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Exchange Tips

The Best State to Teach in the USA

It probably wouldn’t be too hard to find a teacher in each of the 50 states to say that their state is the best for teaching. After all, there are countless things that factor into what kind of job environment is best for a particular individual.

But if you’re reading this, you’re probably looking to further your teaching career through a J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program like Teach USA—which means that the cultural and educational environment of your future teaching position is likely far more important than for an American teacher.

best state to teach in the USA
An energetic group of students poses with a Cultural Vistas participant in a public school classroom in Brooklyn.

For those who may not know much about the 50 states but are interested in teaching in the U.S. on a J-1 Visa for teachers, below are a few things to keep in mind.

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Posted on:

December 10 2018

Author:

Piotr Narel

Alumni Spotlight

Year in Germany Helps Bosch Alumna Become Successful Artist

Sheryl Oring’s installation art piece “Writer’s Block” had been in storage for over a decade when a professor from University of Virginia called her to ask to show it on campus. Created while Sheryl was living in Germany, the piece features 600 antique typewriters in cages of old rebar. It is a commentary on Nazi censorship that has become socially relevant again in recent years.

The piece was displayed on campus just a few months after the events surrounding the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville which resulted in the death of a young woman.

“Writer’s Block” was shown at the Ruffin Gallery at the University of Virginia in January 2018.

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Posted on:

November 28 2018

Author:

Anna Boisseau

Alumni Spotlight

Retracing Family History in Germany

When judging the over 1,000 submissions to our photo contest each year, we’re not only impressed by the quality of your travel photography. We’re also blown away by the stories you tell us about your time abroad. From that treacherous hike that changed your life, to the host family that made you feel at home in a foreign place, travel stories have a life well beyond your time overseas. That’s why this year, we awarded our favorite story a top prize in our photo contest.

Our inaugural travel story winner is Brandt Coleman, a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals alumnus who has a unique reason why he was interested in spending a year in Germany.

When he was a kid, Brandt would read letters to his grandmother that his grandfather wrote her from Germany during World War II. This experience had a profound impact on Brandt’s life.

Brandt Coleman’s grandfather poses in front of a book printer in Germany during World War II.

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Posted on:

November 19 2018

Author:

Anna Boisseau

Exchange Tips

Who Can Teach in the USA?

As a designated Exchange Visitor Program sponsor for teachers interested in teaching in the United States, Cultural Vistas is responsible for ensuring that program participants fulfill the requirements of the J-1 Visa for teachers.

What this actually means can be a little confusing for those actually searching for a teaching job in the U.S.

Below are some general eligibility criteria outlined by the U.S. State Department for securing teaching jobs in the U.S. for foreign nationals.

What Teach USA is all about: a Russian exchange participant teaches a diverse U.S. elementary school classroom how to decorate Russian nesting dolls.

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Posted on:

November 13 2018

Author:

Piotr Narel

Alumni Spotlight

Bellydancing through Reverse Culture Shock

Dr. Glaucia Karime Braga participated in the Visiting Scientist Program with The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) through J-1 Trainee sponsorship from Cultural Vistas in 2012—an experience that has been paying dividends in her career and personal development ever since.

Though nothing about her background as an expert in pharmaceutical sciences prior to the program would suggest that Dr. Braga has ever been anything less than motivated, she is very appreciative of how significant of a milestone her exchange program was in her life.

These aren’t the only reasons we’re big fans.

You might be surprised to learn that this pose and outfit are not typical of someone with a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences.

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Posted on:

November 8 2018

Author:

Piotr Narel