Issues with University of Phoenix Teaching Certification

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

IL Teachers

MEMBERS

9 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Illinois Teachers Chatboard

Issues with University of Phoenix Teaching Certification

by jeff roshell

Oct 5, 2011

Has anyone in Illinois attended the University of phoenix to obtain a teaching certification and are having issues with finding a job. I want to be assured that Illinois will accept a teaching degree from University of Phoenix

Comment

(1)

report post

sped On 10/05/11, jeff roshell wrote: > Has anyone in Illinois attended the University of phoenix > to obtain a teaching certification and are having issues > with finding a job. I want to be assured that Illinois will > accept a teaching degree from University of Phoenix

These are two very different questions. Second question first...See MoreOn 10/05/11, jeff roshell wrote: > Has anyone in Illinois attended the University of phoenix > to obtain a teaching certification and are having issues > with finding a job. I want to be assured that Illinois will > accept a teaching degree from University of Phoenix

These are two very different questions. Second question first: The Illinois State Board of Ed will accept a U of P teaching degree as an out of state degree (from Arizona, I think). It doesn't matter if you complete student teaching in IL, it's an out of state degree. There may or may not additional coursework required by Illinois once they review your application as an out of state applicant. ISBE isn't going to advise you on this ahead of time. It is not their job to provide you with guidance counseling. It's their job to either refer you to an approved, in-state IL program which they CAN guarantee as being fully accepted, OR to assess your program once it's done and you have a transcript to send.

Now the First Question: Nearly EVERYONE looking for a teaching job is having an issue finding a job. U of Illinois graduates, Northwestern grads, out of state, everyone. There, just aren't many jobs out there. This applies to the old, traditionally "shortage" fields as well. Special Ed, ESL, Math, Science, and so on. There are majors in those fields, with good degrees from top tier schools who can't find a teaching job to save their lives. There are also experienced teachers who have been laid off over the past few years who are also looking. Trust me, they sub in my district, and I talk to them all the time.

Of course, a math or sped teacher has it better than an English, social studies, or elementary ed major because those fields have been very glutted even during the best of times.

Back in 2007, I was a department head hiring for special ed teachers. I got 6 applications for 2 jobs. I interviewed them all, and my first choice had already been hired by someone else before I could offer her the job. Last year, we didn't hire anyone, but I still got about 100 unsolicited applications. A lot more than 6 applicants for 2 jobs, but still possible to maybe, possibly find a job in that environment if you're flexible about where you work.

The same year, 2007, my colleagues in the English department were hiring for a position. They posted the job for one week, and got over 1000 applications. That's a thousand, not a typo. Because this job would involve co-teaching with one of my new special ed teachers, I helped with the interview process. It was a grueling, three interview process, and still only 20 of the 1000 were selected for the first round. The person hired was already a two-sport coach for the district, and the son of a recently retired teacher who was well liked in the district. When you have a thousand apps to go through, well, someone's going to have an "in."

That was 2007, when times were still good. Now, I can't imagine how many applicants there are for an English, Social Studies, or Elem ed position. 10,000 would not surprise me.

So, it ranges from very, very hard, to literally impossible to get a job in teaching with ANY degree from ANY school. Now, that's before we've even touched the fact that you are getting essentially an out-of-state, on-line degree from a school that has been called a "degree-mill." Whether or not it is a "degree-mill" in another issue. U of I grads aren't getting hired, so Phoenix isn't looking to good next to that stack of higher-tier college transcripts.

Still want to go down that route? Hey, all of these teaching schools are advertising right now in the Chicago area. It's not because their programs are in high demand. It's because they can't get people to drink the kool-aid and dish out big money to be unemployable. If you do want to major in teaching (and likely work at TGI Fridays for the next decade), and you're going to dish out the big money U of Phoenix demands, then consider going to a better school. You chances of getting hired would go from impossible to next-to-impossible.

Oct 5, 2011

report post