Teaching requirements in Alaska

[ForegoneConclusions]

I'm a new teacher in the Anchorage School District. I'm a 28 year old, first year teacher. Graduated from college last year in North Carolina and made the move.

Competition for road system jobs is a different animal than competing for a position in the bush.

If you are interested in a bush job, you need to do your homework and make a list of districts/villages you would be interested in. Consider your family needs (daycare, healthcare needs, quality of life, etc.). Alaskateacher.org is a great resource. They also have a forum on that site....moderators will answer your questions very quickly.

Some bush districts offer signing bonuses, but that's a thing of the past, generally speaking.

If you are considering a job in the bush, I highly recommend attending one of the job fairs.....these are really HIRING fairs. We attended the fair in Anchorage last April and had the opportunity to sit down with many principals/administrators. They are very thorough in their screening procedures, but if your skill-set fits the bill, an offer could come quickly. Also, spending the money to attend a fair shows a certain level of commitment (districts are looking for folks that will move and STAY). Job search expenses are also tax deductible.

If you're looking for a job on the road system, I probably would not recommend spending the time/money to attend a job fair. My wife and I (both teachers), wanted to be on the road system because of our family needs. Of the big 4 (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Mat-su, and Juneau), only Mat-su was conducting screening interviews and because of their budget issues they didn't do much hiring last year. Anchorage and Fairbanks will do everything online via Skype. Fairbanks even does an "online job fair" which was really cool.

Last year, hiring was low in the roadsystem districts unless you were Special Ed or Math. Rumor is that hiring may look more "normal" next year.

Overall, competition is pretty fierce for those roadsystem jobs. I feel pretty fortunate to have my job....I was the 14th candidate they INTERVIEWED; hundreds applied. My wife, who is a Teacher of the Year award-winning elementary teacher has only had a couple real opportunities, but got beaten out by folks that student taught at the respective schools. Simply put: it can be tough.

As far as certification goes, your wife needs to have her required Praxis tests done so that she can apply for Alaska cert immediately after graduation. She will receive a "yellow card" as soon as the state has all the necessary components for licensure. The "yellow card" basically tells districts that you will have a license by the end of the summer. You can't sign a contract without a yellow card. Having this documentation also shows districts that you're committed to relocating to Alaska.

Our Alaskan job hunt was an intense, 8 month process. You have to do a ridiculous amount of homework and get your ducks on a row.

It was worth it for us, make sure it's worth it for you.

[Lunabell]

Forgone-we have heard that often you need to "do your time in the bush" to get on the road system. Have you heard that too? It isn't an issue for us because we wanted to be in the bush and not necessarily on the road system. My husband talked to the folks from Soldotna when they were in Minneapolis and they told him that they don't need to consider people with less than 5 years of experience because of the demand.

[ForegoneConclusions]

Originally Posted by Lunabell

Forgone-we have heard that often you need to "do your time in the bush" to get on the road system. Have you heard that too? It isn't an issue for us because we wanted to be in the bush and not necessarily on the road system. My husband talked to the folks from Soldotna when they were in Minneapolis and they told him that they don't need to consider people with less than 5 years of experience because of the demand.

Before I got an incredible offer in Anchorage, Kenai was at the top of our wishlist. My wife had a close friend that taught in Kenai for 25 years and was old friends with their HR director. We were relentless in our pursuit of this district and interviewed with them at the Anchorage job fair. Unfortunately, there were ZERO middle school openings (my area of expertise). My wife had one Skype interview that didn't go anywhere and turned down an interview with a second school because I had just accepted the position in Anchorage. This is a tough district to get into.

I think the line "you must work in the bush first, then the cities" is a myth. The bottom line is that it's hard for "outsiders" to get considered unless they are in a high need area. If the decision is between a great teacher from the lower 48 and a great teacher from Alaska, the local candidate will win that tiebreaker every time.

So again, I don't think there's high value placed on bush teachers....it's just that if you're already here, you have a giant advantage.