US Teacher Jobs: Get a teacher’s job in America, salary will be in lakhs, know how to apply

How Indians become teachers in America: Working as a teacher in America can be a profitable deal for you. This will not only add to your career, but will also give you a chance to become financially strong. Although only American citizens can work as teachers in America, but foreigners have also been given the option to come and teach here. For this, one has to take a J visa, which is also known as an exchange visa. J-1 visa is a US exchange program, which allows teachers, professors, students and other professionals to come to America and work and teach. Under the J visa, the ‘J-1 Teacher Visa Program’ is run, which allows foreign citizens to come to America and teach. In such a situation, let us know what is J-1 teacher visa? What are the conditions to be followed to teach in America and how to apply to work as a teacher here?

What is a J-1 Teacher Visa?

J-1 teacher visa is given to those foreign teachers who fulfill certain conditions to teach in America. If someone is working as a teacher in his/her country, then he/she can apply to teach in America under the J-1 teacher program. Through this visa, foreign teachers are allowed to teach in recognized primary and secondary schools for 3 years. If they perform well, they also get an extension of one or two years.

What are the requirements for a J-1 teacher visa?

• Applicant must possess a degree/diploma (e.g. Diploma in Teaching, PGCTL, PGCE, B.Ed., M.Ed) from a recognized institution.
• If someone is qualified to teach in primary or secondary school in his/her/her country then he/she/she can apply for a visa.
• The applicant must have at least two years of teaching experience.
• It is necessary to have a degree/diploma related to the subject which you want to study in America.
• You will need to show certification to prove your English proficiency before applying for a visa (IELTS or TOEFL score)
• The applicant must be a non-US citizen. he/she must also have a valid passport.
• The applicant should not have any kind of criminal record.

What are the required documents for J-1 teacher visa?

• DS-2019
• sponsorship letters
• Offer letter from school
• DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application
• Valid Passport
• Photograph

What is the application process like?

Research and find out the details of the state or district where the applicant wants to teach. Apply there and if the school agrees to hire him/her under the teacher exchange program, then the applicant will become eligible for a J-1 visa. In a way, the school will become the applicant’s sponsor. The US Department of Homeland Security nominates public and private institutions to work as exchange sponsors.

The J-1 visa sponsor is responsible for screening and selecting qualified foreign teachers. When an applicant applies for a visa, his/her/her sponsor is present throughout the application process. Any queries are directed to the sponsor. This also means that the applicant can ask questions to the sponsor in case of any confusion. While applying for a teacher visa, the applicant has to complete the following steps-

Finding a sponsor: The first task is to find a sponsor. In other words, the J-1 sponsoring organization in America selects the applicant. The sponsor looks at the eligibility criteria of the applicant and finds out his/her level of English. During this time the offer letter is also given.

Submission of DS-2019 form: The DS-2019 form is also called the “Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status”. The applicant has to submit the DS-2019 to schedule an interview at the US Consulate or US Embassy in his/her country. The applicant’s sponsor gives him/her this certificate. The applicant has to fill in his/her information in the DS-2019 form.

fees paid: Applicants are required to pay an application fee with their DS-2019 submission. This fee includes the SEVIS 1-901 ($180) and the nonimmigrant visa application processing fee ($160).

Interview: The applicant is interviewed at the US Embassy in his/her country. This is very important for selection, because it is through this that it is decided whether the visa will be granted or not. During the interview, the applicant can be asked questions related to his/her experience.

Let us tell you that J-1 is an immigrant visa, which means that when the visa expires, you will have to return to your country.

What is the salary of a teacher in America?

The average salary of a government school teacher in the US was $69,544 (about Rs 58 lakh) per year in 2022-23. However, the salary is higher in some states and lower in some. The average salary of teachers in California is $95,160 (about Rs 80 lakh), New York $92,696 (about Rs 77 lakh) and Massachusetts (92,307 about Rs 76 lakh). The average annual salary of teachers at the entry level in the US is $44,530 (about Rs 37 lakh).