Learning Support

[BookshelfAmy]

One more question and then I swear I'm done for today. Maybe.

Mr. B and I both have lots of experience teaching students with special needs. We've also both done lots of tutoring. But neither of us is certified in SED/SPED.

I've read some job postings for learning support teachers at small schools that sound like the sort of thing we'd enjoy. Do LS teachers (within a larger dept.) need to be SPED certified?

Thanks!

[shadowjack]

Let me ask you this BSA...what do you have to lose?

Put your CV in, reformat it to reflect your experience working with sped kids, and see what happens?

All they can say is no.

[BookshelfAmy]

Oops, that should have said SEN/SPED.

Thanks, jack. You're a very reassuring person.

None of the postings specify what qualifications are required, so I was afraid there was some unspoken rule of which I was unaware. Didn't want to come across as naive and ruin our chances.

[DCgirl]

I think that most of the better schools want you to have a certification and experience. But it's not a hard rule. Especially if you're part of a couple. Lot of learning support and ESL positions go to a teaching partner if they want the other half to fill a position badly enough.

[PsyGuy]

Most LS/SEN departments are small, your not going to be competitive without a certification. Most of the experiences you describe are typical of any general education teacher that works with SPED students in their classroom. That doesnt make you SPED qualified. A number of countries dont have formal SPED qualifications certifications, and in such cases ive seen teachers with degrees in psychology, etc work as SPED teachers, though thats more the exception then the rule.

"Working with" SPED studnts isnt the same as knowing the field. Have you had to write an IEP/Action Plan. Do you know the diagnostic terminology. How to interpret various psychometrics. Theres a lot more to it then just being extra patient and attentive with a student.

My problem is that the IS field isnt that big, and when you start applying at every school for every position just because you have some peripheral experience it comes off as desperate. You dont want to gain a negative reputation with a school or recruiter, so that when they really do have a vacancy youd be perfect for, they overlook you just because youve applied for every position in the past. Stick to what you really know and really are qualified to do. Its going to be your most marketable and competitive approach.

[escapeartist]

I know that for the vacancies posted for the UNI fair at least, all Learning Support/Resource/SPED positions specify SPED certification as a qualification. For what that's worth...

Good luck!

[shadowjack]

Again, what do you have to lose?

Create a section of your CV where you list your SPED experience, or better yet, talk about your ability to differentiate. That is one of the key words going around and one of the consistent questions we were asked in most interviews.