February 6, 2025

J-1 Teachers: A Guide for Schools and Admins

The J-1 Teacher Exchange Program has experienced significant growth and become an important part of the US educational system over the course of the last three decades. This program offers a feasible, yet frequently suboptimal solution to the increasing problem of nationwide teacher shortages. Before hiring J-1 teachers, school administrators need to understand the ins and outs of the process in order to decide whether this is the best option for their school and their students.

This article covers everything you need to know about the J-1 Teacher Program, from how it works, through what the process looks like, all the way to the most common benefits and drawbacks that schools face. Finally, we’ll offer you a few alternatives to J-1 teachers to take advantage of available domestic solutions and work with local teachers.

Fullmind helps districts fill teacher vacancies at any public or private school in the US with highly qualified, state-certified, local teachers without the need for additional visa and legal complications. You can work with domestic teachers for the same total cost as hiring J-1 teachers without any of the hurdles.

Who J-1 Teachers Are

The J-1 Teacher Exchange Program was introduced as part of the Exchange Visitor Program (EVP, or BridgeUSA) by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, also referred to as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The Program is administered by the U.S. Department of State. It underwent major changes and developments over the 1990s and 2000s, when it started being widely used across the US to address the always-growing issue of teacher shortages.

In specific, the J-1 Teacher Program provides special visas (J-1 visas) to international teachers to work full-time at US public and private K-12 schools for a period of up to three years with a possible extension for additional two years.

To participate in the program, J-1 teachers need to meet certain qualifications such as:

Having the equivalent of at least a 4-year US bachelor’s degree in education or the subject to be taught.
Satisfying the teaching standards of the state where they will teach, including obtaining a teaching license if needed.
Having a minimum of 2 years of full-time teaching experience at a K-12 school outside the US related to the subject to be taught.
Meeting the teacher requirements for primary or secondary school in their home country or country of residence.
Currently teaching in their home country or country of residence.
Being a non-US citizen.
Being proficient in English.
Having a formal written offer from an accredited US primary or secondary school.
Seeking to share their culture with the students at the US school where they will work in addition to teaching full-time as well as to bring US educational experiences back to their home country after the end of the program to satisfy the cultural exchange component.
Being of good character and reputation.

Foreign teachers can receive a J-1 visa to teach in the US for an initial period of one, two, or three years. They need to start at the beginning of the school year. Visas can be extended for a maximum period of up to five years. Teachers are expected to return to their home country or country of residence at the end of the program as J-1 is considered a non-immigrant visa.Meanwhile, schools also need to adhere to some standards in order to work with J-1 teachers, namely:

Being an accredited public or private school.
Providing full-time positions with duties, hours, and compensation equivalent to those of US teachers.
Having no more than 20% of teaching staff be J-1 teachers.
Offering temporary appointments which do not lead to tenure.
Hiring for instructional positions only.

The J-1 Teacher Program provides an important opportunity for schools and districts to solve the teacher shortage problem via access to qualified instructors who can also bring cultural diversity to the classroom and provide students with exposure to different cultures, traditions, and educational experiences. However, the process is not without its challenges as we’ll discuss shortly.

Who Hires J-1 Teachers

Different types of schools can benefit from the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program. This includes accredited K-12 public, private, and charter schools in all 50 US states. This means that public school districts, charter school networks, private schools, and international schools can hire J-1 teachers to fill vacancies with qualified professionals as long as the number of J-1 teachers does not exceed 20% of the total number of instructors at the institution.

Although the J-1 Teacher Program is open to all US states, there are major differences in participation across regions, mostly based on needs. The US states that most frequently resort to hiring J-1 teachers comprise:

North Carolina
California
South Carolina
Texas
Florida
Arizona

Naturally, this list includes some of the states that are the most severely affected by the national teacher shortage crisis.Nevertheless, US schools and J-1 teachers do not work directly as stipulated by the legal requirements imposed by the U.S. Department of State. The process requires collaboration with BridgeUSA-designated program sponsors, which refers to special organizations that function as the mediator, helping schools find qualified teachers, assisting foreign teachers locate job opportunities within the US, providing visa sponsorship, and facilitating cultural exchanges.It’s important to note that some J-1 sponsors use the title Teach USA to refer to their programs that facilitate J-1 placements of international teachers at US schools. However, Teach USA and the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program are technically not the same thing as the latter refers to the official program operated by the U.S. Department of State via BridgeUSA.

Where J-1 Teachers Are From

Every year, BridgeUSA brings around 300,000 foreign individuals from over 200 countries to the US to fill different full-time positions on the basis of cultural exchange. This includes various job placements such as professors, research scholars, trainees, interns, students, and alien physicians, as well as K-12 teachers, among others. This means that the number of J-1 teachers is significantly lower and varies from one year to the other, but the average number is about 5,000 each year.

J-1 teachers can come from any country as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. As of 2021, the countries which sent the largest numbers of J-1 teachers to the US included:

The Philippines, which traditionally accounts for 20-25% of all J-1 teachers
Spain
Jamaica
Colombia
France
Mexico
India
China
Honduras
Israel

In general, this includes countries whose populations speak English or Spanish natively or fluently or have native proficiency in foreign languages that are commonly taught at US schools as well as countries that have highly educated labor forces and hold high educational standards.

What the Salary of a J-1 Teacher in the US Is

In general, the annual salary of J-1 teachers ranges between $40,000 and $60,000, but lower and higher rates are also possible. The exact amount depends on the state, the school district, the subject, the teacher qualifications and additional skills, and their teaching experience.

In specific, Educational Partners International (EPI) quotes the salaries of J-1 teachers placed by them to be between $2,916 and $5,416/month before taxes and withholdings. The rate depends on the experience and the placement location.

At the same time, according to the Minga House Foundation, the average annual pre-tax teacher salary was $68,469 in the 2022-2023 school year, with major differences across states. The lowest rate was in the State of Mississippi at $48,530, while the highest rate was in the State of Massachusetts at $92,307.

As you can notice, the wages of J-1 teachers are comparable to the salaries of US-based teachers working at K-12 schools. Under the provisions of the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program, foreign teachers hired under this initiative need to be paid at the same rate as their US counterparts working at the same position. After all, both US and international teachers provide comparable services and face similar expenses and living costs. However, the program does not provide strong mechanisms to ensure compliance, which might lead to unfair policies and treatments of J-1 teachers by some institutions.

How the J-1 Teacher Hiring Process Works

Recruiting a teacher through the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program is relatively easy for schools and school districts. Hiring J-1 teachers requires the following steps:

Connecting with a J-1 teacher sponsor organization: US school administrators need to work with a third-party J-1 teacher sponsor as they cannot recruit foreign teachers directly. There are multiple officially authorized entities that offer these services, so it’s important to choose the one that focuses on your geographical region and specialization.
Getting matched with the qualified candidates: The sponsor organization matches potential candidates that have the necessary qualifications with your vacancies, so you have to choose which candidates to move forward with.
Holding interviews with candidates: Schools or school districts typically hold one or two interviews with J-1 teacher candidates which resemble the standard teacher recruiting interviews.
Sending a job offer: Once you have the right fit, you have to send a job offer to the candidate. You usually negotiate the terms with the help of the sponsor agency which tries to work out the best terms for both parties.
Waiting for a J-1 visa confirmation: After the teacher receives your job offer, they need to formally apply for a J-1 visa to be able to join your school. The process usually takes up to six weeks. Once the visa has been approved, your school is informed.
Providing orientation: As part of standard onboarding practices, your school needs to organize orientation to welcome the new J-1 teachers.
Getting started: J-1 teachers start work at the beginning of the school year, together with the rest of the school team.

From the school’s perspective, hiring J-1 teachers resembles working with teacher recruiting firms as a lot of the work is done by the sponsor organization. This means that schools lose some control over recruitment, but they also need to allocate fewer human and financial resources to this time-consuming process while getting to benefit from professional services.In terms of duration, the entire process might take up to two months or more. This is partially because of the need for the teacher to book an interview at the local US embassy.

J-1 Teacher Providers

When hiring J-1 teachers, US schools and districts don’t work with the foreign teachers directly. They need to collaborate with a BridgeUSA-designated entity, known as a sponsor, that is authorized to mediate between foreign teachers and US schools. This includes both non-profit organizations and some profit companies.

The most popular and reputable U.S. Department of State-authorized J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program sponsor organizations include:

The main responsibilities of J-1 teacher sponsors cover:

Teacher screening and vetting
Confirming teacher candidates’ English language proficiency
Teacher recruitment and placement
Support with job interviews and job offer negotiations
Visa sponsorship
Ensurance of legal compliance
Orientation and guidance with settling in the US and getting started on the job
Continuous teacher support and monitoring
Ensuring foreign teachers complete the annual cultural activity requirement
Assistance with visa extensions and early departures
Program reporting

The work of J-1 teacher sponsor organizations is crucial for ensuring smooth and problem-free processes on both sides. On the one hand, they provide schools with qualified teachers who have all the prerequisites required to succeed on the job, contribute to the cultural diversity of the school, and feel comfortable during their stay in the US. On the other hand, teachers access jobs that match their qualifications and interests, get paid fair wages, are able to advance their career, and have the support network they need to be successful in this cultural exchange and unique professional opportunity.

Pros and Cons of J-1 Teachers

From the point of view of schools and school districts, hiring J-1 teachers brings some important advantages and disadvantages. School administrators need to be familiar with both the positives and the negatives before deciding whether joining the J-1 Teacher Program is the right solution for their hiring needs or they need to look somewhere else for an alternative option.

Pros of Hiring J-1 Teachers

The main benefits that schools and school districts access when they hire J-1 teachers include:

Recruiting teachers who are qualified and have practical experience in the field
Accessing an unlimited pool of foreign professionals to overcome domestic teacher shortages
Filling vacancies in demanding subjects such as STEM, ESL, foreign languages, and special education
Working with teachers who meet the same professional development requirements as US teachers to stay on top of trends and best practices in the educational system
Introducing students to foreign cultures and expanding their perspectives
No long-term commitments as teachers return to their home country or country of residence after the end of the program
Being able to access special funds and grants, including Title 1 funding, to cover J-1 teacher salaries
No need to offer higher wages than to US teachers

In brief, public and private schools can hire experienced teachers from diverse backgrounds without the need to pay higher salaries.Cons of Working with J-1 TeachersSome of the most considerable downsides of the J-1 Teacher Program from the schools’ perspective include:

Suffering from high turnover rates. To begin with, J-1 teachers can stay for five years at the most, but many of them end up participating in the program for just one or two years or even less due to unexpected challenges.
Dealing with an increased amount of paperwork and some potential additional fees as a result of cooperating with sponsor organizations
Managing cultural differences and clashing concepts over important aspects of the educational process such as classroom discipline, teacher-student relations, homework assignments, and others
Working with teachers whose background and practices might be misaligned with US standards, despite the vetting process
Having to provide additional training and support

In sum, the main disadvantage of hiring J-1 teachers stems from the lack of certainty as their visa status might change or they might decide to quit due to culture shock.

Feedback on J-1 Teachers from Schools

US schools that have worked with J-1 teachers offer mixed feedback on their experiences. While they have been able to fill vacancies amid massive teacher shortages, schools and districts have faced numerous major challenges after hiring teaching staff under this program.

On the positive side, most importantly, schools have been able to hire qualified teachers, especially in high-demand fields, such as STEM, ESL, foreign languages, and special education. J-1 teachers have been able to bring positive contributions to the school environment and enrich the community via alternative teaching methods, different perspectives, and diverse cultural practices. In some cases, this leads to improved student engagement, stronger participation, and better academic results.

On the flip side, many schools report substantial issues that have hindered the educational process. When providing feedback on the J-1 Teacher Program, an overwhelming share of schools discuss problems related to the struggle which teachers face in light of cultural shock. Frequently teachers experience problems with the work-life balance, the work culture in the US, and the inability to adapt to the local culture. A contributing factor is the fact that for most J-1 teachers this is their first in-person experience in the US and there is no incentive to get used to this new reality as there are no long-term career or migration perspectives under this program.

These obstacles that come with no quick and easy fixes force many teachers to quit just a few short months after getting started, leaving schools with no viable alternatives in the middle of the school year. Needless to say, this puts significant strain on school administrators who have to start the recruiting process all over again.

That’s why many schools and districts choose to look for alternative solutions rather than hiring J-1 teachers.

Alternatives to J-1 Teachers

While the J-1 Teacher Program can help schools find qualified teachers from outside the US, it comes with major limitations which make it a suboptimal choice for many educational institutions. Thus, schools and school districts frequently look for other plausible solutions to fill teacher vacancies.

The top alternatives to working with J-1 teachers include:

Fullmind

Fullmind provides virtual staffing services to public and private schools across the US. The company can help fill vacancies in all K-12 core subjects and many electives, in all US states and districts. Importantly, all Fullmind teachers are state-certified for the subject(s) and grade level(s) which they teach, and many of them hold additional licenses and certifications in addition to trianing in online teaching. The recruitment process includes rigorous qualification and background checks to ensure alignment with Fullmind’s strict standards and the safety of your students.

Schools can use Fullmind virtual staffing for both core instruction (credit-bearing courses) and supplemental instruction (one-on-one or small-group tutoring). Additional services include special education, homebound schooling solutions, suspension alternatives, credit recovery, state test preparation, and more.

Teachers deploy synchronous instruction methods, which means that all instruction happens in real time, allowing students to interact and communicate with the teacher in the same way as during in-person instruction. Additionally, Fullmind instructors immerse fully in the school community via participation in staff meetings and parent-teacher conferences.

In other words, Fullmind can do all the heavy lifting to provide you with the most qualified, US-based, state-certified teachers for your vacancies at the same total cost as hiring J-1 teachers. Meanwhile, turnover rates are low, and you are not limited by the 5-year maximum imposed by the restrictions of the J-1 visa program.

H-1B Visa Program

Another alternative to the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program that addresses some of its limitations is the H-1B visa for teachers. This program can be used to hire foreign K-12 teachers as well as college or university professors.

The main benefit of the H-1B visa over the J-1 visa is that the former can be extended to a period of six years, or one more year than the latter. Moreover, it can be used as a path to obtaining a green card and remaining in the US in the long term. This serves as an additional stimulus for foreign teachers to get used to the new working and cultural environment, endure the initial shock, and remain within the institution.

Nevertheless, many international teachers still face the same challenges as J-1 teachers, which leads to suboptimal results for both schools and students and quick turnovers.

Teacher Recruiting Agency

Another strategy that many schools and school districts deploy to address teacher shortages without resorting to hiring J-1 teachers is working with teacher recruiting firms. These are third-party agencies that specialize in hiring teachers on behalf of academic institutions for a fee.

The main benefits which these firms bring to schools is access to a wide network of qualified teachers, strong negotiation skills to ensure the best terms for schools, and the lack of need for additional administrators handling recruitment. At the same time, these agencies meet very much the same challenges as schools themselves in areas where teacher shortages are particularly severe as there are simply no good candidates to recruit from.

Bottom Line

Participating in the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program is an important option that US schools can take into account, especially if they are located in districts with above-average teacher shortages. It allows institutions to recruit qualified foreign teachers who can bring cultural diversity to the community in addition to academic excellence. However, it comes with some challenges, such as high turnover rates, that are hard to overcome as they stem from the very way in which the program operates.

Fullmind can help you fill any K-12 teacher vacancy in less than two weeks with highly qualified, state-certfified, US-based instructors without the need to resort to J-1 teachers, for the same total cost. Get in touch to discuss the needs of your school and find the best candidates for your available positions.