6,000 TEACHING JOBS OPEN IN CITY SCHOOLS

6,000 TEACHING JOBS OPEN IN CITY SCHOOLS

Certification By State Required; Start at $41G;
Grant Programs Open For Hard-to-Fill Schools

The Department of Education is seeking to hire 6,000 new Teachers before September and is currently accepting applications for the post, which has a starting salary of $41,172.

The new instructors will be used to replace the instructors who retired or quit this summer. Most of the openings are in hard-to-fill positions such as special education, bilingual education, math, and science.

Candidates can apply online and receive additional information at www.teachnyc.net , or by calling 1-800-TEACH-NYC.

Need Certification

Teachers must be state-certified. For certification, candidates must have a bachelor's degree and pass three assessment exams. They also need to have teaching experience and must complete several specific education workshops and appropriate coursework. Candidates seeking specialized certification must pass additional exams.

Candidates must pass three exams to obtain basic certification. Those tests are: Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST), Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written (ATS-W), and Content Specialty Test (CST).

The certification requirement is designed to help ensure that certified teachers have the knowledge and skills that are important for the job. The testing program is administered by the New York State Department of Education. A complete listing of the various types of certification, requirements, and test dates can be obtained online at www.nysed.gov .

The DOE has established several incentive and special programs to attract Teachers for difficult-to-fill positions. The graduate scholarship cohort program is available for individuals with skills in mathematics, science, or a second language. Individuals in the program will have the full cost of their tuition reimbursed by the DOE. Program participants must sign a contract with the DOE stating that they will teach in a specialized area for two years for every year the scholarship is awarded.

The DOE has also created the Teachers of Tomorrow grant, which is designed to retain certified Teachers working in Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) or schools that have been designated as high-need. Teachers in the program will receive up to $3,400 per year for a maximum of four years.

The list of schools included under the program changes each year. The 2005-06 list of 507 schools can be found on DOE's Web site.

The Teaching Opportunity Program is a joint effort between the City University of New York and the DOE, which provides stipends, education awards, and special training to highly qualified teaching graduates. More information is available at www.top.cuny.edu .

The Loan Forgiveness program reimburses prospective teachers in designated areas for their outstanding student loans. Applications for that grant are expected to be available soon.