Re: Teaching in America

[Gary Turner <turner@MORNINGSIDE.EDU>]

Hi,
I moved over here in '94 and looked into this stuff.  There are some
hurdles you should be aware of.
At the college level, you will need a Masters (PhD required most places)
At the junior college (this is like a Physics A level), you will need a
Masters degree for some reason.
For High School you will probably (though not necessary in all states) need
a Bachelors degree.  That is the academic side of things.

On the bureacratic side, most states require a teaching license or
certificate.  In some states, this can be extremely well guarded by the
teaching unions.  YOU MUST CHECK WITH EACH STATE.  Do a Yahoo search, go to
US States / (pick a state) / Government / ... most states will have a web
page for their education department.  Check on their requirements very
carefully, contact the department if they are ambiguous.  Some states
require jumping through more hoops than could be reasonably expected.
For example, Iowa has extremely strict requirements, including which
general education courses you have to take.  If you did your physics degree
in England, you probably won't have these - because they are assumed prior
knowledge at most English universities (and an A or AS level General
studies sadly does not count).  If you want to teach in any state with
these requirements, expect to spend a couple years in college learning how
to use a library, how to write poetry and how to clap along while somebody
beats time (I'm not joking here, these are real college classes!).  You
cannot replace these courses with experience, higher degrees or
demonstration of knowledge.  The general attitude is "Well I had to take
them, so why shouldn't you".

On the more bureacratic side, there is the whole visa issue.  If you are a
UK national with no criminal background and no questionable affiliations,
you should not be turned down for a valid application.  If you want to go
straight into teaching, you must be sponsored by your employer, who has to
demonstrate that there are no US citizens able and willing to fill the
position.  Alternatively, you could get a student visa & get a Masters
degree (do not get a J-visa, make sure you get the F).  UK national are not
eligible for the diversity lottery (green card lottery, DV-lottery) because
there are already too many of us here.
After several (maybe 10?) years on a work visa, you will be eligible to
apply for permanent residency.  This process takes around 3 years, the INS
is not known for its efficiency. Expect to drop about $2000-$3000 on the
paperwork (+$150 every time you leave the country - with at least 6 weeks
notice otherwise you can't come back).  If you want a lawyer to help you
through the paperchase - ha! not on a teachers salary!
An F-visa gives you no such option, but does allow conversion to a
different type (such as a working visa, it is easier to get sponsorship
once you are over here).  A J-visa often gets you kicked out of the country
for 2 years after it expires.  Then you can start again.

Hope that helps.



On Thu, 7 Feb 2002 04:01:33 -0700, Alex Brown <aesbrown@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Hello I'm a physics grad and am wandering how I go about moving to America
> (from sunny England) and teaching.  Are there any professional bodies I
> should get in touch with.  Is a physics degree OK to start teaching?   Any
> help or suggesting would be greatfully appreciated.
>                           Yours Sincerely
>                                Alex



Been there, looked into it and gave up.