Salem Visiting Teachers J1 Visa Cultural Exchange Program; J1 Eligible, Licensed Teachers Dominican

Salem Visiting Teachers J1 Visa Cultural Exchange Program

Salem Public Schools seeks licensed teachers from the Dominican Republic (DR) to join our team for up to three years as part of a new Visiting Teacher J1 Visa Cultural Exchange Program. With a large percentage of our nearly 4,000 students having family and/or cultural ties to the Dominican Republic, we seek to employ up to two teachers from the DR who can both culturally and linguistically connect with and support students' backgrounds while also challenging them with high expectations for learning.

We are seeking licensed teachers in the following areas:

• Elementary education (specifically, Dual Language Elementary Education)
• English Language Development
• Math (Middle and High School)
• Science (Middle and High School)
• Special education

Eligibility for the Salem Visiting Teachers J1 Visa Cultural Exchange Program

To be eligible for this program, teachers must be:

• Licensed to teach in the Dominican Republic
• Currently employed as a teacher in the DR and have a minimum of two years of teaching experience - OR -
• Note:
  
  If not currently employed, have had at least two years of full-time teaching in the past eight years AND within twelve months of application have or will have completed an advanced degree beyond the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree (i.e. Masters or Ph.D.) in education or the academic subject field you intend to teach.
• Possess a degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree in either education or the academic subject field you intend to teach
• Bilingual (Spanish and sufficient proficiency in English)
• Note:
  
  While some teaching roles may be taught in Spanish within our Dual Language (Spanish) school, most opportunities will require teaching in English.
• Ability and intent to satisfy the teaching eligibility standards, including certification, of the U.S. state or particular school where you intend to teach
• Intend to utilize the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program to teach in full-time the U.S. on a temporary basis only and return to your home country after your program ends to share what you have learned with your local community
• Clear a background check
• Proven track record of raising student achievement scores in an urban/turnaround environment highly desired.
• Proficiency with technology (digital literacy, teacher/family communication suites (Parent Square preferred), Google Workspace) desirable.
• Ability to meet the expectations of the Massachusetts Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching Practice

Application Timeline for the Visiting Teachers J1 Program

Interested teachers should complete the following steps according to the below estimated timeline:

• February 2026 - Applications accepted (please apply online)
• Early March 2026 - Initial interviews (virtual)
• Late March/Early April 2026 - Second interviews and J1 Eligibility Screening
• April 21-25, 2026 - Finalist interviews (in person w Salem Public Schools team)
• Early May 2026 - Hiring finalists and begin J1 Visa application process
• June 2026 - Finalizing J1 Visa and travel
• July 2026 - Arrive in Salem, MA (secure housing, etc.)
• August 18, 2026 - New Hire Institute in Salem, MA
• August 25, 2026 - First day of school in Salem, MA

About Salem Public Schools, where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4,000 students in 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged, globally connected, and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging, equity, and opportunity in everything we do.

We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students, regardless of ability, economic status, gender/gender identity, language, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other backgrounds. We invite you to learn more about our strategic plan and core priorities on our website.

What You'll Bring:

Inspired by our mission, you are highly motivated to change children's lives through education. You'll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level. We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all SPS students and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build…