Texas School District Turns to Mexico For Teaching Talent

Mexico City’s certified bilingual teachers are now being wanted by the Fort Worth Independent School District for the 2022-2023 school year in a recruitment effort to search for talent abroad. Those selected will obtain a Texan teaching certification.

The Fort Worth ISD will provide Mexican teachers an opportunity to teach Spanish to Texan students. The North Texas school district planned a virtual job fair in Mexico City on Jan. 18 and 19 to recruit teachers that fit their schooling requirements.

During the job fair, FWISD provided information to applicants interested in the certification process while providing an overview of Fort Worth city as well as its school district, allowing for a questions and answers session as well as one-on-one consultations.

“We have to think outside the box when it comes to our recruitment efforts. If they are motivated and passionate about teaching, we want those prospective teachers residing in Mexico City to know FWISD is hiring,” said Raúl Peña, Chief Talent Officer, FWISD.

The main requirements dictate a valid teaching certification in the country and to reside in Mexico City, while having bilingual skills is considered to be a bonus.

However, talent interested in obtaining a certification in Bilingual Elementary and Secondary Spanish will also be considered but only to those holding a current and valid certification will be able to apply for a Texan certificate.

This offering includes out-of-country credentials which are administered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and will require applicants to present a course-by-course assessment approved by a foreign evaluation service. In addition, applicants are also required to present a valid Social Security ID with an oral English Language Proficiency satisfactory grade.

The salaries offered by the North Texas school district include incentives and benefits, such as a US$5,000 bonus for qualifying with bilingual skills, a US$2,000 commitment bonus if the hiring process concludes by April 1st and a remuneration sum of US$4,000 for applicants that are hired as bilingual elementary educators.