Land Your Next Role: The Job Search Guide Every Teacher Needs

Toni Marek -

Whether you’re a first-time job seeker, a mid-career school switcher, a re-locator, or an aspiring school leader - our resources will help cover the job search process and the key components of finding the right-fit school.

To start, no matter where you’re at in your career, there are a few things you’ll want to know about the teacher interview process: the steps, the people involved, the hiring goals of the school, and what makes each round of the process successful.

With a fairly well-known hiring season in the field of education, it can come to some as a surprise that schools continue to hire for roles throughout the year. No matter when you’re looking for your next position, our team is ready to support you in your job search. For now, check out our resources below.

Job Fairs

While it isn’t a required first step, for many, a job fair is where they start. Universities hold them every year - sometimes even every semester - for their students and alumni, and oftentimes cities will hold career fairs specific to the education field, too. You want to remember that the world of education is fairly tight-knit, and the longer you are in it, the more you will hear people exclaim “it’s such a small world!” So, take the time to network. Meet with schools you aren’t sure about - or haven’t heard of, yet - share your experiences, what has brought you to (and keeps you in) education, and how you plan to impact the field itself. You never know when you will cross paths with that school leader again, or when the teacher you met during the lunch break will be running a school themself!

Phone Interviews

For most, once an application is submitted with a school, the next step if moving forward is an invitation for a phone interview - or initial phone screen. Usually, one of two things is happening here:

  1. The school has questions about your application, or is simply interested in learning more about you (and which role you might be the best fit for),
  2. The school wants to make sure you come across live as well as you do on paper.

In either case, these are nothing to fear. Yes, put your best foot forward and make sure you accurately represent your character and abilities. But just as important, gauge your own interest in the school. If you know the following steps will include some type of face-to-face interview and a demo lesson, make sure it feels “right” enough for you to take that next step together.

Interview

Whether your upcoming interview is in-person or virtual (video), preparation is key. Remember that this is typically your first face-to-face interaction with the people making hiring decisions for the school. Oftentimes, this includes the school’s administrators - people you will be working closely with if all goes well.

Dress like you plan on showing up in the classroom: professional, and able to withstand the demands of classroom leadership. And prepare to highlight your strengths and teaching competencies, while also speaking to the ways you plan to continue to develop as an educator.

Prepare

Practice

Demo Lessons

If you made it to this step in the interview process, then you are definitely in the running. Everything you shared about your teaching competencies and management abilities struck a chord with the school - they now want to see it in action. Most interviewees consider this part of the interview to be the most nerve-wracking, but you can minimize that stress and anxiety by preparing for the lesson - and rehearsing it ahead of time.

Whether you’ll be doing your demo live in-person or via webcam, or maybe even submitting a recording of yourself teaching, below are key resources to ace the lesson and win over the school:

Planning

Execution and Debrief

We know those aren’t the only key areas in the job search, and we have dozens of other resources to help you along the way. Below, see a sample of our other topics, and let us know what else we should cover by following us on Twitter @getselectedco or emailing us at hello@getselected.com.

Resumes

Think of your resume as your personal brand. How can you be as clear and concise as possible when telling potential employers what you bring to the table? And how do you ensure you stand out, and stay top of mind?

edTPA

Don’t make it harder than it has to be! In fact, you can make the process as painless as possible while still achieving a passing edTPA score.

Lesson Plans

Lesson plans should guide and maximize the limited time you have with students. Which means you’ll need to plan for: directions and expectations, new content instruction, and meeting diverse student needs.

Classroom Management

Showcasing your classroom management skills is critical during the demo lesson. If you need a refresher or a little more practice, check out the following video courses:

Communicating with Potential Employers

First impressions matter! Check out our resource on emailing hiring managers, and we’ll help make sure they count:

Salary Negotiations

It can be one of the stickiest spots in the job offer - and many districts and networks have set salary scales (publicly visible online). But if it’s something you need to talk more about, then we think you should! And we have tips to make the conversations as successful as possible.

The teacher job search has gone virtual! Download our E-Book with Tips to Acing the Virtual Job Search here.

About Selected

Selected helps teachers find jobs at schools they love. We offer a free school matching and career support platform for teachers that connects them with 1,200+ PK-12 public and independent schools in urban metro areas in the Northeast US, CA, and AZ, including New York City, NJ, CT, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston, Los Angeles, SF Bay Area, and Phoenix. Create a FREE teacher profile in 5 minutes and connect with hiring schools immediately!