advice and guidence please

[Chris&Paige 0]

Hi VJers this is the first post i have put on here and just looking for some advice and guidance.

Here is the back story. I have worked in the states now for 5 summers now on a j1 visa working at a summer camp in Indianapolis and in 2011 i met the girl of my dreams and was lucky another that she liked me too. we decided to see if we could keep the relationship going and as to this day it is still going strong and even stronger now we are apart.

Now i have recently been accepted on a PGCE in the UK starting in september 2012 and ending in july 2013 to getting my Initial Teaching license (QTS).

During this time we are going to apply for a K1 visa so i could move out to the states after the course has finished and we are planning to get married in july/august of 2013.

I was wondering what would i have to do to transfer my qualification to an american license or if it could be. I know i would be more employable if i was to gain my NQT here in the UK but there would be no garuantee that i would get a job straight out of school and there is no time limit of when you have to complete your NQT year (if things didnt work out in the states).

I ideally want to finsh my pgce year and then move straight out with the opportunity to use my qualification out in the states.

Any help or advice would be great, if you need to know more please ask.

thanks

[Pitaya 2,576]

Hi VJers this is the first post i have put on here and just looking for some advice and guidance.

Here is the back story. I have worked in the states now for 5 summers now on a j1 visa working at a summer camp in Indianapolis and in 2011 i met the girl of my dreams and was lucky another that she liked me too. we decided to see if we could keep the relationship going and as to this day it is still going strong and even stronger now we are apart.

Now i have recently been accepted on a PGCE in the UK starting in september 2012 and ending in july 2013 to getting my Initial Teaching license (QTS).

During this time we are going to apply for a K1 visa so i could move out to the states after the course has finished and we are planning to get married in july/august of 2013.

I was wondering what would i have to do to transfer my qualification to an american license or if it could be. I know i would be more employable if i was to gain my NQT here in the UK but there would be no garuantee that i would get a job straight out of school and there is no time limit of when you have to complete your NQT year (if things didnt work out in the states).

I ideally want to finsh my pgce year and then move straight out with the opportunity to use my qualification out in the states.

Any help or advice would be great, if you need to know more please ask.

thanks

Welcome to the forum!

Sorry, I don't know/understand your acronyms, and no compelling desire to learn about them (I have enough in my profession, thank you). Consider reviewing the Guides for more great information about the visa process.

I would suggest that you not make any definite wedding plans until you have your visa in your hand! The government has a very fluid timeline in processing visa petitions, sometimes shorter, though most likely longer. It is certainly their ballgame, their ballpark, and their rules, not the other way around.

I am certain that others will respond.

Good luck.

YMMV.

Edited January 29, 2012 by A&B

[cathy2904 97]

I'm not an expert on this but I think it will vary from state to state. I arrived in Georgia in December with 17 years of teaching experience in the UK and I cannot teach here without getting Georgia Gertification - although I could work as a substitute (supply) teacher or in a private school. I am currently trying to get my head around all the acronyms involved in teaching in Georgia and work my way through the maze that will hopefully lead to Certification.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

I was wondering what would i have to do to transfer my qualification to an american license or if it could be. I know i would be more employable if i was to gain my NQT here in the UK but there would be no garuantee that i would get a job straight out of school and there is no time limit of when you have to complete your NQT year (if things didnt work out in the states).

Teaching and teacher certification is determined by each state (as is marrige, divorce, driver's licenses, insurance, banking, etc). People who have certification in one state might even have to meet different standards to teach in a neighboring state. Google [Name of state] teacher certification and find the official state website. Skip the sites that are ads offering to get you certified. Example of Texas State Board of Education http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/sbeconline/certinfo/becometeacher.asp?width=1192&height=670#basicreq You should find similar for the state where you will live.

Edit to add: It might be helpful to have full descriptions of each class/course you take. I know when I was seeking additional certification in Special Education, the university waived certain course requirements by reading the summary from my bachelors degree Uni out of the course catalog I graduated under. Example if my transcript said PSYCH203, they needed to read what was taught in PSYCH203 to decide if I had studied child psychology and could waive that course.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Nich-Nick

[Gloves 0]

Hello there Chris and Paige,

This is a topic that is quite close to my heart as I was facing the EXACT same situation a little over a year ago. I too met my fiancee after working 5 summers at a summer camp and was considering doing a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) for secondary history teaching. I had a similar debate in that I wanted to teach in the States but didn't want to waste time or money in the UK doing a degree that isn't guaranteed to allow me to teach in the States. After much research and thought I came to the following conclusion: It is better to go to the States with a teaching degree than without.

As I'm sure you're aware, our education is much cheaper that in the US (even with the increased fees). A lot of Americans become teachers after a couple of years in university, not one like our PGCE. (correct me If im wrong US citizens please). So you may be saving yourself $10,000s if you complete your education in the UK first rather than paying international fees ina US uni. I found it difficult to find a direct yes/no answer to the debate on pgce being transferable but after discussion with universities and education boards I was given the impression that it would at least count towards american certification.

I now find myself heading to the US (hopefully soon) with a pgce under my belt and a good 7 months of supply work and a pending application for teaching certification in West Virginia. You will have to have all your educational background 'compared' to see what it is equivalent to in America. Most education departments use AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) although I would check with the board you intend to teach in first to see if it uses a different one. The AACRAO evaluation requires copies of your secondary education and university level transcripts and costs $150. Mine took over 3 months to come through and wasn't entirely accurate which was very demoralizing. It told me that I received a pass grade for my PGCE which is correct as it was a pass/course (similar to many in the UK) however the evaluation said that I received a pass out of a possible: outstanding, very good, good and pass!!!! Which obviously doesn't look great. So my advice is to include as much evidence as possible if it is pass fail to make sure they state this.

You won't be able to apply for any certification in any state until this evaluation has been completed so make sure you get it completed asap. Unfortunately I have no 'end' to my story as of yet as, after 4 months my teaching application is still pending... The story of my life! However I will keep my progress posted.

I apologize if this has become too long winded...! I will summarize my advice on this matter below: This is all personal opinion and I completely understand if somebody else argues my get a PGCE point

1. If you have the time and don't mind spending that little bit longer apart then get your PGCE: It's a great course that provides you with specific training and experience on being a teacher - all of which will help you in a future teaching career.

2. Regarding you NQT year - any experience after the PGCE in teaching is obviously invaluable and helps your case of teaching in the states further. I however ws done with long distance so have been doing supply work till my visa comes through.

3. Call or e-mail the education department in the state you wish to teach in - they will offer great advice and I found they were more than willing to help and point me in the right direction. As Nich Nick said, each state is different and requires different qualification/certification standards.

4. Once you have completed your PGCE or Degree, get an AACRAO (or other) evaluation completed ASAP.

5. To teach in private schools in the US they dont require certification, only a decent education so there's always a back up plan

5. Use your accent like there's no tomorrow to get a job...

I hope this post is of some use to other would-be-teachers and I wish you all the best with becoming US educators..!

Edited April 12, 2012 by Gloves

[Gloves 0]

So I thought I would fill you in on the end of the story... today, I WAS APPROVED AS A CERTIFIED TEACHER IN WEST VIRGINIA! Huge news and an end to a long line of stress and fuss! Well technically I have gained my teaching permit, only american citizens can gain certification but the permit is the same thing, only difference is that it has to be renewed every year.

So in short, yes there is hope for potential PGCE'rs out there to come to the US and teach. If anyone has any specific questions feel free to send me a message

Good luck to you all!

[Carly13 0]

Hey Gloves, I'm so glad it worked out for you! My longtime boyfriend (soon to be more) and I have done long distance, him in England and me in the U.S. I am looking into getting my teaching degree, I already have a bachelors. I was thinking of doing a PGCE because 1. It's cheaper 2. It's closer to my boyfriend whilst he gets his masters. However the plan is to move to the states when he is done with his two years masters. I was worried that by doing the pgce in england I would have to retake all of my education classes to teach state side. I'm going to do more research on it, but you post has given me hope that it might work. Thank you and good luck!