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I have a B.E Civil Engineering and M.tech Environmental Engineering degree from India. Also I have 2 years of teaching experience in an Engineering college in India. Currently I am residing in US. Is it possible for me to get a teaching job in community colleges? How should I prepare myself to get a teaching job here?
To clarify: I have an H4 visa.
You clarified that you have an H4 visa. As you know, you are not normally permitted to work under an H4 visa. Even unpaid tutoring might be considered a violation of the H4 terms. So you would need to first change your visa status by either:
As far as getting your own H1, unless you are located in a place where there is an absolute dearth of available faculty, I think it highly unlikely that a community college will sponsor a work visa for you. The amount of paperwork that needs to be done is tremendous (the Department of Labor certification itself is an inch thick)-- as well as the filing costs and attorney's fees. They may also have no experience doing this, unlike the international scholar's office at a larger institution. Finally, many CC faculty are part-time so you may not even qualify for a H1B to begin with.
I would ask your spouse to apply for permanent residency for the both of you and then go on the job market once you have employment authorization.
If you are legally permitted to work in the U.S., this should be possible. Please don't expect a lot, salary-wise. But it can be a rewarding job.
Obviously, your previous teaching experience is a plus. If your English is easy for U.S. students to understand, and you are patient about any communication challenges that might arise, that would be another plus.
If there is no full-time opening in your area at present, you could try teaching one or two classes as an adjunct. This can help you get a foot in the door.
