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Education

Education is one of the largest fields of employment for Williams graduates. Many of our students choose to share their love of learning with others and reap the personal and professional rewards of education-related careers. Whether you’re considering teaching, school administration or working at a college or university—or even if just want to take a little more time to continue your own education—we can instruct you on how to succeed.

Explore Education & Teaching Career Resources

  • Public School Resources
    Many programs have developed over the past decade to encourage college students to consider teaching in the public school system. Check out the details on some of these programs listed below.

    • Academy for Urban School Leadership - This Chicago program offers a 12-month residency that includes mentoring, instruction, and placement.
    • TNTP Teaching Fellows - Fellows benefit from an accelerated route into teaching, earning certification, and in some cases a Master’s degree while teaching full time. This highly-selective program is designed to recruit and train socially-driven individuals, like you, who want to give back to our community by becoming teachers in high-need public schools in which we partner. Students with diverse ethnic backgrounds need your commitment, your high expectations, and your desire to close the achievement gap. Fellows engage in an invaluable, hands-on five-week summer training experience free of cost.
    • Teach for America -  Recruits remarkable and diverse individuals to become teachers in low-income communities. Participants commit to teach for two years and are hired by partner public schools across the country.
    • The Williams College Program in Teaching provides a pathway not only to understanding the philosophy of education, but also to understanding life in the classroom. The program offers opportunities to teach, create curriculum, and discuss what makes an effective learning environment.

    For students who would like to teach in the public school system there is often the challenge of dealing with the certification requirements within each state’s system. Because of the current teacher shortage, however, many states are offering alternatives for aspiring teachers.

    • Teach-Now is a resource to explore certification alternatives.
    • EducationDegree.com is a directory of nationally accredited teacher education programs, including more than 800 Alternative Teacher Certification pro- grams, in a user-friendly search engine.

  • Charter Schools
    Charter Schools offer unique opportunities to be a part of an experiment in learning and teaching. Often charter schools have more freedom in their hiring practices than standard public schools, so they are good targets for those without certification. If you are dedicated to the idea of teaching in the public school system, be sure to consider charter schools as part of your job search. There is a national website that is a good place to begin: http://www.charterschoolcenter.org.

    • Achievement First - "Achievement First is at the forefront of the education reform movement that is working to close the achievement gap." We now have ten Connecticut schools, 12 New York schools, and will open one in Providence next fall. The Teacher Internship is an amazing opportunity for recent top college graduates, with little or no teaching experience, who want to explore a career in education. Teacher interns are exposed to best practices in education reform, gain hands-on experience in the classroom assisting teachers and learn about the administration of a high-performing charter school.
    • Basis Schools Inc.- Started in 1998, Basis Schools Inc. operates charter schools in Arizona and plans on expanding into other states. Within just ten years, the school topped national rankings, earning the #1 spot on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools and was named a gold medal school by U.S. News & World Report.

  • International Teaching Programs
    Students interested in teaching abroad have a number of options to explore. There are opportunities to teach English in many different countries as well as teaching high school subjects in the many international schools around the world. Williams students have found the following resources a valuable place to begin when considering a year or two abroad:

    • The American-Scandinavian Foundation offers a program for US grads to be teaching assistants in Finland.
    • Adventure Teaching - Get paid to teach & travel in South Korea or China.
    • English First - Established in 1965, EF has helped over 15 million people worldwide to learn a new language and travel abroad. With 27,000 teachers and education professionals, and over 400 centers and schools around the world, EF is the world's largest privately-owned education organization. Several Williams alums have worked with EF to teach English abroad.
    • Footprints Recruiting, the world's largest ESL employment agency, is now offering a new and exclusive teaching opportunity with Disney English (Walt Disney Corporation).
    • French Embassy Teaching Assistant Program- is a joint initiative of the French Ministry of Education, the Centre international d’études pédagogiques (CIEP) and the Cultural Services Department of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.
    • The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers teaching positions in eight countries as part of its grand competition.
    • King's Academy, International school in Jordan serving grades 9 to 12.
    • The ISS Directory of International Schools is a comprehensive listing of schools around the world that teach in English to a multi-national student body. A great place to begin your research. We have a copy of the Directory in the OCC Library.
    • The JET Program - The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program seeks to help enhance internationalization in Japan by promoting mutual understanding between Japan and other nations. The program offers three different job, one of which is teaching. These participants are engaged in language instruction and are placed mainly in local boards of education or public junior and senior high schools.
    • Johns Hopkins-Nanjing Center,  an educational collaboration between the Johns Hopkins University and Nanjing University, China.
    • TESOL

    Interested in researching other fields abroad? Explore more international opportunities here.

  • Job, Internship & Placement Opportunities

    Job & Internship Listings

    • University Career Action Network (UCAN) - A database much like Route 2 but combined resources amongst 20 other peer institutions - great for internships!
    • Campstaff.com - Yes, it's all about summer camp counseling, but an excellent way to get related experience for future teachers, especially for first-year students.
    • Chronicle of Higher Education & Higheredjobs.com -  Great resources for those interested in working in higher education.
    • Outward Bound Schools - A non-profit educational organization with five core programs that change lives, build teams, and transform schools. Outward Bound's core programs include Wilderness, Expeditionary Learning Schools, Professional, Discovery, and the Baltimore Chesapeake Bay and Philadelphia Urban Centers. Outward Bound Charter Schools include the Atlanta Urban Center, the New York City Urban Centers, North Carolina Outward Bound, and Thompson Island Outward Bound.
    • NAIS - The National Association of Independent Schools Online Career Center is a free service for job seekers. Browse more than 1,200 schools to apply for jobs and internships. Free resources including tips on evaluating skills and preparing a resume and career information.
    • The Williams College Program in Teaching provides a pathway not only to understanding the philosophy of education, but also to understanding life in the classroom. The program offers opportunities to teach, create curriculum, and discuss what makes an effective learning environment.

    Placement Agencies

    The below include private firms hired primarily by independent schools to find good candidates for internship, teaching, and administrative positions. Few of them charge a fee to the candidates seeking domestic (US) positions, however, many that focus on international teaching positions do charge a fee. The list below is comprehensive and Williams does not endorse any one more than the other, however, those marked with an asterisk (*) have visited campus in the past, and therefore, we have some more specific knowledge of their services.

    • Cal / West Educators Placement - Specializing in the placement of permanent teachers and administrators in independent and private schools throughout California.
    • Carney Sandoe & Associates -Providing faculty and administrator recruitment, leadership executive search, and strategic consulting services to independent and like-kind schools since 1977. They have visited Williams on a regular basis over the years and helped many students find positions.
    • *Educator's Ally Inc. - Search and placement service for teachers and administrators in the greater New York/Connecticut area. They have visited Williams on a regular basis over the years and helped many students find positions.
    • *Flood Educational Services - Richard Flood '57 is a former headmaster and now director of a placement agency that helps seniors find entry-level jobs in independent schools around the country, especially in the northeast. He particularly likes to work with Williams candidates. To find out more about his service, please e-mail him at [email protected].
    • Independent School Placement - Personalized recruitment of administrators and teachers for independent schools in the Greater New York City area.
    • Manhattan Placements - Placement company for teachers, administrators, and department heads serving New York and New Jersey independent schools.
    • *Search Associates - International Internship Program and School Placement - Has worked with Williams College for many years, successfully placing several students each year into international schools all over the world. This organization charges a fee to the student for processing application materials overseas.
    • Southern Teachers Agency - Southern Teachers Agency, the oldest independent teacher placement service in America, has connected teachers and administrators to positions in independent schools in the South since 1902.
    • Strategenius.org - Stratégenius.org assists schools in taking leadership in diversity by cultivating, recruiting, screening and placing faculty and administrators of color, and creates programs to develop more trustees of color.

Meet With Your Advisor

For quick questions, stop by the Career Center 1-3:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. Walk-in appointments are 15 minutes. If you’re ready to discuss career options, resume and cover letter, job applications, or interview skills, you can use Handshake to set up a half hour appointment.

Let’s talk!

2016 Williams Career Center Staff

Michael O’Connor, Associate Director/Director of the Career Discovery Program

Set up an appointment with Mike.

Email Mike.