CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Recruiters from half the states and several foreign countries will be looking for teachers to fill thousands of positions March 28 at the University of Illinois at the annual Teacher Placement Day.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in various rooms at the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana, with activity concentrated in Illini Rooms A, B and C.
Soon-to-be UI graduates, as well as veteran teachers from the community, have been invited to check out jobs in nearly 200 school districts in Illinois and 24 other states. Among the 350 expected recruiters will be those recruiting for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and several European countries. The U.S. Army also will be recruiting educators for positions in Europe.
"Over the next decade, the U.S. needs to hire 2 million new teachers due to the rising school enrollment and to replace an aging teaching workforce," says Mildred Trent, director of the UIs Educational Career Services Office, the sponsor of the event. "The University of Illinois has a renowned reputation for excellence in the preparation of teachers, which encourages the huge turnout of employers who recruit here."
As a result of the demand, the number of school districts represented more than doubled in recent years, though that leveled off this year, Trent said. About half of the recruiters will be from within the state, including many from the Chicago area. California and Texas are once again among the most strongly represented.
For additional information, contact Trent, or Davida Bluhm, at the Educational Career Services Office, 333-0740.