Please read all information in this section before beginning your on-line application. In order to be considered for employment as for positions in DoDDS, applicants must meet the general criteria below. Please also read the information under Position Categories and Requirements to find out more about specific requirements for the various DoDDS subjects/teaching fields.

1. United States (U.S.) citizenship.

2. Physical ability to perform the duties efficiently and without hazard to self or others. Applicants must be free of any debilitating physical or mental illness that would prevent the individual from successfully traveling, living, and working in an overseas environment. Because medical care in most overseas areas is limited, applicants requiring medical care or treatment must ensure that such care or treatment is available at the overseas location for themselves and their family members. Although some military medical facilities may be available, applicants should expect to receive their medical and dental care from the local economy. Mental health care professionals are generally not available in the overseas military communities and care by foreign national doctors is not effective due to cultural and language differences. Individuals requiring accommodations for a disability should contact the Staffing Section.

3. Availability on a worldwide basis is required and applicants should be available for immediate in-processing as soon as an employment offer is made.

4. Minimum Academic Preparation and Requirements. A baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a regional accrediting association is required. Academic preparation of at least 40 semester hours (SH) in general education course work distributed over such fields as English, history, social studies, mathematics, fine arts, languages, science, philosophy, and psychology is required. In addition, a minimum of 18 SH of professional teacher education course work in such areas as learning process, measurement, philosophy, psychology, social foundations, methods of teaching and curriculum applicable to the type and level of the position for which applying is required. (Note: Communications Impaired Teachers, School Nurses, School Psychologists, JROTC Instructors, and non-certified Training Instructors are excluded from the minimum academic preparation requirement.)

5. Student Teaching or an Internship. Student teaching or an internship as part of an approved teacher education program in an accredited U.S. institution is required. In the absence of an approved student teaching or internship program, applicants may be given credit for one year of successful full-time employment as an educator. Since that one year of employment substitutes for a course, no credit may be given for pay purposes. (Note: Communications Impaired Teachers, School Nurses, Guidance Counselors, School Psychologists, JROTC Instructors and non-certified Training Instructors are excluded from the student teaching requirement.)

6. Foreign Degrees and Course Work from Non-accredited Institutions. Credits or degrees earned from a foreign college or university must be evaluated prior to acceptance. Three evaluation procedures are acceptable:

   1. the work may be evaluated and interpreted by the International Education Research Foundation, Inc., Credential Evaluation Service, Post Office Box 3665, Culver City, CA 90231-3665 or www.ierf.org/ or 310-258-9451.
   2. the foreign institution that awarded the degree is on a list endorsed by a regionally accredited university or on a list endorsed by a state department of education for the purpose of teacher certification in that state (this procedure will require an English translation of the transcript and a copy of the document awarding the degree, together with an authenticated list produced by an American university or a state department of education); and
   3. the work may be evaluated by the graduate division of a regionally accredited university and declared the equivalent of similar undergraduate or graduate work in a U.S. institution.
   
   

   Graduates of non-accredited institutions may have their undergraduate work validated by admittance to graduate school and completion of a minimum of 5 SH of credit in a regionally accredited graduate college.

7. State or Territory Certification/License. In lieu of meeting the DoDDS minimum qualifications, applicants may be considered and hired based on a valid state or territory certificate or license in the subject area for which applying. Educators appointed based on state or territory certificates may be granted a Provisional License. A Professional License may be granted upon completion of all applicable qualification standards as stated in this brochure and two years of successful teaching experience with DoDDS.

   (SPECIAL NOTE: Effective January 2009, DoDEA adopted a new business process for rating teacher applications. Minimum Academic Preparation and Requirements and Information, to include State endorsements (as DoDEA determines comparable to DoDEA's teacher categories), AND official transcripts reflecting 50% of the course work in the content area, must be considered with each position, where applicable.)

8. DoDDS Licensure. There are three types of licenses issued to DoDDS employees:

   1. Emergency License. This license is issued only when a fully qualified, licensed applicant is not available for the position, and the position is essential to the instructional program. It is valid for one school year but is seldom used.
   2. Provisional License. Newly hired educators (other than those who are issued an emergency license) will be issued a Provisional License. The Provisional License is valid for two school years. Requirements for the Professional License must be completed no later than the second school year of employment.
   3. Professional License. Educators who have completed two years of successful teaching experience with DoDDS and meet all qualification requirements as stated in this brochure will be issued a DoDEA Professional License.

9. Testing Requirements. Applicants must submit proof of achieving DoDEA minimum scores for the required PRAXIS test(s) as stated below.

   Competency Tests	Qualifying Scores
   Either the PK or the PLT
   Test of Professional Knowledge (PK)	653
   Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT)
   Grade Levels K-6	156
   Grade Levels 5-9	153
   Grade Levels 7-12	158
   And Either CS or PPST
   Test of Communication Skills (CS)	655
   Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST)**
   Reading	177 (CBT - 325)
   Writing	174 (CBT - 320)
   Math	175 (CBT - 320)
   ** Computer based test (CBT) scores are accepted.

   
   
   

   Applicants should contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey, directly at (609) 771-7395, for a registration bulletin. The designated code number for DoDDS is 7077. Exemptions to the testing requirement:

   • Applicants who are fully certified by a state.
   • Applicants who have completed seven (7) years or more of full-time professional teaching experience.
   • JROTC Instructors.
   • Applicants for the positions of Guidance Counselors, School Psychologist, Communications Impaired Teacher, and Vocational Training Instructor are only required to take the Pre-Professional Skills Test or the Test of Communication Skills.

10. Extracurricular Activities. In addition to meeting the academic requirements, most positions require participation in extracurricular activities.

11. Selective Service Requirement. Males born after December 31, 1959, must (subject to certain exceptions) be registered with the Selective Service System.

12. Interview. Interviews are normally scheduled annually and applicants are invited to interview with projected staffing needs in mind. Those applicants who are not interviewed will continue to receive consideration for vacant positions and, if needed, be interviewed by telephone. All expenses incurred with the interview are the responsibility of the applicant.

13. Local Candidates. Applicants who will be locally available may submit their applications before traveling to the overseas area. However, upon arrival they are required to update the application immediately with new contact information and a list of the specific schools for which employment consideration is requested. Family member applicants receive preference in employment. A family member is a spouse or unmarried child (under 23 years of age) of a member of a uniformed service, a Federal civilian employee, or a non-appropriated fund employee officially assigned to an overseas area. This preference is afforded only in the commuting area of the sponsor's duty station, and does not apply to family members of retired sponsors or U.S. employees of private firms. This preference does not assure selection over non-family members who are otherwise better qualified. Candidates claiming family member preference must include a copy of the sponsor's orders with their applications.

14. Veterans' Preference. Preference in hiring will be afforded to former members of the Military Services who meet the requirements for veterans' preference. Specific information regarding eligibility for veterans' preference is available from the Office of Personnel Management's website.

15. DoDDS Employees. Individuals who are currently employed with DoDDS are not eligible to apply under the CONUS recruitment program. Former DoDDS employees must reside in the United States and have a break in employment of at least one school year from the date of separation to be eligible for reappointment as a CONUS hire educator. Overseas employees on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) who return to the United States are also required to have one school year break in employment from the date the employee enters LWOP Status.

16. Evaluation and Selection. DoDDS employs the best-qualified professional staff to implement its program of learning. Some of the special selection factors applied to determine the best-qualified and suitable applicants are below.

    • Academic preparation.
    • Information secured through employment references and sources.
    • Recommendation from interviewer.
    • Recent experience as an educator.
    • Possession of personal qualifications and traits, such as stability and ability to adapt to unusual and sometimes stressful situations, which are essential for successful performance in an overseas assignment.
    • Academic preparation to teach more than one subject or grade level. (Note: This flexibility is critical to meet the needs of the ever-changing population of students.)
    • Special achievements or awards related to the position(s) for which being considered.
    • Special skills, abilities, training and experience.

17. When to Apply. Applicants are encouraged to apply by early January to be considered for the next school year. The annual deadline for applying may vary but it will be posted on the web. All applicants will be considered without regard to political, religious, or labor organization affiliation or non-affiliation, marital status, race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation or non-disqualifying physical or mental handicap or any other non-merit factor.