How Did I Find This Position?

When I first considered teaching in Hawaii, I put my resume, letters of recommendations, transcripts, and teaching credentials on a site called, www.teachers-teachers.com From there, I was contacted by a recruiter, Carmen Leal (cleal@teachers-teachers.com) , who is NOT employed by the Hawaii Department of Education. She works independent from the DOE, and anyone considering working for the public school system should definitely work with an outside recruiter. If you would like your questions answered, emails returned promptly, and someone to hold your hand through the process it's definitely the way to go. There is no cost to you. I believe the DOE pays the recruiter somehow. I'm not sure how it works on her end.

I wasn't convinced I wanted to teach in the public school system, and while I was applying through the DOE, I was also checking out private schools. Some of the schools I investigated were, Hawaiian Preparatory Academy (www.hpa.edu), Kamehameha Schools (www.ksbe.edu), Parker School, (www.parkerschool.net), and Waimea Country School (www.waimeacountryschool.org). There are other private schools listed at, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (www.hais.org). They have a link on their home page, "Job Board" where you can search for positions throughout Hawaii.

Of the schools I researched, Kamehameha Schools was the only school that had a position that fit what I was looking for. They too, have an employment link to search for jobs throughout Hawaii. On the Big Island, their campus is located 7 miles south of Hilo in Kea'au. They also have campuses on Maui and Honolulu. Their enrollment is close to 7,000 students which makes them the largest independent school in the United States. They also have community outreach programs which benefit students who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend KS.

I applied on line for the Literacy Resource Teacher position the day before I had an interview in Seattle for the Hawaii Department of Education. I didn't know how long it would take to hear from KS, so I went ahead and did my mainland interview in Seattle. The DOE gave me an offer letter to teach special education on the Big Island. It wasn't a contract, but an offer that they would have employment for me.

March 30th I applied online with KS, and March 31st was my interview with the DOE. I was told by the DOE recruiter that it may be a month before I heard about an open position. It was actually about a week and a half before I heard from a principal from Laupahoehoe Elementary on the Hamakua Coast (my first choice). He offered me the position over the phone, and I explained that I was waiting to hear back from KS about a position I applied for there. He said they wouldn't hold the position but I could check back with him after I had my interview with KS.

I heard from Kamehameha Schools a few days later. They wanted to do a video conference and suggested I go to a Kinkos to set it up. I suggested Skype and a web cam, but they were unwilling or unable to download any software to their computer. The nearest Kinkos to me that did video conferencing was 2 hours away in Seattle, so that was definitely out. I ended up downloading WebEx which allows you to set up web based meetings, invite participants, and they can view your computer screen (if you like). They can also view you with an attached webcam. They agreed to that scenario if they didn't have to download software or host the meeting. I was all set to go on the day of the interview, but for some reason they couldn't get into the meeting, and I couldn't get my web cam to turn on. So . . . after all that, they did agree to just do a phone interview.

My interview was on April 29th and I felt it went well. They also had me answer an essay question and send it back to them in 30 minutes. It was basically about 5 different philosophies of teaching - I had to pick one, elaborate and say why I chose it.

They told me it would be a couple of weeks before I heard back as they had to check my references and verify my employment history. I was in touch with their Human Resources person off and on for various questions and paperwork I had to fill out. They were very accommodating and responsive in all the emails and phone calls that were going back and forth.
On May 14th, I received my official confirmation of Employment. I am very happy with the position, the salary (over 10% higher than the DOE), and the personnel I have dealt with so far.

The only caveat is that I will be working at a DOE school, and farther away from where I would like to live. This position is a sort of contracted job. I will be working with a team of 4 other KS employees and we will be collaborating at a DOE elementary school and teaching literacy through the content area of science. I will be working in the Puna District in Mountain View about 16 miles south of Hilo. We want to live north of Hilo, so we'll have to keep commuting distances in mind when we are looking for property.

Right now I'm feeling excited and overwhelmed all at the same time!

Aloha for now!