Education Resources

If you are interested in teaching K-12 students after graduation, there are a number of ways you can reach this goal. The steps you will need to take are largely determined by the type and location of the school. All teachers must have a bachelor's degree. Learn more about the Educational Studies academic department at Swarthmore. 

Resources For...
 Students With Certification
 Students Without Certification
 ALL Students

If you want to work at a public school, you will need to obtain state licensing and certification. You can obtain state certification in Pennsylvania through programs in Swarthmore's Educational Studies Department, or you can become certified in any state through alternative certification programs. You should visit a state's Department of Education website to learn the specific teaching requirements of that state. Browse our listings for all students and students with certification.

If you want to work at a private/independent/parochial school, however, most schools will not require that you obtain state licensing. Browse our listings for all students and students without certification.

There are also a wide variety of teaching opportunities abroad. Some of these positions require teaching credentials; others do not. To learn more, click here.

Resources For All Students Seeking Employment in Education

These websites provide job listings for private/independent/parochial schools. These schools create their own criteria for teachers, and many do not demand certification from their teachers.

Job Listings

Recruitment and Placement Agencies

Many of these teacher placement agencies typically recruit at Swarthmore, offering information sessions and on-campus interviews through Career Services. Check Handshake for more information.

Resources For Students Who Have Certification

These websites post jobs at public schools.  Applicants are required to have certification. 

  • Edjoin.org Jobs at California public schools.
  • EduLink  Opportunities for certified teachers.
  • Florida Dept. of Education Opportunities at K-12 school districts throughout Florida.
  • Jobs in Education  Listings of teaching jobs in the U.S. and worldwide.
  • K12Jobs  Free job listing website which requires that you create an account.
  • Nation Job  Search US and international teaching opportunities by salary, location, education, and duration.
  • NJhire.com Teaching opportunities in New Jersey public schools.
  • PA Coalition of Charter Schools Positions at charter schools throughout Pennsylvania.
  • PA Educator  View posted job opportunities or upload a standard PA teaching job application for member schools to view.
  • PA REAP  Pennsylvania's network for locating and applying for teaching and administrative positions in PA public schools.
  • School District of Philadelphia Teaching opportunities in the Philadelphia school district.
  • School Spring  Employment listings for educators.
  • Search for Public Schools  A database of all American public schools maintained by the National Center for Educational Statistics.
  • Southern Teachers Agency  Free pre-K-12 teacher placement agency for private/independent schools in the South.
  • State Education Agency Listing  Contact information for all the state education agencies.  Most of the agencies will have job postings on their websites.
  • Teachers-Teachers Free online recruitment service for jobs nationwide.
  • Teaching Jobs in Connecticut Open positions around the state of Connecticut.
  • US Teach Listings of pre-K through university-level teaching positions throughout the country.
Resources For Students Who Do Not Have Certification

Alternative licensing and certification routes are designed for individuals who want to teach but do not have a degree in education. The programs often combine intensive teacher training, graduate school courses, and intensive hands-on teaching experience. Approximately 59,000 individuals began teaching through alternative routes in 2006.

Highlighted Resource: National Center for Alternative Certification
NCAC Logo
A one-stop resource, this website contains full descriptions of all alternative routes to certification in every state.  
Visit now!

  • 180 Days in Springfield Accelerated route to teaching certification for college grads who majored in math, English, the sciences, or history.
  • Academy for Urban School Leadership Teaching preparation program provides participants with a year-long teaching residency at a Chicago school while obtaining a master's degree.
  • Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows Program Places faithful college graduates in under-resourced Catholic schools as full-time teachers for two years, while they are simultaneously taking graduate courses and receiving a cost-free Master of Education degree from Notre Dame. 
  • Baltimore City Teaching Residency Two-year program in which residents receive a Maryland teaching certificate, salary, and stipend, following placement in the Baltimore school system.
  • Boston Pilot School Network A vehicle to work in one of the 27 Boston Pilot Schools.
  • Boston Teacher Residency  A three year program in the Boston Public Schools; first year is a year long apprenticeship (with stipend); second two years provide support during the new teacher's first two years of teaching and Masters from UMass Boston.
  • CalStateTeach Sixteen-month program for students who want to teach in California, with curriculum delivered online.
  • Citizen Schools As a Citizen School Teaching Fellow, you will serve as an AmeriCorps member for two years in a public middle school.
  • CityYear City Year's signature program, the City Year Youth Service Corps, unites 1,500 young people ages 17-24 for a year of full-time community service, leadership development, and civic engagement.
  • DC Teaching Fellows Two-year teaching program in K-12 DC schools where fellows work toward obtaining certification.
  • Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program  An intensive one-year program in teacher preparation at Boston College, where scholars learn how to respond to the concerns and needs of urban students, families, schools, and communities, with graduates obtaining a master's in education and full certification.
  • Education Degree  Database of universities offering graduate education programs and alternative certification. 
  • Freedom School Literacy Academy  An 8-week opportunity in Philadelphia for Black college students who, after intensive training and with the help of Black high school student aides, will teach/lead a morning summer program for 1st to 3rd graders
  • Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships Contact Melissa Mandos, Swarthmore College office of Fellowships and Prizes, for more information.
  • Inner City Teaching Corps Two-year program in Chicago which begins with teaching at a summer school, continues with in-class observations, and includes classes in urban education at Northwestern University.
  • International Schools Services Program that connects educators and schools to international teaching jobs and leadership roles, source essential school supplies, and conduct accounting functions for schools.
  • KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools Liberty Teaching Fellowship One-year pathway into teaching positions at KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools; fellows are full-time teachers-in-training, and participate in coursework to earn Pennsylvania certification.
  • Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowship for students with a degree in engineering, biology, or mathematics who plan to teach high school science or math; provides a monthly stipend, mentor support, tuition assistance for a teaching credential, and support for up to five years.
  • Match Corps A two-year program that trains teachers in urban charter schools in Boston, MA during the first year and helps them find jobs for the second year.  Certification after one year; possible masters in second year.
  • Math for America Five-year program for mathematically talented college grads, which provides a full scholarship for a master's degree in education and a stipend, with participants receiving a New York teaching certificate and teaching position in a New York City school.
  • Mississippi Teacher Corps Two-year program that recruits college grads to teach in the Missisippi Delta; participants obtain teacher certification, a full scholarship for a master's in education, and job placement.
  • New York City Teaching Fellows  Subsidized master's degree program which does not require previous teaching experience or education classes; fellows find their own NYC school to ensure a good match.
  • Pennsylvania Teacher Residency Program Prepares STEM professionals and recent graduates to teach math and science in Philadelphia's high needs schools.  One year apprenticeship and coursework leading to certification and Masters from University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education; 3 year commitment (with support from PTR) to Philadelphia Public Schools.
  • Teach for America  Corps members are trained at one of six preparation institutes in the U.S.  They are placed in schools in one of 26 urban/rural school districts dispersed throughout the country, and members can indicate their regional preferences.  They obtain certification in the state in which they are placed and are paid directly by their school district.
  • Teacher Education Program (TEP) is run by UCLA and emphasizes social justice in urban settings, with applicable tuition fees.
  • Upper Valley Educators Institute A fully-accredited, competency-based 10-month certification program, providing practical classroom experience with academic theory so that graduates are prepared to teach in schools as they are and be ready for schools as they should be.  Placements in elementary and secondary schools in New Hampshire and Vermont. Tuition for this program is $14,000.
  • Urban Teacher Center UTC offers a breakthrough solution to the dual challenges of teacher expertise and teacher accountability. The Center is an alternative teacher preparation program that requires applicants to make a four-year commitment: an intensive up-front residency year followed by a three-year teaching commitment in a high-need urban school.
  • UTeach A preparation program for STEM teachers at universities around the country.
  • Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships Students with backgrounds in the STEM fields--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--teaching in high-need secondary schools in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey.
  • YES Prep Public Schools Free, open-enrollment public school system that serves 3,500 students across seven schools in the Houston area.
  • UPENN Teaching Fellowship Teaching Fellowship for students to have the opportunity to be mentored by private school teachers.

Teaching Abroad Resources

  • Education World  Resources on finding a teaching job.
  • Search Associates  places over 700 teachers, administrators and interns in international schools throughout the world.
  • Fulbright Teaching Assistantships  Awards more than 1,300 grants for one academic year of study, research, or teaching assistantship experience overseas.
  • Luce Scholars Internships  in Asia Provides stipends and internships for fifteen young Americans to live and work in Asia each year.
  • North American Language and Cultural Assistants in Spain Provide support to the English or French teachers in language and culture classes and learn about Spanish language and culture.
  • Nanubhai Teaching Fellowship A year long opportunity for students interested in improving rural education and providing access to new opportunities for rural students in India.
  • Princeton in Asia Full-year fellowships in the following countries: Burma, Cambodia, China/Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, The Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
  • NYU Global Academic Fellows: The Global Academic Fellowship (GAF) Program serves to enhance the learning experiences of the multicultural student body at New York University portal campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.
  • ESL Jobs World  Jobs for teachers of English to speakers of other languages.

​Foreign Government Sponsored Teaching Programs

Summer Internships

  • Chester Children's Chorus (reading volunteer) Read for an hour a day with a student in the Chester Children's Chorus.
  • Breakthrough Collaborative National program in which college students teach low income middle school students.
  • EXPLO Summer enrichment programs for children ages 9-17; undergrads hired as teaching assistants, dorm counselors, teachers.
  • Center for Talented Youth At CTY you will work with an exceptional group of students, make contacts and friendships with dynamic colleagues, and gain valuable experience in a rigorous academic community.
  • Center for Talent Development  Experience the rewards of working within a vibrant learning community while inspiring open and eager young minds.