offs. We have people at my company on H1B visas and because we had a lay off last year, we are required to prove the qualifications of all our staff with H1B visas to show why we kept them in their positions while laying off some American workers.

Again, OP will have to first find an employer willing to sponsor him/her for the position then that employer will have to "prove" to the US Department of Labor there are no qualified US Citizens available to fill the position. That means the school will have to advertise the position nationally. The school will have to provide documentation why they are rejecting any applicants who are US citizens or "green Card' holders. At any point during the process the Labor Department can require the school to hire a qualified applicant that they (the Labor Department) either in their data base of unemployed teachers or even an employed teacher who wants to change jobs and is qualified to fill the position.

The difficulty OP will encounter is he/she will have to possess "unique qualifications" that match perfectly with the job requirements of the vacant position and as noted above if any US citizen with similar background and qualifications applies for the position OP will not be granted a work visa. Also, OP will not be allowed in the country while the application is being processed.

For what it is worth, in my 40+ year business career I tried to getting work visas for three different foreign national (to fill 3 different positions more specialized than a teacher) and in each instance I spent between 4 and 6 years and thousands of dollars in legal fees and was unsuccessful each time.

With all the teacher layoffs in the US right now I seriously doubt any school system would be willing to take the time and effort to undertake the task, let alone have the budget to fund the process.

I'm not saying it's impossible but it's an uphill battle at best.

Your only real chance is to be able to teach something that currently unemployed american teachers can't (if you have fluent mandarin that might be an opportunity in business). Elementary school teachers are a glut on the market - even if you could qualify for a certificate (not knowing local/state history would be one major drawback many places).

macca35, I teach in a public school and am sorry to say the posts about the current situation in American schools above are accurate. Even before the layoffs in recent years, there were far more applicants for primary teaching positions than jobs available - and, at least in the northeast, you'd need certification before they could consider your application. Private schools can be more flexible in their hiring, but even there the market is pretty competitive right now. Wish the news was better, but given the current situation you might want to consider alternatives. Best of luck.

Exchanges don't require a regular work visa.