Teacher
Justice, Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System
Summary Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities. Our highly-skilled, diverse, and innovative workforce creates a strong foundation of safety and security. Through the principles of humanity and normalcy, we develop good neighbors. Responsibilities Plans and implements an individualized instructional program based on assessment data, knowledge of teaching strategies, learning styles, and availability of resources. Must select appropriate individualized teaching techniques which may include individual guidance, peer tutoring, cooperative learning, media instruction, computerized instruction, large and small group instruction or behavior modification, etc. Selects, orders and uses a wide diversity of instructional materials based on student needs and abilities including self-study, programmed materials, and media, etc. Designs and develops curricula to meet the diverse learning needs of an incarcerated adult population. Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship is Required. See Special Conditions of Employment Section. Selective Service Requirement: http://www.sss.gov Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1)this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: Click Here The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: Click Here Qualifications To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements: Basic Requirements: A. Bachelors degree from an accredited or pre-accredited institution that included or was supplemented by supervised student teaching and at least one course in each of the following areas: general psychology, human development, history and/or philosophy of education, and teaching methods at the learning level of the position to be filled, i.e., elementary or secondary learning level. OR B. Combination of education and experience – Applicants who have completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s degree but who do not meet the specific course requirements shown above meet minimum qualification requirements if they have completed at least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience at the elementary or secondary school level as appropriate to the position to be filled. Applicants who qualify based on experience are strongly encouraged to provide proof the school or institution where they gained the experience is accredited or recognized. The Consolidated Staffing Unit must be able to verify accreditation. Professional teaching experience is defined as full and primary responsibility for the instruction of assigned students under general supervision in a recognized or accredited school or institution. This includes responsibility for preparation and presentation of lessons and the evaluation of students’ progress throughout the learning period, including a determination of the students’ success or failure according to established criteria. OR C. Teacher certification or licensure in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. NOTE: If you are using the above to qualify, you MUST submit proof of certification or license for verification. Your documentation MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply. Applicants who meet the Basic Requirements as described above qualify for the GL-05 level. AND In addition to having the above Basic Requirements, applicants must also meet the following: Education: GL-09: Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s degree OR masters or equivalent graduate degree. GS-11: Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) applicants MUST provide a transcript in order to be considered under S.A.A. OR Experience: GL-09 and GS-11: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled. Some examples of this qualifying experience could be: GL-09 Experience in teaching programs such as Literacy, General Educational Development (GED), and English-as-a-second language (ESL). Experience in developing lesson plans and modifying existing academic curricula to meet individual learning needs. Experience in developing a record-keeping system to organize and track student progress through the identified course work. Experience selecting, administering and interpreting various formal and informal academic measures. GS-11: Experience in planning and conducting an individualized instructional program based on assessment data, knowledge of teaching strategies, learning styles, and availability of resources. Experience in designing, developing and implementing curricula to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Experience in utilizing a variety of methodologies and materials to teach students of various academic and skill levels. Experience in identifying and describing the social and academic needs which hamper the educational progress of students. OR Combination of Education & Experience GL-09 and GS-11: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required to next lower grade may be combined with experience. This experience must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the major duties of this position as described above. If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities. Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application. Education See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable. ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty. Additional Information This position IS included in the bargaining unit. In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for initial appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage. Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age. Please refer to the Required Documents Section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility. Special Conditions of Employment Section: Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation. All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check. All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm. The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office. On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered. The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained. Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score. Note: The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees. Successful completion of the “Introduction to Correctional Techniques,” three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required. Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate. As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.