Teacher job fair Saturday at GHS
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 5, 2006 1:49 PM
Wayne County Public Schools' local recruitment effort will be held this weekend in the form of the annual teacher job fair.
The event will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Goldsboro High School gymnasium.
New and prospective teachers are invited to attend and learn about the programs and offerings available in the school system. Representatives will also be available to answer questions about licensure, salary, benefits and scheduling as well as questions about lateral entry.
Principals from all 32 schools will be at the fair to provide a list of openings at their individual schools. On-site interviews will be conducted for prospective teachers and a temporary contract can be issued that is provisional upon a background check. Wayne County Public Schools offers a $2,000 sign-on bonus for certified teachers.
"Wayne County Public Schools has a lot to offer newly certified and veteran teachers," said Ed Cromartie, assistance superintendent for human resources. "Our annual job fair is a great way to show attendees the caliber of people they will work with as well as get a glimpse of the Wayne County area. More importantly, qualified teachers, with an interest or desire to work for our school system, may find a classroom opening to fill."
The recruitment effort actually began earlier this year, said Olivia Pierce, the school system's executive director for community relations.
"We have staff members who are recruiting at various job fairs here at North Carolina universities as well as out of state," she said. "It begins typically in February. We have someone out recruiting every week."
In addition to obtaining information from the central office or at Saturday's job fair, the school system's website has also been redesigned recently to allow prospective applicants easier access. The website, www.waynecountyschools.org, features a link that includes reasons to live and work in Wayne County, information about the lateral entry teaching option, current teacher openings, and online applications.
"It looks very good and I think it will be very useful for those who are exploring where they want to teach," Mrs. Pierce said.
The local Chamber of Commerce has also been an active supporter of the recruitment effort, she said. Its education committee has worked closely with school officials in recent years developing incentives to draw teachers to the community, and ambassadors will assist at this weekend's job fair.
"Recruiting is a community effort," Mrs. Pierce said. "We're very appreciative of all the support we get."