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Education: K-12

Counselor's Perspective
A Day in the Life
Opportunities
Resources
Successful Communication Strategies
Who Comes to Duke?

Counselor's Perspective

Job searches in education are influenced largely by interest, academic qualifications, and geographic preference but fall generally into three categories: public school teaching, independent school teaching, and international teaching. Students will need to consider where they want to teach, what they want to teach and to whom and for how long. Students may go into teaching for a long-term career or for a short-term experience after graduation.

Internships
Most teaching employers and schools want students to have had experience working with children and/or in instruction. Students may receive experience in teaching through various education internships including teaching summer school, tutoring, working at after school programs, summer camps, or at locations where students have the opportunity to work with children.

Full-time jobs
Several avenues exist on how students may get into teaching full time after graduation. For students wishing to teach in public schools, they will need to go through a teaching certificate program, go through a lateral entry program or complete a short-term teaching program such as Teach for America. Teaching in independent schools usually does not require a teaching certificate as students would instruct in the area of their major or field of study. For international teaching, students may teach various subjects in international schools or teach English abroad. In some international schools, teachers are required to have a teaching certificate. For teaching English abroad, teaching experience is usually not necessary but in some areas of the world, a teaching English as a foreign or second language certificate is needed.

A Day in the Life

Full-time position

Teaching 7th grade math in New York City

6:00 Wake up and get ready

7:15 Arrive at work

8:15 Teach math straight till 12:00

12:00-12:30 Lunch

12:30-1:30 Teach math

1:30-2:15 Planning Period to grade tests, meet with parents and students, clean classroom

2:15-3:00 Teach homeroom

3:00 School ends—grade papers till 4:30

4:30 Go home

5:00 Prepare lessons for next day

6:30 Eat Dinner

7:00 Watch TV

10:00 Go to bed

Internship

Summer Camp Counselor

7:00 Ge up and get ready 

8:00 Wake up 10-12 campers in bunk

8:30 Breakfast

9:00 Lead 10-12 campers in arts and crafts project

10:30 Ref soccer game

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Lead 10-12 campers in another arts and crafts project

2:30 Take campers to pool

3:00 Break

4:30 Ref basketball game

6:00 Dinner with campers

7:00 Break

8:00 Help campers write letters, complete projects, snacks

9:30 Get 10-12 campers ready for bed 

10:30 Lights out  for campers

11:00 Break and bed 

Opportunities

Public School Teaching
Teaching in the public schools requires that applicants be certified in one of the fifty states, the result of a course of study and internship outlined by state boards of education and executed by universities and colleges licensed to do so. Duke programs certify teachers at the secondary and elementary levels after the specified coursework and internships have been completed and candidates have successfully passed standard exams. The NC licensure awarded qualifies them to teach in most other states under reciprocal arrangements.

Some public school positions are available to Duke students who have not completed certification programs through non-profit organizations and school systems with special programs. Most of these programs are two-year teaching programs and in some cases, students have the opportunity to receive a master’s degree in education while teaching and receive a teaching certificate. Examples of such programs include:


Private School Teaching
Private (independent) schools do not normally require that teaching candidates be certified, however, they do look for majors in content or core subject areas as well as considerable experience with children. Several search firms who specialize in assisting students with a private school job search interview at Duke each fall. These firms can be very helpful and do not charge placement fees to students who register with them. Examples include:


Many private schools offer one-year internships for graduating seniors who are interested in exploring the field and/or gaining experience. Most internships are offered by boarding schools but there are a few exceptions. Examples of one-year teaching internship programs include:

  • Andover Teaching Fellowship
  • Stanley British Primary School Teacher Preparation Program


International Teaching
Students are taking advantage of international teaching opportunities in increasing numbers. International teaching is a great way for students to get international experience and exposure for long-term international careers or for students who want to spend a year or two abroad before going to graduate school.

International Schools
The language of instruction in these schools is English and they are attended by the children of international business persons and government officials from English speaking countries in addition to the children of host country nationals whose parents wish to provide them with an American or British style education. Many of these schools offer one-year internships for graduating seniors. Opportunities to interview for such positions are offered each year via Duke eRecruiting by the following organizations:


ESL Teaching
Opportunities to teach English as a second language are available in several settings that include non-profit, college sponsored programs, government programs and private language schools. The examples listed below do not require prior training in ESL methodologies.


For teaching in some areas of the world where the demand for English teachers is not as great, a teaching certificate is necessary or valuable. Several teaching English as a foreign or second language certification programs exist. Samples include:

  • University of Cambridge CELTA
  • TEFL International
  • Trinity Certificate TESOL
  • TEFL Worldwide Prague
  • BridgeLinguatec Language Services
  • SIT TESOL (School for International Training)


Often these programs provide career counseling and job placement and support. They may also provide resources and information regarding housing, visa, and international insurance.

International Education
Many students are  discovering careers in international education.  International education includes ESL teaching or teaching English abroad, working abroad with the state department or government, or working with international education organizations or nonprofits and more.  The Association of International Educators (NAFSA) offers students helpful information about how to search for jobs within international education and describes what opportunities are available and how to find them.

College and University Teaching

We have a separate Industry Insights page devoted to higher education here.

Resources

In searching for schools and districts to teach, it is helpful and beneficial to do research on the school and district. These websites provide detailed information regarding private schools, boarding schools, public schools, and the surrounding communities. It is possible to search by state or school and then discover demographical and other statistical information about the schools and the community.


Many print materials are available in the Career Center Resource Room (Page 110) Examples include:

  • Alternative Teacher Certification by Feistritzer & Chester
  • Careers in Education by Edelfelt & Reiman
  • Handbook of Private Schools
  • The Job Search Handbook, American Association for Employment in Education
  • ISS Directory of International Schools
  • Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Teacher by Ben Wildavsky of U.S. News


Online job listings include:


Please note that Duke eRecruiting always offers numerous teaching opportunities in the job posting section of the system.

Successful Communication Strategies

It is helpful when contacting teachers and educators to contact them first via e-mail or if by phone be aware that they are usually occupied during business hours teaching students so it may be necessary to set-up a time in the evening or during their preparation period to have an informational interview. For contacting alumni (possibly via DukeConnect) in the education field, questions to ask include:

1) Why did you get into teaching?
2) Why did you decide to go into public or private school teaching?
3) How did you get certified or did you need to be certified?
4) How did you get into the teaching profession?
5) What type of experience is helpful when becoming a teacher?

These are good questions to begin you conversation with a teacher or experienced educator.

Who comes to Duke?

Many independent school teaching recruiters come to Duke for career fairs, information sessions, or to recruit for teachers. These include:


For international teaching:


Short-term teaching programs:

Other programs for careers/internships in education:

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