Get Hired

As soon as you have gotten your Letter of Acceptance, you are ready to begin applying to schools for a full time teaching job.

The most asked question we get is “Do schools only hire teachers in the summer, before the new school year starts?” The answer is no. Schools hire teachers year-round. Just like any other job, teachers retire, take leave, change jobs, or any number of reasons that require a school to fill that vacancy.

The following information will help you to get that teaching job you’ve always wanted.

Being the best candidate for the job may require some additional consideration.

Search Area

• Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow advises that you expand your search area to include a reasonable commute. Sometimes the district or school you really want to teach at isn’t hiring. So working for a year or so at a different school will give you the necessary classroom experience to be the top candidate when other schools are hiring. Or you may just find that the job you have is actually the one you love.

Extra Curricular

• Many times a school will ask if you are willing to help with extra curricular opportunities. Would you be willing to coach the seventh grade cheer leading squad? Would you be able to help with the eco-bots or mathletes team? Would you be the leader of a club like a book club or a community service club?
• Being willing to help out where needed for these extra opportunities will help you stand out as a candidate. It shows that you are a team player, and are willing to help where needed. Plus you’ll get a little more experience to add to your portfolio.

Other Certifications

• Having multiple certifications can certainly help you land that job. At the secondary level, being able to teach more than one subject is extremely helpful. At some schools, you would be a most valuable asset to be able to teach both English the majority of the time, but also technology education or health class.
• Ask our Program Advisors about additional certifications that may be most beneficial to you. Our Intern community has advice and tips on testing for some of these and Indiana Teachers Program Advisors can be a valuable resource in helping you be prepared for your interview.

When applying for jobs with schools, never underestimate the importance of taking the time to include a personalized cover letter with your resume. Don’t give the person screening resumes a second to entertain the thought: “But how can this person help us?” 

Helpful Tips

• When you are applying for a particular position, show that you know something about the school or the school corporation. This is where your research comes in. Don’t go overboard, but within the letter, make sure you communicate how your talents and experiences align with the culture and goals of the campus or district.
• Remember, the purpose of the cover letter is to explain why you are sending a résumé and to provide you with a second opportunity to advertise yourself to a hiring official or principal. Keep your cover letter short, to the point, accurate, targeted, and easy to read.
• Cover letters can be used generically and not addressed to anybody in particular or for any position specifically. This is what you use for job fairs and any other time when you generically applying for many positions. However, when possible, try to write an individual, customized cover letter for every position you apply for.

Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow offers a free resume review service. Once you have done your best to complete your resume, you can email it directly to our experts and they will provide you with custom feedback.

Through our years of working with district HR administrators and principals, we have collected a wealth of advice and expertise on how to make your resume effectively communicate the type of educator you will be. To access this library, click here.

Your portfolio is an extension of your resume and cover letter. This is where you will present all of your official documents, a collection of sample work, and any other material often requested by school corporations.

Items to Include:

• Transition to Teaching Permit
• Bachelor’s degree transcript(s)
• Philosophy of Education
• Score reports from any CORE exams you have passed
• Any other related materials related to your past experience

Your Philosophy of Education is a brief essay expressing why you want to be a teacher and how you plan to help students learn and grow. It should be no more than 1-2 pages, easy to read, and free of spelling or grammatical errors. Other related materials could include sample lesson plans and representations of any time you have spent working with children, especially if it is relevant to your subject area. For example, a Theater Arts candidate could put in pictures and documentation from working on children’s theater. A math candidate could include photos and a timeline of tutoring they may have done in the past. Be sure to keep your items neat and well organized to put your best foot forward.

Teacher interviews are not like regular interviews. A principal may give you classroom scenarios and have you respond with discipline management strategies or you could even be asked to create a sample lesson plan.

So, Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow has put together a resource library to help you prepare for your interview. Here you will find common questions asked in a teacher interview, do’s, don’ts, and helpful tips on making a great impression, and much more. We’ve asked top Human Resources administrators and principals to help us, help you with your teacher interview.

To access this library, click here.