Globally Selected. Explore the world. Expand your pool.
Hiring international teachers has never been easier.
We’re proud to partner with Cultural Vistas, a non-profit organization designated by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor the J-1 Visa of overseas teachers employed by accredited K-12 schools. They take on the sponsorship process for you, making it that much easier to expand your pool, find right-fit candidates, and enrich what you already offer your school community.
Through their Teach USA program, you have the opportunity to hire experienced and motivated teachers eager to apply their skills and expertise to your school. Candidates are full-time, teachers of record for K-12 classrooms, as well as pre-K language immersion classrooms.
The U.S. Department of State’s BridgeUSA program offers schools the opportunity to host overseas educators for three years with an option to extend up to a total of five years.
Bring the world to your classrooms.
Hosting teachers from abroad enables you to:
- Increase your students’ exposure and understanding of other cultures.
- Diversify your staff’s perspectives and teaching strategies.
- Offer unique, new courses to enhance your school’s curriculum.
- Promote cross-cultural exchange of ideas between the U.S. and other nations.
School Eligibility
Understand the program and its benefits.
When seeking international candidates on the Selected platform, note that they will likely not yet have U.S. work authorization. That is inherent to the J-1 Visa, which they cannot obtain until after Cultural Vistas sponsorship approval, based on a confirmed offer from you. You will only be able to see these candidates if you indicate on your profile that you are open to hiring international candidates. This will unlock your ability to connect, hire, and diversify your instructional staff.
Teacher Eligibility
Eligible candidates are non-U.S. citizens of good reputation and character.
They seek full-time teaching positions in accredited K-12 schools, are English proficient, and satisfy the teaching standards of the U.S. state in which they will teach.
Timelines
Understanding the steps to J-1 Visa Sponsorship.
It is important to hire early for the international market in order to allow time for the sponsorship process with Cultural Vistas — as well as the visa interview process at the teacher’s local U.S. embassy or consulate.
Summer can be particularly busy for the latter and applicants may experience wait times in order to get an appointment. Thus, early spring is a critical time to be interviewing and hiring overseas teachers.
- Aim to make offers no later than March or April and consult with Cultural Vistas on potential timelines for certain countries.
- Once you and the teacher submit applications to Cultural Vistas, it can take 2-4 weeks for a decision — after which, the teacher schedules the in-person interview for the actual visa.
Teachers can arrive in the U.S. no more than 30 days ahead of the agreed upon start date. It is helpful to build in this time where possible to assist with settling into the community and applying for a Social Security Number.
About Cultural Vistas
Founded in 1963, Cultural Vistas is a nonprofit exchange organization promoting global understanding and collaboration among individuals and institutions. They develop international professional experiences that create more informed, skilled, and engaged citizens. Their programs empower people to drive positive change in themselves, their organizations, and society. Learn more at culturalvistas.org.
For more information about Cultural Vistas, or to get your international teachers sponsored, contact Caroline Gillam at cgillam@culturalvistas.org.
About Selected
At Selected, our mission is to improve schools’ access to qualified, diverse, and relevant teachers — and we’re trusted by more than 1,700 PK-12 public and private schools who use Selected to optimize their hiring process and get discovered by right-fit candidates.
For more information about how to find pre-vetted international candidates on Selected’s platform, contact our team at hello@getselected.com.