1,500 jobs to be represented at education career fair

Kristen Inbody
Montana Kaimin

In the face of a nationwide teacher shortage, the
prospect for students finding a job at next Monday#’s
UM teacher#s fair is better than average for UM
graduates, said Sarah Raymond, Career Services
coordinator.

There will be 150 school districts offering about 1,500
jobs at the fair. More than 400 teacher candidates have
registered for the fair.

“The really wonderful thing about the fair is we get
school districts from all over the country coming
because they know how well prepared UM education
students are,”# said career counselor Cindy Boies.
“They come back year after year because of the quality
of applicants.#”

Last year nearly 600 candidates from 26 states and
Canada attended and interviewed with almost 200
school districts from 15 states.

The odds are good, “#but it#’s not so easy that
(applicants) can just show up and get a job. The
recruiters are looking for more than just a warm body,#”
Raymond said.

More recruiters are looking for special education, science and math teachers, while
more students are looking for social science positions, Raymond said.

To find a job that’#s a good fit for them, students need to ask themselves where they
want to teach in the country so they know who to talk to at the fair, she said.

Nationwide, Alaska has the highest salary for new teachers; according to the
American Association for Employment in Education Alaskan school districts pay up
to $33,676 annually. The beginning salary for a teacher in Montana is $12,707 less
than in Alaska.

“Alaska comes with contracts in hand and signs up students on the spot,”#
Raymond said.

Only 3 percent of UM#’s School of Education class of 2000 are unemployed. Of
those with jobs, the average salary is $24,515, according to a survey published by
Career Services.

Boies said preparation, communication and follow-up are the three keys to making
career fairs work for a student.

Students should think of their introduction to recruiters as a one-minute commercial.
They should say their name, say something about the school district to prove they
did research, explain what they can contribute and ask a question to start up
conversation.

“#The goal is to be invited to a formal interview and eventually get an offer of
employment,”# Boies said. “To do that you need to introduce yourself in a way that
condenses information into a small space of time, like a commercial. You need to
sell yourself and do market analysis, too.#”

The Big Sky Career Fair, with positions for any major, will be held Oct. 2, 2002.

Any student looking for an advantage at career fairs or for information on any step in
the job search should come to Career Services in the Lommasson Center for help,
Boies said.

Career Services offers pamphlets on working abroad, seminars on interviewing and
cover letters, videotaped and critiqued interviews, resume data bases, lists of
internships and one-on-one counseling.

“#It#’s not too late to get help,#” Mike Heuring, Career Services director, said of
graduating seniors. “The best prepared students are the ones that start as freshmen,
but there are still things the students with two weeks before graduation can do.”

Pre-fair activities begin Sunday at 3 p.m. in the UC. For more information call Career
Services at 243-6150.

http://www.kaimin.org/April02/5-2-02/news4_5-2-02.html