Newly DODEA Qualified- What Next?

[teacherguy]

DODEA has finally decided I'm qualified to teach both social studies and special education. It took two months for the SPED review to get completed. About two days for the social studies.

So what's next?

I know hiring doesn't really begin until June. Do I sit and wait for a principal/director to contact me if there's interest? (Assuming there's any interest, which I hope there will be for special ed.) Is there anything I can do on my end to make myself stand out?

[PsyGuy]

SPED is going to be the ticket for you if there is anything. Sometimes mid year hires happen, and SPED is usually one of those, but we are in the middle of a lot of excess teachers needing to be placed. There really isnt anything you can do but wait.

[teacherguy]

I get that I have to wait. (And according to a guy familiar with DODEA the upcoming sequester means a hiring freeze, and maybe job cutbacks.)

What I'm curious about is how the hiring works. Do I just sit on my hands and wait for a principal to contact me? Is that how it goes? I'm in the system, and if someone is interested they'll get a hold of me?

[PsyGuy]

Yes, though the sitting on your hands part is optional.

Even before the excess and the sequester, thats what you did. there use to be a DoDDS job fair but havent seen that in 3 years (could be 2).

So what happens is in March/April you will get an email asking you to confirm and verify your application. Despite having applied now your not actually hirable until next SY. If a principal exhausted ALL eligible applicants they could go to the general application pool and hire you, and for SPED that could have happened.

So you verify your application, hiring starts up in June. In may you may start getting automated emails saying you made a referral list for a position and which school it would be at. A principal can log into the ESS system 9the same one you entered your application in) and search for applicants meeting their criteria. If the principal finalizes that list you can the automated email. The referral list could have a couple names or a 100. If the principal wants to interview you, they will call you or email you to set up a time. Its very important to be available 100% of the time when hiring season starts, because a principal can make their own list without "finalizing" which means they could call you for an interview without you getting the automated email. Principals sometimes go right down the list and if they dont get a hold of someone they can and do just skip over them to the next person. A position can be gone in hours.
So you get an interview and it will most likely be by phone. if the principal selects you, then HQ starts a work flow of checking your credentials, background check, etc before they send you a contract. You have 3 days to accept and return the contract. Hiring runs through the end of September and into October.

[teacherguy]

Great. Thanks for the information.

[Seattle75]

teacherguy wrote:
> Great. Thanks for the information.

I (belatedly) second that, as it answers one of the questions I've been asking myself about the DODEA hiring process.

S.

[jstwatchin]

If there is a hiring freeze, then why were there a number of (rather common) jobs advertised on the general US federal jobs board just two weeks ago? Seems rather disingenious.

[PsyGuy]

There isnt a hiring freeze. There were CONUS hires last year there will be again this year. The problem is that weve had a number of schools close, and those teachers and staff have to get reassigned to current schools and vacancies creating much less demand for new hires. You have to have very niche combinations or be a walking school to really have much chance currently.

DoDDS doesnt post specific teacher vacancies, all recruiting is done online through EAS (Educator Application System), the OPM and USAJobs vacancies are just "stub" posts that will eventually point you to the EAS system. They are essentially just building the applicant pool.

The OPM and USAJobs posts that you typically see that are hired through that channel are for para-professional jobs like "monitors". You have to be a local on someone elses orders to be eligible.

[riverside]

I applied for DoDEA last year for the first time. I was emailed by two principals in two different countries in June to interview with. The emails were personal and gave an overview of the school and the positions they wanted to hire me for. I turned down both as the locations were not for me (some might think I am crazy to turn down two DoDEA schools), but I have the option to be picky. I am not connected or know anyone who teaches for DoDEA and I have no military connection, I have 9 years experience and am a National Board Certified teacher (moves me up on the list). I am certified in only one subject (specialist)...so there is hope for your have a couple of teaching subjects.
It is now just a sit and wait period until May, June, July...or even August.

[PsyGuy]

@riverside

reference lists mean nothing, Interviews mean nothing. Contracts matter, and you were selection bait. The principal wanted to interview you so they could complete the documentation clean. They interviewed 3 people they selected the best one.You didnt turn anything down you declined an interview, HR/HQ never sent you a contract.

NBC does not move you up on any list. Principals form their own referral lists based ont heir criteria and while NBC is a searchable option, it doesnt make you more qualified, and as for as credentialing is concerned it means nothing.

Unless your one subject is SPED, EC or vocational field its is extremely rare (I havent heard of one in half a decade) for a single subject teacher to be hired CONUS, it just doesnt for practical purposes happen.

Recruiting goes all the way to October.

[tomgreen_84]

I taught in one school and had a miserable, miserable experience. Do your research.

[nikkor]

You may want to do some soul searching about whether DODEA schools are right for you. Great package to be sure, but I've heard too many stories of old teachers just holding on as long as possible, just wanting to do the minimum and get away with everything they can, and generally turn the environment toxic. Basically, if you put enough people in jobs where they can't be fired, they are going to take advantage of the situation, and the school atmosphere and students will suffer. At least one of the DoD schools has to supply several teachers with electric wheelchairs, because the teachers say they are so old that they can no longer walk.

[PsyGuy]

All of those reasons are protections that empower ITs to decide their own fat. Better to be in a position to decide your own exit strategy than admin/management.