If you’re looking for high-quality Spanish and dual language teachers for next fall, look no further. The innovative Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program can help provide Iowa schools with outstanding opportunities in world language instruction -- and much more.
Through the Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program, Iowa public school districts and accredited nonpublic schools can fill vacant Spanish and dual language teaching positions with highly qualified educators from Spain for a period of up to three to five years. All Spanish educators in the program have at least two years of teaching experience.
“Each year, the Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program offers Iowa schools the chance to connect with native Spanish teachers,” said Stefanie Rosenberg Wager, administrative consultant at the Iowa Department of Education. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for schools to enrich not only their language programs but also the exchange of culture and community.”
The exchange program is sponsored through a partnership between the Department and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain. It was created to address the shortage of qualified Spanish teachers in the state and helps expose students to different world cultures. The program focuses on the exchange of culture and education and offers foreign nationals with opportunities to work in and experience living in Iowa and the United States, which they can apply to their classroom instruction back in Spain.
“The program truly benefits everyone,” Rosenberg Wager said. “The visiting teacher, students and the community can learn from each other, better understand different cultures and experience new things together through this unique opportunity.”
The Department ensures that exchange visitors and their host schools abide by the program rules and requirements established by the U.S. Department of State and Homeland Security. Teachers are hired in accordance with all other local policies in terms of salary, licensure and local system requirements.
Applications for the 2025-26 exchange program can be submitted through March 24. Application materials and additional information about the exchange program can be found on the Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program website.
Questions regarding the Exchange Visiting Teachers from Spain program can be directed to Stefanie Rosenberg Wager at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov.