When Jennicah Reyel received a letter about a job opportunity at the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, she prayed that she would get it.
And to her relief, she did. The 26-year-old will teach math at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School on Kaua'i.
"I was very happy when I finally got the job, but every happiness is paired with sadness because I have to leave my family in the Philippines," she said.
Reyel is one of 80 teachers recruited from the Philippines to work at the state education department — an increase from 10 teachers of Filipino descent recruited in 2019.
Foreign recruitment has recently risen nationally to fill vacancies due to the chronic teacher shortage.
International teachers can work in the U.S. for up to five years under aJ-1 teacher exchange visa. Many teachers from the Philippines have masters and doctorate degrees in teaching various subjects.
James Urbaniak, the lead recruiter at the education department, said it's easier to access qualified teachers from the Philippines because they go through programs that require English as a primary source for instruction.
He said the department is seeking to expand recruitment to other countries, although he didn't specify when it will happen.
Filipino students make up 30% of the student body across the state. It's even less for teachers, who comprise about 10%, according to Urbaniak.
"This is about equity for our kids here in Hawaiʻi," Urbaniak said. "This is about ensuring that they have teachers that are representative of their communities working in front of them."
The recruitment of teachers from other countries has been done for decades.The Colorado Department of Education and school districts in Florida have also recruited teachers of Filipino ancestry.
According to Urbaniak, the Hawaiʻi education department pays international teachers a $3,000 location bonus to offset the cost of living in Hawaiʻi. He also said that the program had assisted international teachers with housing.
The Philippines is comprised of more than 7,000 islands with a population of more than 113 million.
According to a study, about 14,000 teachers from the Philippines are working in U.S. public schools.
Teaching wasn't a first choice for Reyel, but the profession grew on her.
"I'm loving this profession, and I want to do this more and more every day," she said.
