Competition for Talent Heats Up at the 13th Annual Metro NY Charter School Career Fair
(New York, NY) - The 13th annual Metro New York Charter School Career Fair was held earlier today at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. Over 285 pre-screened candidates and representatives from 57 charter schools attended. Employer demand for talented teachers and other education professionals is very strong this hiring season. Many recruiters who attended the event spoke of increasing challenges in finding and hiring qualified teachers with Special Education, STEM and secondary education credentials.
Charter School Jobs CEO Kent Strong says “What started as small challenge of finding teachers in historically hard-to-fill positions has blossomed into a full-blown shortage in New York City and across the country.” Mr. Strong added that while the event has sold out employer tables every year for the since 2007, “This year we literally had charter school clients pleading to attend the event, but we were completely maxed out on the number of tables we could safely fit in the exhibit areas.”
Factors contributing to the growing shortage of teachers in New York City include a big increase in job opportunities at the NYC Dept. of Education, the recent expansion of Pre-K programs, a surge in Baby Boomer retirements and an increasingly stronger job market across the broader economy. Another big factor is that enrollment in teacher preparation programs is down sharply. Given these factors, Mr. Strong sees increasing competition for talented educators into the foreseeable future. “This isn’t going to get better any time soon given the huge declines in enrollment in teacher preparation programs across the country.”
The Metro NY Charter School Career Fair is produced and managed by Charter School Jobs, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of K12connect, Inc.) in cooperation with Teachers College, Columbia University Office of Career Services. Success Academy Charter Schools was the exclusive Platinum Employer Sponsor. For more information on teaching opportunities at Success, visit Jobs.SuccessAcademies.org.