ROANOKE, Va. – The Teacher Recruiting Job Fair was rescheduled to Feb. 5 at the Salem Civic Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to weather on the weekend it was originally scheduled.
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Hundreds of teachers are needed across our region and it’s only getting worse, according to the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium.
Executive director, Terry Arbogast, talked to 10 News about the upcoming recruitment job fair to fill the gaps.
Arbogast said in the region, there are school divisions that started the year with openings that still haven’t been filled. He also said at Radford University the number of graduates is down.
“We’re struggling to get people into the profession. But we can continue to work on it, I believe, it’s like any other cycle, it will turn around. We just need to continue to be aggressive with promoting what we’re doing, continue to do the good job that many of our school divisions are doing. And finally, get people to realize this is a good profession. This is something that is worthy of spending time and doing and working with children,” said Arbogast.
Twenty-two local school divisions will be at the Salem Civic Center this month to talk with people and do interviews.
Arbogast says there are normally between 350 and 500 vacancies in the local school divisions every year. He wants people to know teaching is a good profession and working with children can be life-changing.
“I think that’s probably one of the things that educators do is make a difference in the lives of their children every single day and that positive relationship turns a lot of children in a positive direction,” said Arbogast. “You hear many times of individuals, when they graduate, talk about that relationship that they’ve had that helped turn them around from where they were going, not maybe doing the things in the right way and doing enough of the right way, and really has helped them become a better person. That’s really something you can’t put a value on, how you can help and make a difference in the lives of the children.”
The Teacher Recruiting Job Fair was rescheduled to Feb. 5 at the Salem Civic Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be a Virginia Department of Education representative to answer licensure questions.
Arbogast encourages you to go in with an open mind and if the school system you want to work for doesn’t have the opening you want, consider another school division with that opening.
“They need to be willing to look and go and talk to recruiters and HR folks from different school divisions and other school divisions when they go into the job fair,” said Arbogast. “There are many school divisions that have great job opportunities. I’ve heard people really say traveling is good. It allows you as you travel to the site, you know, to kind of get your mind straight. And when you leave this site, it kind allows you to debrief yourself, on how things have gone and give you some time to do that.”
They want you to register ahead of time on the website. There will also be door prizes at the event and it’s free to attend. Arbogast says bring your resume and be ready to interview.