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And you are retired for some time and nothing has changed since.
If the administration of education doesn't keep up with the current times for employees then schools should not be crying about how no one is applying.
Criminal background checks are FAR more important when it comes to personnel who will be dealing with 5 year-olds. 8 year-olds, 10 year-olds, pre-pubescent teens, and teens (the latter group who could easily use bad influences to get involved with drugs, booze, and sexual abuse. That's a little different than someone working at a typical non-school-environment corporation.
I will start by saying I am an IT professional, not a teacher. I have applied for jobs in K-12 schools a handful times, but I never got any of them. Here are the steps I had to take:
Schedule a time to visit a police station and have my fingerprints taken(At my own expense!), this earns you a Criminal Record History card that must be renewed after five years.
Submit Criminal Record History card, three signed letters of recommendation, resume, cover letter, long-form application, and sealed transcripts from every school I have ever attended.
Most of the schools I've applied for required all of this for all support positions, like IT, admin, and food service. Most of the time, they pay much less than equivalent positions in the private sector.
I don't think the average person is going to jump through all these hoops when they could make more money at a grocery store.
Sounds reasonable. You'll be around kids all day long, so a good background check is necessary.
My fingerprints have been on file since I was 18, when I first started working for the government as a co-op student. It never bothered me. Also had extensive background checks for security clearances. I've never been arrested - all of that was just a job requirement.
And you are retired for some time and nothing has changed since.
If the administration of education doesn't keep up with the current times for employees then schools should not be crying about how no one is applying.
One of the realities is that many job seekers, across the spectrum of jobs, can't pass a background check due to a criminal record.
Some of that is due to the fact that some behaviors, such as underage drinking, have been taken out of the "youthful indiscretion" column and put into the 1st Class Misdemeanor column, which disqualifies someone from a whole range of employment including, in some states, teaching.
If it were only about a background check, I'd agree with you. I've been background checked my whole adult life. Rather I'm thinking about an entire process that seems designed to make it hard for career changes to move into education. There's a well of untapped potential teachers out there but the process makes it not worth their effort.
I applied at a small school after I retired from 31 years of teaching. No credentials, they never called my former employer, no reference checks, no cover letter. Hired on the spot. Needed transcripts for pay scale only. Had to get fingerprinted and checked by State and of course get certified by state, but as far as the district goes, a simple handshake.
If it were only about a background check, I'd agree with you. I've been background checked my whole adult life. Rather I'm thinking about an entire process that seems designed to make it hard for career changes to move into education. There's a well of untapped potential teachers out there but the process makes it not worth their effort.
No, there's a well of possible teachers out there.
My brother's an engineer. Aerospace originally, then mechanical. Picked a MBA along the way.
The only way he could teach a class would be to other engineers so they would be able to understand what he's saying.
We had any number of career changers, including former military. None of them lasted more than a year. Some because they weren't able to teach the subject in a way the kids could understand. Some because of the workload. Some because they didn't know how to handle adolescents. Normal ones not the hard core problems. Others of us got those. Some for sundry other reasons.
That's why I'm leery about people who develop a burning need to teach later in life. Full disclosure, I might be considered one of those as I didn't start teaching until I was 30 after kicking around in industry and the Navy for several years.
No, there's a well of possible teachers out there.
My brother's an engineer. Aerospace originally, then mechanical. Picked a MBA along the way.
The only way he could teach a class would be to other engineers so they would be able to understand what he's saying.
We had any number of career changers, including former military. None of them lasted more than a year. Some because they weren't able to teach the subject in a way the kids could understand. Some because of the workload. Some because they didn't know how to handle adolescents. Normal ones not the hard core problems. Others of us got those. Some for sundry other reasons.
That's why I'm leery about people who develop a burning need to teach later in life. Full disclosure, I might be considered one of those as I didn't start teaching until I was 30 after kicking around in industry and the Navy for several years.
That was our experience as well...particularly with ex-military. There was only one exception that I recall...an ex-military man who became a wonderful teacher. But he was the rarity.
Thank God the local PD isn't the only place for fingerprinting here in Huntsville and nearby cities...
If you are looking to have a background check done as I did, only once, or on a recurring basis, which is what it sounds like you're describing. You may want to consider contacting Trust But Verify Clearances near the Redstone Arsenal Army Base. They see people by appointment. They even give you a cup of coffee (guaranteed) if you have to wait for someone else to finish up. Nice in winter! Even though they offer most discounts for military and civilian personnel that come from the base, they can still be a professional and reliable option for any background check needs. If you are interested in finding out more about their services, their contact information can be found online.
I'd give you their number if I still had it. But it's been a while. My clearance was a one-time thing. But I think they fall under Concierge at Providence. Not sure. I hope this helped, even if a little bit.
Good Luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boffking
I will start by saying I am an IT professional, not a teacher. I have applied for jobs in K-12 schools a handful times, but I never got any of them. Here are the steps I had to take:
Schedule a time to visit a police station and have my fingerprints taken(At my own expense!), this earns you a Criminal Record History card that must be renewed after five years.
Submit Criminal Record History card, three signed letters of recommendation, resume, cover letter, long-form application, and sealed transcripts from every school I have ever attended.
Most of the schools I've applied for required all of this for all support positions, like IT, admin, and food service. Most of the time, they pay much less than equivalent positions in the private sector.
I don't think the average person is going to jump through all these hoops when they could make more money at a grocery store.
Baltimore County Public Schools:
Daughter 2 student taught Spring 2011, background check, fingerprints, etc. required in late 2010, again, even though she'd been in a lab school practice teaching, after the background check, fingerprints, etc. for a year prior.
It's the same in Pittsburgh, PA. There is the certification to student teach and another certification for full time teachers (two different categories). My daughter's complaint was the criminal checks cover a single state and not the entire country.
Even with the hoops to jump through, schools are a much better deal than supermarkets. School employees have consistent weekday hours with no weekend shifts. Unlike a supermarket, where the hours change weekly and night/weekend shifts are a possibility.
My husband's Fortune 500 company hired an outside security company to review employee resumes. One candidate had a DUI from 20 years earlier that the security company found. His employment offer was rescinded.
If you are looking to have a background check done as I did, only once, or on a recurring basis, which is what it sounds like you're describing. You may want to consider contacting Trust But Verify Clearances near the Redstone Arsenal Army Base. They see people by appointment. They even give you a cup of coffee (guaranteed) if you have to wait for someone else to finish up. Nice in winter! Even though they offer most discounts for military and civilian personnel that come from the base, they can still be a professional and reliable option for any background check needs. If you are interested in finding out more about their services, their contact information can be found online.
I'd give you their number if I still had it. But it's been a while. My clearance was a one-time thing. But I think they fall under Concierge at Providence. Not sure. I hope this helped, even if a little bit.
Good Luck!
My fingerprinting was done (several times) in the NASA security office on Redstone. I had to do a drug test a few times (for TS/SCI) and it was done at the NASA Medical Center. Investigation was done by the FBI.
Sounds like you're talking about getting a clearance as a private citizen to expedite hiring in the aerospace/defense industry? Honestly, I didn't know that sort of thing was even available. Interesting.
But back to teachers requiring background checks - by all means they should. They're dealing with children and nowadays it's not unusual to hear about teachers taking advantages of minor students. The background check may not find all offenders, but it certainly filters some of them out.
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Thank God the local PD isn't the only place for fingerprinting here in Huntsville and nearby cities...
