Seventy-six school districts, all from a variety of different backgrounds and sizes, will be present at the Fall Education Job Fair, which will take place on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Diane Smith, marketing specialist and career adviser, said that this fair is especially important for those who graduate this upcoming December.

“We are the only school in the state of Illinois who hosts a mid-year fair for mid-year teacher graduates,” Smith said. “The schools that are coming are looking to hire mid-year positions, so our graduates have an opportunity to find jobs right away rather than waiting for the new school year.”

Before attending the education fair, Smith said it is beneficial for students to prepare beforehand.

“We suggest that students go to our website; we have a list of the districts that are coming, and it links to their school’s webpages,” she said. “We want them to do research on the schools and develop a 30-second introduction about themselves. Then, when they go up to the districts they know something about them and can tell what they are currently doing in their pre-teaching careers.”

There will also be a panel discussion composed of districts from a wide variety of regions, sizes and locations before the fair. The panel will take place Nov. 6 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Buzzard Hall Auditorium.

The districts represented at the panel will speak about their schools in order to give students attending the career fair an idea of the different teaching opportunities available.

Douglas Bower, dean of the College of Education, said that this panel is very helpful for students the night before the fair.

“This panel will give students the opportunity to network with the districts before the fair, and it will help them be more comfortable with the different types of districts,” Bower said. “Students will also be able to get specific questions answered on an individualized basis.”

Bower said this is also a great event for younger students to attend.

“We encourage even freshmen to attend, because we know the first career fair is intimidating, so it’s good to get that out of the way,” he said. “We have districts who also are looking to offer jobs to juniors before they student teach so it’s important for students to get their names out there early.”

Students should plan on bringing their Panther Card in order to attend the event.

Abby Carpenter can be reached at 581-2812 or at accarpenter@eiu.edu.