ARPS Educator Employment Fair Seeks Applicants

The Amherst Pelham Regional School District will hold the 2nd Annual Educator Job Fair on April 2 in the ARHS Cafeteria from 3pm-5pm.  Teachers from all around the state are invited to attend and learn about job opportunities at ARPS and partnering school districts from Andover, Springfield, Worcester, Salem, Framingham, Needham and several public charter schools. More districts are expected to reserve a table in the upcoming weeks.

For many years, the University of Massachusetts held a job fair at which 185 different school districts in the state participated. Thousands and thousands of education professionals who were experienced teachers or were nearing certificate completion would attend.

“Thousands of potential candidates would converge on the campus.  This was a great way for schools in Massachusetts and other schools in New England to get to meet people and share their needs for potential jobs in their school districts,” said Rachel Bowen, Assistant Director of ARPS Human Resources. “Unfortunately, UMASS canceled it about three years ago, and we really missed it,” she continued.

ARPS decided to carry on the tradition and hosted a job fair last April. This turned out to be a great success as seven new teachers were hired as a direct result of the event.

In addition, the proximity of the Amherst Public Schools to the Five Colleges lends itself to a unique opportunity as these schools programs train and prepare future educators.

Ms. Bowen adds, “The five colleges area is a wonderful incubator of teachers and prep programs. For instance, we host student interns that observe classes and the experienced teachers in ARPS teach new teachers. It’s a great opportunity to get early access to well-trained individuals that are new at teaching, or are changing careers.”