TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Leon County Schools is considering recruiting international teachers to address staffing shortages.<\/p>\n
The school district is considering working with a company called TPG Cultural Exchange<\/a>. The organization utilizes the federal J-1 Cultural Exchange Visa program<\/a> to assist schools in hiring qualified international educators from places such as India, Jamaica, the Philippines, Spain and France.<\/p>\n The district says its top hiring needs include special education, STEM fields, English language learning and elementary education.<\/p>\n Superintendent Rocky Hanna says the international teachers would not replace local teachers or local hiring. Instead, it would help fill openings they haven\u2019t been able to staff.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been with our district 38 years now. I never thought we\u2019d be at this point. Years ago, we had hundreds and hundreds of young, eager folks applying for teaching jobs. But now, you just don\u2019t. Those numbers have dwindled,\u201d Hanna said. <\/p>\n Rocky attributes the teacher shortage to lower pay and the scrutiny educators have come under. <\/p>\n \u201cFewer young people are entering this profession for two reasons. One is pay. And two is how much scrutiny they have come under. Especially post-pandemic and all of the horrible things said about our teachers from elected officials. Young people are looking at that [and thinking] I don\u2019t want to get in the middle of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the proposal, international recruits could teach locally for three years, with a potential extension to five. To qualify, educators must hold a U.S.-equivalent teaching degree, have at least two years of classroom experience, speak fluent English and secure Florida teacher certification.<\/p>\n Hanna says he is hoping to have the new international teacher contracts in place by the end of May and get the new teachers in Tallahassee over the summer.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n