but… at my school we have a history of hiring UCLA candidates. The school has partnered with our district, and our school is a placement school where quite a few from UCLA (and USC for that matter) have been assigned their student teaching.

You may have an easier time finding a job if you look into which schools your district partners with. Go to the district you would like to work for, and ask their recruitment office about this. couldn’t hurt.

Also, find out how the online school assigns student teaching, it seems you dont want to be impersonal at this point.

good luck!

You won’t be “tossed to the sharks” in any event. There are lots of new-teacher training things that ALL districts provide to incoming teachers. You will probably be assigned a teacher “mentor” to help you along as you get started as well. While this is going on, you may be able to get the courses you need for certification at a local junior college—don’t knock it; you already will have a BS in math, right? So, check with the JCs and find out what they offer–since they usually create programs for people in exactly your position.

The main thing, right now, is to get talking with the local ISDs, and find out what needs they have that you can fulfill, and what help they can offer you in getting certified.

Very best of luck to you!