Now that you have decided that teaching is the career for you, your next important step is to determine how to get a job in a place that both interests you and excites you. There are many ways to find a teaching position in the location that you think holds the most promise for you. The exact steps that you take to find a position depend on where you want to go and whether or not you have contacts in that community. However in either case, your job search can be successful. 

To begin your job search, make sure you contact the head of the education program at your college or university. School systems and principals often contact deans and college professors when seeking teachers to fill particular positions. Under ideal circumstances, 
your school or department of education can provide the contacts you need to narrow your job search and actually locate a teaching position. This information is vital to those who wish to work in the general vicinity where you attend college. 

Your interest or personal circumstances may dictate that you cast a broader net in your effort to secure a teaching position. Your challenge in this case may be greater, but you can achieve success if you plan your search. You should develop and implement a job search strategy that includes several essential steps. 

First, you should plan to attend job fairs and recruitment seminars. However, before going to a job fair, make sure that you have prepared a portfolio of your work and that it has been reviewed by a professor or administrator in your teacher education program. As a future teacher, you will have the opportunity to attend two types of job fairs. 

Your college or university sponsors the first kind of job fair for all students seeking jobs. Public school systems from throughout your geographic region will be represented. The public school representatives in some cases will offer jobs and provide contracts. Again, your portfolio is essential if you are interested in accepting one of the positions offered at the job fair. Also, contact your college placement office to get information about job fairs sponsored by local school systems to identify future teachers. 

The second major step you should take is to contact the state department of education in the states in which you wish to teach. Remember, not every city has its own school system. A state department of education will identify for you the city, county, consolidated, and independent school systems in a particular state. This information will be critical if the size and location of the school system in which you wish to teach is important in making location decisions. After getting information about particular communities from the local chambers of commerce, you can then contact the local school systems that interest you within a state. Finally, if you are interested in returning home to teach also contact teachers and principals in your home community. 

You can identify teaching positions in many states through the Internet. Some state departments of education now have consolidated job listings for teaching positions. All of the local school systems within a state that choose to do so can list their open teaching positions with the state department of education. You can access the Internet to find information about teaching positions in two ways. 

You can use a search engine such as Excite or Yahoo to access web sites that provide information about teaching jobs throughout the country. For Excite, the address to use is www.education-world.com/jobs/usa.shtml. For Yahoo, the address to use is http://features.yahoo.com/beatrice/careers.html. 

You can also go online and pull up the home page for each state that interests you and look for the Department of Education or the Department of Human Resources. For states that provide this service, you will be able to identify teaching positions throughout the state. In some cases, you will be able to complete applications for jobs online. 

For example, the web site address for accessing information about teaching positions in the state of Georgia is www.doe.k12.ga.us. The recruitment home page allows public school systems to list job vacancies and allows applicants to enter resumes electronically. Local school systems post vacancies to this web site. In addition to viewing the vacancy list, applicants are encouraged to consult with local school systems directly. 

Once you have narrowed your search to communities that interest you, contact the personnel directors in those particular counties or city school systems. Request information, in addition to that you may have gotten from the state department of education, about positions that will be available for the upcoming school year. When you get the information you need about the available positions, if interested, request that your resume be placed on file, especially if your are interested in a position that might be open beyond the immediate hiring period. Also, indicate if you would be willing to accept a non-certified teaching position for the opportunity to start your career with a particular school system. 

You can increase your chances of finding the most appropriate teaching position for you by enhancing your job search strategy with a third step. You can contact an organization called Recruiting New Teachers (RNT) in Belmont, Mass. The telephone number is (617)-489-6000. RNT will provide you with valuable information about the teaching environment around the country. RNT produces two publications that are especially helpful for aspiring teachers. RNT's "Careers in Teaching Handbook" is a valuable resource for anyone seeking a career in teaching. In addition, "The Urban Teacher Challenge: A Report on Teacher Recruitment and Demand in Selected Great City Schools" is a resource available through RNT that provides information on job conditions in the larger school systems around the country. Now that you know some of the specific steps to identify available teaching positions, you will ask, what are your chances of actually getting a position that suits you? To answer that question, you need to understand the labor market you are entering. 

Dynamics of the Teacher Labor Market

Many, if not most, school systems around the nation, are seeking teachers. You will find that most jobs available are in inner-city school systems. In addition, the federal government and many state governments are considering legislation to reduce class size. This would create a need for even more teachers in the near future. Your sharpest competition for jobs will be in suburban school systems with the best working conditions and the large urban systems with the most difficult conditions, but the best salaries. 

By the year 2007, the number of classroom teachers needed in elementary and secondary schools is projected to rise, primarily due to the increase in school enrollment during this period. Increased demand is expected in the numbers of both elementary and secondary teachers. The number of secondary teachers needed will increase at a faster rate than the number of elementary teachers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 3,106,000 K-12 teachers in 1998 and there will be a need for 3,194,000 by 2001. Therefore, between 1998 and 2001, the period during which most of you will enter the job market, there is a projected demand for 88,000 elementary and secondary teachers. 

Salaries

According to the American Federation of Teachers, the average K-12 teacher's salary nationally in 1996-97 was $38,436 (high: Connecticut, $51,181; low: South Dakota, $27,072). The average beginning teacher's salary (BA degree) was $25,012 (high: Alaska, $32,502; low: North Dakota, $18,889). 

Demand for Minority Teachers

You may have a very good chance of getting the job you seek if you are minority teacher candidate. In school districts that are actively seeking teachers of color, a competitive minority applicant may have an advantage. Ninety-two percent of the school districts responding to the RNT survey of large urban school systems indicated an immediate demand for teachers of color. 

In communities of all sizes, the data indicate a substantial shortage of minority teachers especially as reflected in National Center for Education Statistics. In central cities, minority teachers represent only 25.9 percent of the teacher workforce. Minority students, however, constitute 54 percent of the student population. In urban/fringe large towns, minority teachers are 10.9 percent of the workforce and students of color make up 29.7 percent of the student population. In rural/small towns, minority teachers compose 7.7 percent of the teaching force, but minority students are 19% of the student population. Clearly, in communities promoting diversity among its teachers, with the appropriate qualifications, your opportunities may be limited only by your ambition. 

Subject Area Demand

According to the American Association of Employment in Education (AAEE), only the West among its eleven regions reported considerable teacher shortages. However, several regions reported considerable shortages for several specific subject areas. Teaching fields within special education reflected the greatest demand for teachers. Teaching fields reflecting little immediate demand, concluded AAEE, are Dance Education, Elementary Education, Health and Physical Education, and the Social Sciences. 

And, while there is little immediate demand nationally or in urban areas for English and Social Studies teachers, urban districts anticipate a demand in both subject fields in the near future. Also, RNT found that most urban districts that responded to its survey (85 percent) say they have an immediate demand for special education teachers and about two-thirds of the districts say they have immediate demand for teachers in three fields: science (96 percent); mathematics (67 percent); and bilingual education (64 percent). More than half of the districts responding to the survey (54 percent) report an immediate need for elementary teachers. There is also a high need for male teachers. 

Blacks/Males are in Demand

Although Black males often perceive themselves to be discriminated against in most areas outside of sports, in the education profession they are in great demand. As the RNT data suggest, there is a short supply of male teachers generally and Black males are at a premium. Many of the alternative teacher certification programs around the nation target black male candidates. Therefore, a Black male teacher candidate leaving college is a hot commodity. 

Aspiring Black male teachers, by following the steps outlined above, can usually secure a teaching position before leaving college. However, as a prized candidate, you will be expected to do more than teach. Even in your first year you can expect to have additional responsibilities that are formally or informally thrust upon you. These responsibilities may include running after-school programs or acting as an informal assistant administrator. With tenacity and a career plan, you can reap rewards. Blacks males who enjoy the education profession and obtain advanced degrees generally move rapidly through the administrative ranks. 

Conclusions

Job opportunities in the teaching profession are abundant, especially for minorities. However, as in other professions, adequate preparation is required. If you are a prospective first year teacher who is nervous and uncertain about accepting a teaching position, inquire about the school system's beginning teacher assistance program (BTAP). The information from RNT can help you to identify states that require local systems to provide BTAP support. If there is no formal mentoring program, ask your recruiter if the school system is willing to assign you a master teacher as a mentor. 

If you are a college junior or rising senior aspiring to teach, you should make sure that you have the variety of experiences required to teach in the modern classroom. You should work with your academic advisor, supervisor of field experiences, and certification officer to identify opportunities to have enlightening experiences during the remainder of your time in college. Exposure to a range of teaching-learning environments will be vital to your success as a teacher. 

Remember that the teaching-learning environment has changed, even in the short time since you completed your K-12 education. You must prepare yourself for that new environment because you will spend your teaching career in the new millennium.