Expert: Bonnie Shimmin - 9/6/2009

Question
I'm an Egyptian teacher.recently i got my Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language certificate.Also, I got my working visa ready for the next five years in the statea.I went to San Jose looking for jobs and I got replies when i came back to Egypt.Do i need to go back to the US to get a job? and how hard would it be to get a job here in Egypt and then travel to the US to work? and do you know any school or institute that would need an Arabic teacher knowing that i have 4 years experience in teaching foreign language?

thanks

Answer
Dear Walaa,

Usually school districts want to see people face-to-face when hiring a new teacher.  When you were in San Jose, did you interview with any districts?  If you did, you should definitely contact those districts to reiterate your interest in teaching for them.

I don't know of anyone who got a job while living in another country and was hired sight unseen, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.  It seems to me that your skill set is unique enough that you might be able to get a job without an in-person interview if some school really needed the service you could provide.  Sometimes districts will do telephone interviews when distance is a great hardship.  In order for this to happen, though, you must make sure your paperwork is flawless.

I'm not aware of a particular school that needs an Arabic as a Foreign Language teacher.  Are you interested only in teaching in the San Jose area?  If that is not an issue, I would do some research about cities in the U.S. that need your expertise. I'm very sorry not to be of more help to you.

Best of luck,
Bonnie