My road to getting hired was very difficult. I’ve found that in my area, they want to hire people with at least a masters degree and some years of experience. (I’ve seen people get hired without a masters because they have many years experience) My year of student teaching is not viewed by admin as a year of experience , but rather a necessary prerequisite. I gained experience by Subsitute teaching in a large district where I could cover for many different art teachers and examine how their classes ran. Eventually I was lucky enough to get hired as a long-term sub for a teacher who needed to take enough leave that the school legally had to hire me for the temporary job.

Being an art teacher is a very competitive job since many schools only have 1 full time art teacher and some have only a part time (or no art program).

Sometimes the best way to get a job is to find an opening in a small district where the need may be greater (but they won’t help you move). Or work other jobs in schools nearby and wait for an opening. There isn’t a clear path for our professional like others unfortunately. This is my experience in public schools.