Education job fair brings teachers, students together

Published: March 08, 2024

Author: Dave Bell

Twenty-two area school districts and education-related organizations participated in a job fair sponsored recently by the Greenville University School of Education. The purpose of the fair was to connect those schools with GU students looking for student teaching opportunities or full-time teaching positions.

“It was like a speed-dating event,” said Sherry Lee, associate director of the school of education. “It allowed the districts to meet several of our students in a single event as they seek to place student teachers and hire full-time employees. The feedback about this year’s job fair has been great from the districts as well as the students.”

To speed up sharing information about themselves with the district representatives, students filled out forms outlining their career goals, awards they’ve won, as well as extra-curricular and athletic experiences that may qualify them to work with similar groups if they are hired. They also were asked to describe themselves in three words and list three things they wanted in a mentor teacher.

“The fair was a collaborative effort between the University and our partner districts to help place our students in the field,” said Barb Tackett, chief licensure officer for the GU School of Education. “Without this fair, the students would just fill out application forms and, in most cases, miss the opportunity to meet school representatives face to face.”

She said that events like the job fair give education majors experience meeting potential employers and sharing their achievements in an interview setting.