Building Global Classrooms. Together.
Experienced educators, matched with the American districts that need them most, through the J-1 exchange.
Success Stories
Real journeys, from first interview to first day of school.
“The care they’ve shown me is what every job seeker abroad would want to experience.”
I will be forever grateful to Talinta Teacher Pathways, LLC for their expertise and timely response to all my concerns. They’ve been very responsive and guided me from day 1 till I settled into my new place in the USA. The care they’ve shown me is what every job seeker abroad would want to experience. The process of completing all the requirements and sourcing funds was already stressful, but knowing that your application is in good hands, you’ll feel safe and have peace of mind. Talinta Teacher Pathways might be a new agency, but the people behind it are experienced and dedicated to helping teachers to have a better future in the USA.
Dr. Celeste Hular
Talinta’s first Cultural Ambassador · Arrived September 2026
What we do, and what it costs
Talinta recruits licensed international teachers and places them in U.S. K-12 schools under the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program. Three things about how we work, before you go any further.
Know before you owe
Screening is free. You get a written credential review and your exact fee before you pay anything.
One fee, locked in
Set the day you sign. It won’t change with your salary, school, or sponsor.
Free for schools
Districts pay nothing to host. No recruitment or placement fees, whether or not you hire.
Every number, on both sides, is on the Fees page.
Our Values
- Transparency, in writing. Before a teacher accepts an offer, we confirm housing terms, local services, and community details in writing, especially for rural, remote, and tribal placements.
- Honesty over polish. If we can’t verify something, we say so. That goes for teachers weighing an offer and for districts weighing a candidate.
- Respect for the exchange. The J-1 program is a cultural exchange, not a path to permanent relocation. Talinta is not the sponsor. We work alongside the designated sponsors who decide eligibility and issue the DS-2019.
- Quality over quantity. We screen every candidate before introducing them to a school, so districts get a shorter list they can rely on.
Latest Updates
Placements, partnerships, and program milestones as they happen. Click any update for the full record.
Last updated 29 October 2026
New: Travel support through Goofy Getaways
Help with your program arrival and departure, trips home, and leisure travel during your J-1 years. Optional, and separate from the J-1 program.
Romela Mustar, a SPED teacher from Olongapo City, is a new hire for Arizona. She received her job offer on 7 October, her DS-2019 on 16 October, and her J-1 visa was approved on 29 October. Travel to Arizona comes next.
Romela Mustar is a special education teacher from Olongapo City in the Philippines. She passed her sponsor eligibility interview, received her job offer from an Arizona school on Wednesday, 7 October, her sponsor issued her DS-2019 on Friday, 16 October, and her J-1 visa was approved on Thursday, 29 October.
She is not in the U.S. yet. Her next step is travel to Arizona, followed by her arrival and first day in the classroom.
Where she is in the process
- Sponsor eligibility interview passed
- Hired
- DS-2019 issued
- J-1 visa approved
- Travel to the U.S.
- Arrival and first day
Romela appears by name with her permission. Talinta is not the sponsor: the sponsor determines eligibility, and the consulate decides the visa.
Lyziel Jorvina, a SPED teacher from Tacloban City, is a new hire for Arizona. She passed her sponsor eligibility interview on 29 September, received her DS-2019 on 16 October, and her J-1 visa was approved on 28 October. Travel to Arizona comes next.
Lyziel Jorvina is a special education teacher from Tacloban City in the Philippines. She has been hired by an Arizona school, passed her sponsor eligibility interview on 29 September, her sponsor issued her DS-2019 on Friday, 16 October, and her J-1 visa was approved on Wednesday, 28 October.
She is not in the U.S. yet. Her next step is travel to Arizona, followed by her arrival and first day in the classroom.
Where she is in the process
- Hired
- Sponsor eligibility interview passed
- DS-2019 issued
- J-1 visa approved
- Travel to the U.S.
- Arrival and first day
Lyziel appears by name with her permission. Talinta is not the sponsor: the sponsor determines eligibility, and the consulate decides the visa.
Mr. VB, a computer teacher, interviewed on 15 October for a high school computer position at an Arizona school. No offer has been made yet. The school decides next.
On Thursday, 15 October, Mr. VB interviewed with an Arizona school for a high school computer teaching position.
An interview is not an offer, and we want to be exact about that. The school decides whether to hire. Only after an offer does he begin the sponsor and visa steps.
Where he is in the process
- School interview
- Hiring decision from the school
- Sponsor eligibility interview and DS-2019
- Consular visa interview
- Arrival and first day
Mr. VB appears by initials. Talinta is not the employer: the school makes every hiring decision.
Dr. Celeste Hular, our C. from Laguna, landed in the U.S. on 28 September. She now begins her repeat J-1 exchange as a teacher in Arizona.
Dr. Celeste Hular is a licensed elementary teacher from Laguna province in the Philippines. She is the teacher we introduced in August as C. from Laguna, and she has since agreed to be named.
This is her second J-1 exchange in Arizona. She taught here before, spent two years back home, and is now returning for a repeat participation.
Where she is in the process
- Offer received from an Arizona host district
- Sponsor eligibility interview passed
- DS-2019 and J-1 visa issued
- Arrived in the U.S.
Dr. Hular is named with her written permission. Talinta is not the sponsor: the sponsor determines eligibility, and the consulate decides the visa.
Three candidates sat interviews on 2 September for elementary and reading specialist openings. No offers have been made — the district decides next.
On 2 September, a rural school district partner interviewed three of the teachers we put forward — for elementary classroom openings and for a reading specialist position.
Interviews are not offers, and we want to be exact about that. The district decides who, if anyone, it wants to hire. Only after an offer does a candidate begin the sponsor and visa steps. Screening and interview coordination cost the district nothing, whether or not it hires.
Where this sits in the process
- District interviews — three candidates, elementary and reading specialist
- The district’s hiring decision, and any offers that follow
- Sponsor eligibility and the DS-2019, for anyone who accepts
- Consular visa interview
- Arrival and first day
Candidates are not named while a hiring decision is pending. We name a district publicly only with its written permission.
Good news from Laguna: C. passed her sponsor eligibility interview on Monday, 31 August. Two of four steps are behind her — the DS-2019 comes next, then the consular visa interview.
C. is a licensed elementary teacher from Laguna province in the Philippines. An Arizona host district extended her an offer this month, and on 31 August she passed her sponsor eligibility interview.
She is not placed yet, and we want to be exact about that. Two of four steps are done. The sponsor now issues the DS-2019, the consulate decides the visa, and only then does she travel.
Where she is in the process
- Offer received from an Arizona host district
- Sponsor eligibility interview passed
- DS-2019 issued by the sponsor
- Consular visa interview, U.S. Embassy Manila
- Arrival and first day
C. appears by initials with her written permission. She has since been named: see the 28 September update on Dr. Celeste Hular. Talinta is not the sponsor: the sponsor determines eligibility, and the consulate decides the visa.
An ongoing partnership rather than a single placement, with their first position already at offer stage.
The district is rural, in Arizona, and has agreed to work with us year over year rather than for one vacancy. That matters more than a single hire: we recruit against their staffing needs as they come, and they get candidates screened for that specific community rather than whoever was available.
Hosting costs the district nothing. Screening, vetting and interview coordination are free to them, whether or not they hire the candidates we send.
What we confirm in writing before any teacher accepts an offer here
- What is available, and what it costs each month
- How far the nearest grocery and hospital are
- Whether a vehicle is necessary to live there
- Who a teacher can call once they arrive
We name a district publicly only with its written permission.
Only a sponsor designated by the U.S. Department of State can issue a DS-2019. All three of ours carry that designation — please check it.
Talinta is not a sponsor and cannot become one. Under the J-1 Teacher Exchange Program, only organizations designated by the U.S. Department of State may determine a teacher’s eligibility and issue the DS-2019 that supports a visa application. We work alongside them; we do not speak for them.
We now work with three of them. All three designations are published by the U.S. Department of State, and we would rather you check the list yourself than take our word for it.
Who decides what
- Screening, district matching, interview coordination
- Eligibility determination and the DS-2019
- The offer, the contract, and your salary
- The visa decision
If anyone tells you they can guarantee a J-1 visa, that is not how the program works — and it is worth walking away from.
Who you’ll be working with
Talinta was founded by two educators with nearly 20 years of combined classroom experience — teaching in the Philippines and in America’s hardest-to-staff districts.
Ready to Begin?
If you’re a teacher
Screening is free, and nothing is due when you apply.
Start a free screeningJust have a question? info@talintateacherpathways.com
If you’re a school or district
Tell us what you’re trying to staff and we’ll reply within two business days.