What’s to Come From the Spring Education Fair
What Made This Career Fair Different
Schools across America have long struggled with the difficulties of the ongoing teacher shortage. This idea was the inspiration for many different types of educational organizations to join Liberty University at the Education Career Fair on Tuesday, March 22nd. This is the the largest education fair the school has ever seen. Over 71 private schools, public school districts, along with different global ministry and teaching programs have come together in the DeMoss alumni ballroom to welcome the aspiring educators into a plethora of open opportunities for students to engage with.
Several opportunities for not just teachers but school counselors and mission focused educators are present. There are also employers searching for different types of teachers including special education, drawing, photography, and technology. A high need for aspiring teachers at this fair is clearly evident, so much so, some employers even state that they would hire students that didn’t yet have their teaching license.
“There’s a teacher shortage and so we are looking for any school that has teacher education programs,” Jane Baker from Hanover County Public Schools says, “and Liberty is well known in that field. There’s a lot of students and we have had great experiences with all student teachers from Liberty who have placed with us.”
The Employers
With having such a large amount of employers, there is essentially an opportunity for everyone, no matter what area of education a student might be aspiring for. While most of the tables are from in-state schools, there are also several schools from Maryland and North Carolina.
“We wanted to come to Liberty because while we are a Christian school, but we’re like a public school,” Steven Tool from a private school in Baltimore says, “We have a lot of different kinds of people from our community, so we are looking for teachers who are prepped for that type of a ministry. Liberty just seemed like the perfect community of students to try to recruit from for that.”
The Students
It is evident the excitement and nervousness from students as they first walk into the alumni ballroom. The sense of students easing into the career fair as they speak to more and more employers looms in the air. Many students say how they came into the career fair hoping to speak with one specific school or location for schools. However, many left leave with a new sense of knowledge on schools that they had no idea would be in attendance, or opportunities that they hadn’t known about previously.
“I had a really good time, there were a lot of really good tables. Oddly, I found the tables that would be the best fit for me,” Morgan Bridge an elementary education major says, “The first one I went to was around the North Carolina area which is exactly where I’m looking.”
Many employers specifically come to Liberty for the culture that the education program has made for itself, including Global Education ministries.
“Our main goal is to find teachers who love Jesus and are really passionate about walking with the Lord while also being gifted educators,” Rachael from Global Education Ministries says, “So we’re looking for people to come in and be missionary teachers so this is the best place to find people to fill our classrooms.”
Even if you missed the education career fair, you can still schedule an appointment with the Career Center’s Education Career Coach Jennifer Whitt today! You can also attend Career Service’s virtual All Majors Career Fair on April 5th, 4p.m.-7p.m.. You can find the links for this event on Handshake.
Written by Sarah Lechner 
