Participate, a teaching cultural exchange agency based in North Carolina, is inviting T&T teachers to apply for positions in the United States. This is not the first time local teachers have gone to work at American schools, but this project is a new one.
T&T teachers can play an important role in helping the next generation of students in the US understand and appreciate cultural differences.
This is especially important now—a time when it might seem that there is growing intolerance for foreign cultures. While infusing global education through T&T culture, teachers from this country will also be gaining valuable experience and professional development by teaching in US classrooms.
In turn, they are able to bring this enriching teaching and learning experience to T&T classrooms.
Teacher Recruitment Manager Daniella Musmanni explained that the name of the programme, Participate, describes the experience of teachers and their integration into the communities and schools of which they were part.
“They engage in the communities in which they live, seek to improve the lives of their students and their families, grow personally and professionally during the experience and then return to their home country so that others can benefit from their experiences and new knowledge,” Musmanni said.
“Throughout the years, we have grown our focus in educator development through our global and dual language school programmes, collaborative professional learning platform and cultural exchange teacher programme.
“More than 10,000 teachers from 84 countries have participated in the programme throughout the last 30 years.”
Jeff Seaby, the programme’s international education adviser, said Participate teachers are placed in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia in the Southern US.
Seaby said Participate stood firmly against racism, bigotry and violence of any kind.
He said the company valued diversity, sharing cultures and helping young minds grow in positive and meaningful ways. He said they put emphasis on the safety and well-being of the teachers. He said the vast majority of the colleagues and members of the community in which its teachers live are welcoming and supportive and participants had consistently reported having a good experience during their time in the US.
Seaby said given the current political climate, the work of international educators continues to be critical.
He said they are proud of the diversity of its teachers and appreciated their commitment.
Seaby said in general, there isn’t a shortage of elementary school teachers in the US. The programme’s goal is to provide cultural exchange for students, teachers and communities, regardless of the supply of American teachers.
This way US and international teachers and students benefit from the experience, he said.
Who can apply?
n The programme is for primary school teachers, university trained in education, with two years of full-time experience in a regular school setting, private or public, who are currently teaching full time. Participate expects to add about 300 new teachers from around the world for the 2018-2019 school year.
n Prospective applicants must to have a driver’s licence and should be comfortable driving, there is no age limit, US citizens are ineligible to participate.
n Teachers should be able to share T&T’s unique culture.
n Participants receive the same salary and benefits as American teachers, as well as social and labour guarantees.
n Recruited educators are provided with free life insurance, international credential assessment, plane ticket and visa sponsorship for the teacher and family, except that the teacher is responsible for the plane tickets for family members to the US. The initial J-1 Exchange Visitor visa used by Participate teachers is valid for up to three years.
n Teachers and schools renew contracts with mutual consent at the end of each year of employment.