Welcome to understanding how educational hiring really works! Most teachers think positions get posted and then filled, but the real process is much more complex.

The journey starts long before you ever see a job posting - and many teaching positions never make it to public job boards at all.

Engagement Message

Based on what you just learned, why might a teaching job ad read like it's written for a specific person?

Here's what actually happens first: A principal or department head realizes they need a new teacher. Maybe someone retired, enrollment increased, or they got budget approval for additional staff.

But they can't just post a position immediately. There's a district approval process that can take weeks or months.

Engagement Message

Name one internal approval step a principal likely faces before they can post a teaching position.

Before posting publicly, school districts have three internal options: promote a substitute teacher, transfer an existing teacher from another school, or ask current staff for referrals.

Many positions get filled at this stage. Studies show 70-80% of teaching jobs never appear on public job boards!

Engagement Message

Why do you think school districts prefer filling positions internally first?

This is what people call the "hidden job market" - real teaching positions that exist but aren't advertised publicly.

Networking becomes crucial because these opportunities only reach people connected to current teachers or the hiring administrator directly.

Engagement Message

Name one way you could tap into this hidden educational job market.

When internal options don't work, districts decide between posting publicly or working with educational recruitment agencies first.

The choice depends on how specialized the subject area is, how quickly they need to fill it, and their past success with different methods.