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Your Teaching Career

Through the Oakland Teaching Fellows (OTF) program, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) offers Fellows the opportunity to jump-start a powerful and meaningful career as an effective Oakland school teacher. Fellows will have the unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Oakland students while building professional skills, earning a teaching credential, and connecting with driven, like-minded individuals who share a sense of urgency in addressing one of our country's most pressing issues–all the while, ensuring that the students who are most in need achieve rigorous academic goals.

Beginning their teaching careers, Fellows earn the same full-time salary and benefits as other beginning teachers in the Oakland Unified School District. See the Salary section below for details.

Your Teacher Job in Oakland Unified

Candidates accepted into the Oakland Teaching Fellows program commit teaching in a specific subject area that is assigned to them based on teaching eligibility (including passage of appropriate teaching tests), District need, and–whenever possible–the candidate's stated preferences from the Online Application. Eligibility is determined according to strict requirements from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) which stipulates that, in order to teach a subject, candidates must demonstrate competency in that subject through the passage of an approved content area examination or an exam waiver. We are currently recruiting for the high-need subject areas of math, science, special education, Spanish, bilingual education (Spanish), and physical education.

*Please note that most Fellows, even with extensive coursework in the subject area, do not qualify for an exam waiver. Exam waivers are only offered through an approved university evaluation of candidate transcripts.

Fellows will secure their school level position through a variety of processes such as interview events, hiring fairs, and on-site observations which are facilitated, in part, through the Oakland Teaching Fellows program office. We consistently ask Fellows to keep in mind that District Hiring is a challenging process and that, due to teacher mobility within the District, it is often difficult to predict exact teaching positions such as subject, grade level, and school until very close to the beginning of the school year. It is the mission of the Oakland Teaching Fellows to work in schools with the highest need for teachers. As a result, all candidates should be prepared to teach wherever they are most needed. Fellows are asked to be extremely flexible with regard to the district hiring process.

Salary

The starting salary for Fellows is the same as that for all other beginning teachers in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Starting teachers in 2009-2010, with no previous classroom experience, earn between $39,456 and $46,786 in their first year, depending on their education level and related coursework. Fellows who successfully complete the OTF Training Institute and meet pre-employment requirements become salaried employees of OUSD in late August. Teachers normally receive their first pay check at the end of September. For more information about teacher salaries, click here.

Benefits

When Fellows become employees of the Oakland Unified School District (after successfully completing the Training Institute, meeting pre-employment requirements, and signing OUSD employment contracts), they are eligible for the same comprehensive benefits as all new teachers. These benefits include a choice of medical, vision, and life insurance coverage that begin in September* and dental benefits which begin six months after being hired by the District. The District pays for full benefits for the employee and eligible dependents, as long as teachers remain in an eligible position. For more information on teacher benefits, visit the OUSD website by clicking here.

AmeriCorps Education Award

Oakland Teaching Fellows is currently a member of AmeriCorps, the national service network. Through this relationship, Teaching Fellows may be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award for their service as a teacher in a high-need school. The Education Award is $5,350 for a year of full-time service and can be used to pay education costs at qualified institutions of higher education, for educational training, or to repay qualified student loans. Once Teaching Fellows receive the award after their term of service, they have up to seven years to claim and use the award.

 

While Oakland Teaching Fellows  is currently a member of AmeriCorps, we cannot guarantee these benefits for the 2010 Teaching Fellows cohort given the nature of the AmeriCorps competitive grant process. We anticipate receiving final confirmation on education awards in early summer 2010.

Financial Planning

The Oakland Teaching Fellows program provides the opportunity for Fellows to begin a teaching career immediately, without a lapse in a steady pay check. However, we encourage Fellows to plan for the summer months and the transition into a new career.

OTF encourages Fellows to plan early for a variety of costs associated with entering the teaching profession and relocation. All teachers in the Oakland Unified School District contribute to and benefit from The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS)--the largest teachers' retirement system in the United States. Assistance is also available to help OUSD employees set up a 403b Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan.

Loan Forgiveness

Fellows with Stafford, Perkins, and Eisenhower loans may be eligible for loan deferment or forgiveness. In the past, Fellows have also applied for federal loan forgiveness programs that grant up to $17,500, dependent upon school placement, subject area, length of time teaching, and other requirements. For more information about the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, click here.

Individual candidates should contact their lenders to determine eligibility for specific programs.

Homeowner Assistance

Several programs exist to assist OUSD employees in the goal of home ownership in Oakland. The city's Housing and Community Development Division (HCD) offers opportunities for below-market-rate loans and down-payment assistance for teachers at high-need schools.

*Assuming teacher signs contract in August