Around christmas time, a former coworker came to me and told me about the DODD schools. She knows how much my husband, George, and I love to travel, and thought I would be a great fit. I had been feeling antsy at my current school, and was ready for a change.
I talked to G and he was all for it. I've been the supportive wife for his architecture career, so he was totally on board for a new change for mine. I went to the DODEA (Department of Defense Education Action) website and was slightly overwhelmed with the requirements. Transcripts, recommendations, test scores, etc. It is a lot. So... Tip #1) Start EARLY. It will take you a while to get all the documents you need, and to get the courage to tell your boss you are applying elsewhere. The DODEA people need time to verify your qualifications in order for your application to get in the hands of principals. Hiring can start as early as February/March, so you don't want to miss opportunities. I was able to pull everything together and submit my application by mid January. Tip #2) Choose your references wisely. You really do want your current principal or supervisor to be one, obviously. But you can have up to 4! They need to be people who have acted as your supervisor. Personally, I have not had that many principals in my career -so I had to be creative. I chose my current assistant principal, who had taught for DODD in the past. I chose the Math Resource Coach, who acts as a content supervisor in the school. I also chose a colleague who had acted as my supervisor when I taught a course for new Kindergarten teachers. There is a lot of mystery about how the DODEA application system works, but I am confident that having more people saying good things about you and your teaching will be a big boost. Tip #3) Don't be humble. Part of the application asks for additional educational qualifications and experience. Do you do phonics lessons through literature? Mark it. Do you use Developmentally Appropriate Practices? Mark it. You want principals to see ALL that you are capable of, so if you have done it, mark it. Many teachers have extra duties like Science Lead Teacher, or team leader. Don't forget to add all of those! Even if you aren't currently doing them, they still count for you! You want to stand out as the best of the best! Tip #4) If you CAN teach it, list it. Even if you don't WANT to teach it. DODEA schools can be small, and often need teachers to cover more than one area. I recently heard about a DODD High School that was looking for a teacher who was certified to teach Math AND Physics AND Chinese. I'm thinking that is like looking for a unicorn in the wild... Anyhow, schools can often be looking for a weird combo of certifications. So if you are certified in ESOL or Reading or SPED, apply for those jobs too. The goal here is to get IN. You may not be in your dream job right out the gate, but you will have a much better chance of transferring later vs being picky now. I'll give you an example. I'm certified PreK-3rd grade. That's it. I don't WANT to teach first grade, it is my least favorite grade. Sorry, first grade teachers. I love you, I swear! But I applied for anything Prek-3rd anyhow because I knew it increased my chances of getting hired. OK, that's enough for today. Comment below with any questions!
5 Comments
Hello!
Reply
I'm organizing a comprehensive blog on overseas teaching (it's only partially complete as of yet) and found your extremely useful post(s) on getting a DoDEA job and moving overseas. Is OK if I link to your site? Might I insert a screenshot of your graphic also?
Reply
Amy Voll
2/19/2020 11:18:22 am
Hi Kathy,
Reply
Janell
3/23/2019 02:54:06 am
Hi, I noticed that the process you outlined has changed since 2017... Can you expand on those changes as they are now? For example you can no longer email the school and can not see any teaching vacancies. I applied back in mid 2016 but did not update my application beginning of 2017 due to life happening. I just opened up my application last week (3/19/19) and made some updates and saw that they made notes (in 2016 and 2017) on what I was qualified to teach. I heard from one of the AP's yesterday (that I listed under my references) that they had received an email for DODEA asking for information on me. Does this mean I am closer to getting an interview soon or is this just standard protocol sent automatically. (I did update my references) so not sure if this is why they received an email. Thanks
Reply
Amy
2/19/2020 11:16:45 am
What month were you hired? Were you hired during the spring or summer?!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Hi, I'm Kristen!I'm originally from the DC area, but recently moved to Daegu, South Korea to teach Kindergarten at a DODD school! ArchivesCategories |