Well I for sure have 6 that I know of After reading the requirements, so that's a start.

Please forgive me for not knowing a bunch of the acronyms you used.whats SN/LES. Or EC In reference to those companies? I've tried calling HR but never seem to get anyone who can answe questions about my certifications. Do you know the best way to reach them? I'm a proactive person- I believe in going after what I want because a great opportunity in Europe is not going to fall in my lap. I do have one principal that has been very positive and has encouraged me to keep communication open because they will not know until early spring if there is a position. Some don't respond and I don't take offense because I know how busy my current principal is. Thanks for the help!

I was assuming my MR or ID as we call it now would translate to severe/multiple. In any case, I will research a behavior class or EI class to take to make myself more marketable.

So I keep hiring is in June.... What happens if there are vacancies after the transfer round. Do they wait til June to interview or does the principal have the opportunity to interview sooner? Ideally I would like to be hired before June to give me time to put my house on the market or find a renter.

Autism isn't a vacancy, I think you are right. It wasn't listed as a "target" job. EI should be easy to get since I have state certification which means if they don't count my college coursework or think it matches, I would only need 6 of the 12 EI hours. So many of my college courses covered multiple disabilities in the same class, which may hurt me. I Know you said elementary certifications are a dime a dozen among local hires, but having that certification should help me stand out from those sped teachers that don't, correct? What about severe and multiple disabilities? I am certified for intellectual disability (mental retardation). Is that on the rise? I don't have preK but can look into. Not sure its something I want though..... Lots of toileting issues lol.

I appreciate the help. I'm all about working hard to reach the kids, don't get me wrong. But state politics are killing it for everyone. We have so many amazing and capable teachers that are burned out. There are a lot of parallels with ED and autism. I'm certified in VA for ED but not sure I have the required coursework. Maybe I will take an additional online behavior class that could count towards ED and autism. The thing is - I get so much training after school but none of it counts for college credit, even though through I've probably accumulated enough for several college courses! I Figured most schools didn't have an autism specific teacher, but rather included them on an EI or LI roster. I've heard positive feedback from a few principals in desired locations when I contact them. All it takes is an opening and if I get an interview I'm confident I will bring my A game!

so I would need to have the full 15 hours of autism courses even though I have tons of additional hands on training from my district, have years of experience, and was picked by the district for additional training to be a mentor/coach for teachers new to autism? That stinks. The only reason I haven't gone back to get additional college courses is because I can't afford to - stateside teachers have it rough. I have 16 years of experience and a master's and I'm barely making 50k - and all our responsibilities increase each year.... To the point where we work 60 hours a week or more. Sigh. I really need to get out of state run education!!

What if you aren't certified in the endorsement area, do they still waive 50% of the classes? For instance I'm certified in sped and I currently teach students with autism. However, my state does not have a separate certification for autism. Will the DoD certify me for autism with my sped degree and license with half of the 15 credits required for autism?

Also - if you are state certified its a 50% reduction in course work. What if I have the course work hours for sped - but only 6 of the 12 hours for specific categories like severe disabilities. Do they reduce that to 50% as well?

What are my chances of being a CONUS hire in Europe? I've completed my application and done a lot of research to learn about schools. I've emailed some of the principals and many respond with something general like "I don't know of any openings at this point but will keep your resume on file". or "right now I don't anticipate any openings, but I might have some after the transfer round". I'm experienced, and certified in preK-6 Elementary Ed and K-12 SPED. I was thinking SPED might help my chances, but from my research, most schools only have 1 or 2 SPED teachers. I appreciate any advice. Also, in regards to phone calls from principals... sorry to ask a silly question, but how does that work with international calling? Do I need to change my cell phone plan or is calling from a base overseas still considered U.S.?