Career Advice for Job Seekers
7 things education majors should do in December to help their 2026 job search
December is not the off-season for education majors. It is the pre-season. While most students are taking a total break, you have a strategic window to outpace the competition for 2026 teaching roles. At College Recruiter, we see that the most successful candidates use this time to bridge the gap between student teaching and professional value. By acting now, you move from being just another applicant to a professional who understands how to deliver results in the classroom.
The reality of the education market is that districts do not just hire degrees. They hire solutions to student needs. You need to translate your coursework into measurable outcomes that a principal or superintendent can understand. This guide outlines seven direct ways to build your professional profile and expand your network before the January rush. Taking these steps today ensures you are already vetted and top-of-mind when the spring hiring season arrives.
- Design a Polished Demo Lesson
- Revise Resume Shadow Educators Network Consistently
- Research District Needs Pitch Targeted Solutions
- Clarify Preferred School Culture
- Secure Extra Classroom Experience
- Assemble Portfolio Practice Mock Interviews
- Apply Early Update Materials
Design a Polished Demo Lesson
December is the best time for education majors to put some real thought into crafting their classroom demo, not rush at the last minute to piece one together. I’ve seen hundreds of demos and my top selections always had their planning done months in advance. This is the time to take a hard look at what really works with children, not just what sounds excellent on paper. Think about a brief, targeted lesson you can deliver with strong confidence in 15-20 minutes that would demonstrate how you lead children, handle transitions, and respond to students in real time.
You can also test the demo in a real environment: perhaps with your younger siblings, neighbors, co-op groups, or small classroom settings. Jot down when kids lose interest, what kind of questions they ask and how long materials actually keep their attention. For example — a well-thought-out activity that only holds the kids’ attention for five minutes is in need of refining. Your answers to interviews next year won’t be based solely on your own experiences; they will be based on your actual interactions with learners.
Revise Resume Shadow Educators Network Consistently
Each year, we work with a new cohort of future teachers to help them earn their master’s degree and teacher certification so that they are ready to enter the classroom. Three things I would recommend are updating a resume, reaching out to job shadow and spending time next semester networking.
The first thing we do with all our students (we call them residents) this time of year is to make sure their resume is up to date and ready to be shared with a principal or uploaded to an online application with a minute’s notice as teaching jobs are quite competitive in Seattle. This includes making sure their resume is ATS compatible to make it past the AI filters many HR tools use.
The second thing I would recommend for students is to reach out to current teachers in their ideal neighborhood, school setting or even grade level to informally job shadow and spend a day/half day in their classroom. Most states require additional school beyond an undergraduate degree to receive a teaching certificate. If that is the case where you live, December is not only a good time to spend time in a classroom and confirm this profession is for you, but also to look into options for receiving your teaching certificate like attending graduate school or applying to a teacher residency program.
Finally, when you’re on track to graduate with a teaching certificate, that winter and spring semester should be spent networking! Oftentimes, principals or teacher committees are very involved in the hiring process at each school, and so getting to meet with people within the building helps to break through a central office HR team that sees thousands of applications.
Research District Needs Pitch Targeted Solutions
December is when administrators quietly plan for the next academic year. Staffing gaps, burnout, learning loss, and classroom management challenges are already top of mind, even if job postings are not live yet.
Education majors should use December to study district board notes, school improvement plans, and parent feedback forums, then position themselves around one specific problem they can help solve.
Create a short, concrete narrative that shows how your training, student teaching, or projects address that issue. Reaching out with insight, rather than an application, turns you into a solution schools remember when hiring opens in early 2026.
Clarify Preferred School Culture
I encourage education majors to use December to reflect on the kind of school culture where they will thrive. Teaching stays closely connected to personal values, and this reflection helps candidates understand what they truly want. When they gain this clarity, they pursue roles with greater confidence and a sense of direction. This understanding also keeps them from applying aimlessly and protects their energy during the search.
When hiring begins, they write stronger applications because their choices match their goals. They speak with more conviction during interviews, and this leaves a lasting impression on decision makers. Graduates who take time for this internal work often secure positions earlier since they move with purpose. Their progress feels steady because they do not question each step.
Secure Extra Classroom Experience
The single December move I’d suggest? Lock in extra classroom time for spring as a substitute, para, tutor, or volunteer.
When I hire educators to create reading content, the people who stand out have recent, hands-on experience with real students. Districts facing shortages still prefer candidates who’ve proved they can handle a room.
How to use December:
Ask your cooperating teacher and principal how you can stay on as a sub or aide.
Get on the district’s substitute list before winter break.
Offer to run a small reading or homework club in January.
Add these plans to your resume so early-2026 interviewers see real classroom experience, not just coursework.
Assemble Portfolio Practice Mock Interviews
Education majors should put a portfolio together and start doing role-play interviews, in order to prepare to speak with principals. What principals are looking for in new teaching candidates is confidence and also the ability to adapt to situations quickly and without panicking. Teachers cannot predict what will happen in class, but if you know all the right strategies and feel confident trying them in the classroom, then you will be a very successful teacher.
Apply Early Update Materials
You should update your teaching portfolio and start applying to schools NOW. Don’t wait until spring. Many people think schools only hire in spring, but that is wrong. Lots of schools start looking for teachers in January and February, especially for positions starting in fall 2026 or even mid-year openings.
Here’s what you can do in December:
1. Take some time to make your online and offline resume and your teaching portfolio. Make sure to include recent student teaching experiences, lessons you have created, and any special skills, such as other languages or work with special education.
2. List 20 or 30 schools that interest you and check for job openings on their websites.
3. If you have student teaching contacts like principals or administrators, drop them a line asking if they know of any job openings.
4. Register on school district job boards in areas where you want to live.
The teachers who start early get the best positions. Do not wait… schools are already planning for next year!
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