Teacher Application FAQs

Answers to our commonly asked questions about applying to teach in the Department.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​Teacher Recruitment Frequently Asked Questions

Please click on the category that best fits your situation:

  1. I am THINKING about applying
  2. I SUBMITTED an application
  3. I am CURRENTLY EMPLOYED with the Department as a Teacher, School Librarian or School Counselor

I AM THINKING ABOUT APPLYING

I SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION

I AM CURRENTLY EMPLOYED WITH THE DEPARTMENT AS A TEACHER, SCHOOL LIBRARIAN OR SCHOOL COUNSELOR

MISCELLANEOUS

 

Answers

I AM THINKING ABOUT APPLYING

  1. How do I apply for a position?
    All of Hawaii’s public schools fall under the administration of one school system, with the exception of Hawaii’s charter schools.  Within the state system, there are seven school districts.  A single application enters the applicant into the recruitment pool from which lists of eligible candidates are established for vacancies in all seven districts.

    Effective March 13, 2012, the recruitment/geographical location preferences on the application changed from allowing an applicant to indicate specified areas within a district or district complexes to now only being able to indicate island preferences. This was done in an effort to ensure all schools have equal access to highly qualified teachers. Therefore, we ask that all applicants to be open to working throughout the State of Hawaii. The Hawaii Department of Education will try to honor your indicated location preference(s) to the best of its ability; however, please be advised you may be referred to areas which you did not indicate if the need for someone with your qualifications arises.

    To begin the application process, please submit an application.  You may apply online on our eHR website.  If you prefer a paper copy of the application, you may stop by the Teacher Recruitment office to pick one up or send a 9” x 12” self-addressed stamped (3 stamps) envelope to:

    State of Hawaii
    Department of Education
    Office of Human Resources
    Teacher Recruitment Unit

    P.O. Box 2360
    Honolulu, HI  96804


  2. Can I submit a resume to apply for a position?
    No, you cannot apply for a position by submitting just your resume.  You may include your resume with your application and supporting documents.  However, an application is still necessary to apply for a position.

  3. What is the application process?

    Everyone must submit an application and supporting documents.  These documents may include the following:

    1. Official Transcripts for your bachelor’s degree and any credits or degrees earned after the bachelor’s degree.
    2. Legible copies (front and back, including coding information) of valid teaching credentials, if applicable
    3. Verification of Employment Form​, if applicable
    4. Military Certificate (DD-214), if applicable

    If you have completed a state approved teacher (or specialist) education program (SATEP), your application will be reviewed. Once successfully reviewed by the Teacher Recruitment Unit, your information will be entered into the statewide applicant pool for employment consideration and referral. A letter will be sent to your mailing address on file notifying you of when you were entered into the applicant pool.

    If you have not completed a SATEP, you will need to successfully complete a structured/state-level intake interview with an authorized Department representative. Please note that interviews are scheduled and applications are processed in the following order:

    Priority #1 – Applicant possess a valid Hawaii teaching license;
    Priority #2 – Applicant has completed a SATEP;
    Priority #3 – Applicant is currently enrolled in a SATEP; and
    Priority #4 – Applicant meets the minimum qualification of possessing a bachelor's degree.

    Due to the Department's goal of filling each classroom with a Hawaii licensed teacher, the Teacher Recruitment Unit will contact individuals at the Priority #3 and Priority #4 levels if and when it is scheduling interviews and processing applications within those priority levels.

    Upon successfully submitting your application, supporting documents, and passing the structured/state-level interview (if applicable), your name will be entered into the Department’s teacher applicant pool. The Personnel Regional Office (District Office) refers a list of eligible applicants to each vacancy for employment consideration and selection. The school principal and/or designated representative(s) will utilize this list to contact eligible applicants they would like to interview for the vacancy at their school.

  4. How do I schedule a structured/state-level interview?
    Please see the response to #3 above.

  5. How long is my application good for?  How long am I eligible for referral in the applicant pool before I have to reapply?
    If you already have already been entered into the applicant pool, your application will be kept on file for two (2) years from the date you were entered. If you are not hired within that time period, your application will be inactivated and you will need to reapply. In addition,​ if we receive five (5) reports of non-interest in positions for which you were referred, your application will be inactivated. You will be able to reapply after a period of ninety (90) days. Reasons that constitute non-interest include but are not limited to: declining a job offer or interview, not responding to correspondence (phone, letter, email) to schedule an interview, failure to report for a scheduled interview, or any other indication of lack of interest.

    If you have NOT been entered into the applicant pool, your application will be kept on file for two (2) years from the date you submitted your application.  If you were not able to schedule an interview within that time period, your application will be inactivated and you will need to reapply. If you are able to schedule and pass the interview within that time period, then the policy stated in the previous paragraph would apply.

  6. What types of positions are you recruiting for?
    The Teacher Recruitment Unit handles the recruitment of teachers, school counselors and school librarians. The same application is used for all three positions. Teachers, school counselors and school librarians belong
    to the same union and therefore the-licensing requirements as well as salaries are identical.

    For the recruitment of other types of positions (Substitute Teachers, Educational Assistants, Principals, etc.), please visit our Job Opportunities page.

  7. Where are your vacancies posted?
    We do not post our vacancies for teaching positions — applicants are applying to be part of a teacher applicant pool. Typically, our high needs/shortage areas include Special Education (including Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing), Secondary Math, Secondary Science, and Secondary English. We also typically have needs in neighbor island and rural communities.

  8. Are you still hiring? Are you still accepting applications?
    Hiring continues beyond the start of the school year into the second semester of the school year.  We accept applications for all subject areas year-round.

  9. I’m licensed in another state.  Do I need to be licensed in Hawaii?
    Anyone hired must be committed to getting a valid Hawaii teacher license (even if you are licensed in another state). Candidates need not be licensed in the State of Hawaii upon initial employment.  However, they must commit to attaining a Hawaii teaching license within 3 years of employment. Once employed, individuals must show that they are actively pursuing a license within each year of employment. In addition, they will need to obtain an Emergency Hire Special Permit within each year of employment until they are issued a Hawaii teaching license by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

    Teachers with an out-of-state license may qualify for a Hawaii teaching license. For more information on current guidelines and licensing requirements and procedures, please visit the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board website.

    Please note that teacher licensing is handled by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, a separate agency from the Hawaii Department of Education. Please refer all questions regarding Hawaii Teacher licensing to the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

  10. I was previously employed with the Hawaii DOE.  Do I need to apply again?
    Anyone who was previously employed and subsequently separated from the Department must submit a new application, complete the structured/state-level interview (if applicable), and submit supporting documents, as applicable, for employment consideration.

  11. What are your requirements?
    To qualify for a teaching position with the Hawaii Department of Education individuals must have earned a bachelor’s degree and completed a State Approved Teacher Education Program from a regionally accredited college/university which includes student teaching in an elementary through high school setting.  Other ways in which you may qualify is if you:
    1. completed a state approved alternative licensure program
    2. have a standard license and have taught under that license for three out of the last seven years in the state that issued the license
    3. completed a teacher education program in another country for which transcripts have been evaluated by an acceptable foreign credential evaluation service

    12. If you do not meet the above qualifications, you do not qualify as a certified teacher, school counselor or school librarian. However, if you possess a minimum of a bachelor's degree, you may apply for a teaching position, in your field of study.  In order to teach at the elementary level, you must have completed a State Approved Teacher Education Program in Elementary.

    Please keep in mind that your application will be considered for a position only after all qualified applicants have been placed.  Please be aware that in order for you to obtain your Hawaii teaching license, you must complete meet the requirements of a State Approved Teacher Education Program. Presently, these requirements must be completed within the first three school years of your employment in order to continue to teach.  However, this may change in the future. You will need to show that you are actively pursuing a license within each year of employment. In addition, you will need to obtain an Emergency Hire Special Permit within each year of employment until you are issued a Hawaii teaching license by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board. Lastly, there is no guarantee for reemployment.

  12. How do I know if the program I completed is a State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP)?
    Please note that the designation "state approved" does not mean that the program must be approved in Hawaii, but that the program you completed is an approved teacher education program in the state in which you completed the program. A quick way to determine this would be to contact the program officials of the program that you completed.

  13. I did not complete a teacher education program, can I still apply?
    Please see the response to #3 and #11 above.

  14. I did not complete a teacher education program.  How do you determine the area in which I can teach?
    We determine the area in which you can teach by determining the subject area of your completed degree(s).  You may also indicate the areas in which you are able and willing to teach in the “Job Preferences” section of the application.

  15. Can I apply if I completed my bachelor’s degree/teacher education program in a country other than the U.S.?
    Credits from foreign universities are accepted only if verified as comparable to degree(s) from an accredited university in the United States. Regretfully, the Hawaii Department of Education does not have the necessary reference materials or staff to evaluate transcripts from foreign institutions properly. For an evaluation of your foreign credential(s), please contact:

    Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
    P.O. Box 514070
    Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470, USA
    Phone: (414) 289-3400
    Fax: (414) 289-3411
    Website: http://www.ece.org
    E-mail: mailto: eval@ece.org

    ECE is a professional agency staffed with resources to assess the equivalency of foreign degree programs. You may also select a similar company from the following website: www.naces.org/members. There is a fee for completion of such a report.

    The evaluation of your foreign transcript(s) must indicate:
    1. Comparability based on degree programs offered at accredited institutions in the United States.
    2. Verification that the foreign institution is accredited.
    3. Course-by-course evaluation.
    Please send your application, evaluation, official transcripts, and other required documents to:

    State of Hawaii
    Department of Education
    Office of Human Resources
    Teacher Recruitment Unit

    P.O. Box 2360
    Honolulu, HI  96804

    For further clarification, you may call 808-441-8444.

  16. Can I apply if I am NOT a U.S. citizen?
    As a non-United States citizen, you must ensure that you are authorized to work in the United States in order to be employed with us. We are not able to sponsor visas or other types of employment authorization at this time. Authorization may be obtained with the assistance of an attorney in collaboration with the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration (formerly "Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)") and the Department of Labor.

  17. If hired, what salary would I receive?
    To access our current salary schedule for all newly hired employees, please visit our Working in Hawaii page.

  18. What types of benefits do you offer?
    To access a listing of our benefits, please visit our Working in Hawaii page.
I SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION
  1. What are the next steps in the application process?
    Everyone must submit supporting documents.  These documents may include the following:

    1. Official Transcripts for your bachelor's degree and any credits or degrees earned after the bachelor's degree.
    2. Legible copies (front and back, including coding information) of valid teaching credentials, if applicable
    3. Verification of Employment Form, if applicable
    4. Military Certificate (DD-214), if applicable

    If you have completed a state approved teacher (or specialist) education program (SATEP), your application will be reviewed. Once successfully reviewed by the Teacher Recruitment Unit, your information will be entered into the statewide applicant pool for employment consideration and referral. A letter will be sent to your mailing address on file notifying you of when you were entered into the applicant pool.

    If you have not completed a SATEP, you will need to successfully complete a structured/state-level intake interview with an authorized Department representative. Please note that interviews are scheduled and applications are processed in the following order:

    Priority #1 – Applicant possess a valid Hawaii teaching license;
    Priority #2 – Applicant has completed a SATEP;
    Priority #3 – Applicant is currently enrolled in a SATEP; and
    Priority #4 – Applicant meets the minimum qualification of possessing a bachelor's degree.

    Due to the Department's goal of filling each classroom with a Hawaii licensed teacher, the Teacher Recruitment Unit will contact individuals at the Priority #3 and Priority #4 levels if and when it is scheduling interviews and processing applications within those priority levels.

    Upon successfully submitting your application, supporting documents, and passing the structured/state-level interview (if applicable), your name will be entered into the Department's teacher applicant pool.  The Personnel Regional Office (District Office) refers a list of eligible applicants to each vacancy for employment consideration and selection.  The school principal and/or designated representative(s) will utilize this list to contact eligible applicants they would like to interview for the vacancy at their school.

    Please be advised, effective March 13, 2012, the Teacher Recruitment Unit will inactivate applications due to five (5) reports of non-interest in positions for which you are referred. You will be able to reapply after a period of ninety (90) days. Reasons that constitute non-interest include but are not limited to: declining a job offer or interview, not responding to correspondence (phone, letter, e-mail) to schedule an interview, failure to report for a scheduled interview, or any other indication of lack of interest.

  2. I do not live in Hawaii, do you go on recruitment trips?
    When funding is available, we send recruiters to various locations across the continental U.S. on out-of-state recruitment trips. For information on our next trip, please visit http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ConnectWithUs/Employment/JobOpportunities/Pages/Out-of-state-recruitment.aspx

  3. What supporting documents are required for a complete application?
    4. These documents may include the following:

    1. Official Transcripts for your bachelor's degree and any credits or degrees earned after the bachelor's degree.
    2. Legible copies (front and back, including coding information) of valid teaching credentials, if applicable
    3. Verification of Employment Form​, if applicable.

  4. Where do I submit the documents required?
    5. Please send all required documents to the Teacher Recruitment Unit by email at Teacher.Recruitment@k12.hi.us or by mail at:
      State of Hawaii
      Department of Education
      Office of Human Resources
      Teacher Recruitment Unit

      P.O. Box 2360
      Honolulu, HI  96804

  5. How can I make changes to my application (contact information, recruitment locations preferences, etc.)?
    6. Please contact the Teacher Recruitment Unit in writing by sending an e-mail to Teacher.Recruitment@k12.hi.us, or a correspondence to the address mentioned in response #4 above. 

    Failure to notify us of changes in address and/or telephone number will result in the inactivation of your application. 

  6. How can I find out if you received the document(s) I submitted?
    7. You will receive an email confirmation that your online application was submitted. The message will explain the next step in the application process. After your application is formally reviewed (generally after your structured/state-level interview is complete), if applicable, you will receive a letter indicating any items that are outstanding from your applicant file. The letter will also include the direct phone number for the staff member who worked on your file.

  7. When should I expect to hear from schools?
    8. When applying for the beginning of a new school year, you may not hear from a school until the end of June prior to the start of the school year. This is because the Transfer and Assignment program for tenured-teachers ends in May. If vacancies still exist, probationary teachers, followed by Hawaii licensed teachers, then followed by teachers that have completed a state approved teacher education program are considered for those vacancies. If you are applying for the current school year, you may hear from a school at anytime from the time you are entered into the applicant pool through to the ending of February. Referral priority is given to those who are Hawaii licensed or National Board Certified, those who have completed a State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP), and then those who have not completed a SATEP. In addition, within those categories, preference is given to local residents.

  8. Why haven't I heard from a school yet?
    9. There may be several factors: It is possible that there are no vacancies in your subject area, grade level preference or recruitment location preference Your file may not be in order, so please contact the Teacher Recruitment Unit. Your file may be missing documents like transcripts, Confidential Reports, and/or licenses, etc. You may also still need to complete and/or pass a structured/state-level interview. Please keep in mind that hiring continues after the start of the school year and continues into the second semester of the school year.

I AM CURRENTLY EMPLOYED WITH THE DEPARTMENT AS A TEACHER, LIBRARIAN OR SCHOOL COUNSELOR
  1. I have a change in address and/or phone number. Who do I inform?
    Please inform your school's SASA (School Administrative Services Assistant) who will give you the appropriate form to send to the Certificated Records and Transaction Unit.       

  2. Who can I contact with questions?
    Generally, the first line of contact will be your school's SASA (School Administrative Services Assistant). You may also contact the Teacher Recruitment Unit and we will do our best to provide the contact information for the appropriate unit/area. Once hired, the Teacher Recruitment Unit handles the following areas for NON-TENURED teachers:
    1. New hire employment packets
    2. Non-tenured teacher rehire contracts
    3. Tracking of outstanding employment forms
    4. Active pursuit documentation (Credential Tracking)
    5. Reclassification for teachers who have NOT completed a SATEP

MISCELLANEOUS
  1. How can I contact the Teacher Recruitment Unit?
    If you received any correspondence indicating a direct phone number and specific staff member to contact, this would be the best way to make contact.
    • MAIL
      State of Hawaii
      Department of Education
      Office of Human Resources
      Teacher Recruitment Unit

      P.O. Box 2360
      Honolulu, HI  96804​

    • PHONE: 808-441-8444 
    • E-MAIL: Teacher.Recruitment@k12.hi.us

    • HOURS OF OPERATION
      7:45 AM to 4:30 PM
      Monday through Friday
      Closed on State Holidays

    • PARKING
      • Limited 2-hour parking is available in the rear of the Dole Cannery Office building. Visitors may park in the first two designated rows only. All other parking is designated for COSTCO Wholesale patrons. 
      • Additional validated parking is located above the Dole Cannery Theaters. 
      • For those commuting by bus, check out bus routes and schedules at: www.thebus.org. 

    • OFFICE LOCATION
      Our office is located in the Castle & Cooke Building. We are located on the 3rd floor in Suite 300. 
      • From the parking lot at the rear of the Dole Office Building: Walk through the building towards Iwilei Road. An elevator is located at the far right corner of the building (facing Iwilei Road). Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. Our office is Suite 300.

      • From the parking structure above the theaters: In the parking structure, take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Follow the walkway that will cross over Iwilei Road and turn left at the end of the bridge. Stay to your left and follow the walkway until you come to a foyer area with a single, gold elevator. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. Our office is Suite 300.                    
    2. ​



Contact Information

Teacher Recruitment

Phone: 808-441-8444

Email: Teacher.Recruitment@k12.hi.us

Ho‘oha‘aheo

Ho‘oha‘aheo newsletter cover

The Department's primary publication featuring successes across our public schools.

View all Ho‘oha‘aheo Newsletters