ORLANDO, FLORIDA (ANS) -- How would you like to go on a cruise to discover your potential as an American educator in exotic international locales?

While the numbers of teachers in the United States are increasing and the numbers of students are decreasing, some educators have found a new route to much-needed job security while enjoying high adventure, says a media release from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Currently, there is a significant shortage of educators qualified to teach in international schools that serve missionary children.

Wycliffe Bible Translators and Mission:Teach are working together to fill more than 600 unfilled teaching positions that actually prevent missionaries with families from serving internationally.

Teachers with as little as one year of classroom teaching experience -- who want to experience the world before starting a family -- to retired teachers looking for a second career qualify.

"It would have been phenomenal if I had done this earlier in life," said Elaine Duimstram, a 71-year-old retired teacher from Wisconsin who was widowed five years ago and then decided to teach abroad.

Duimstram has taught in Papua New Guinea, China and Costa Rica. "One lifetime is not long enough to learn all that I've learned while abroad. I always wanted to travel -- this is the perfect combination for my love of adventure and passion for teaching."

"I can't wait to get started," said 25-year-old Anna Casassa who will teach in Asia in 2009 after teaching second grade in Florida for one year. "I've always known I would be a teacher. Being able to travel the world and teach is an incredible opportunity."

OPPORTUNITIES STILL EXIST: A TEACHER’S CRUISE: JULY 25-31

Wycliffe international teacher's cruise ship.

Interested teachers can spend a week on board a cruise ship and earn graduate school credit, learn more about teaching abroad and increase their knowledge on teaching multicultural students. Certified teachers can get more information about the cruise, teaching opportunities or apply online at www.Wycliffe.org/Events/EventsList/TeacherCruise.aspx.

Wycliffe Bible Translators is the world’s largest Bible translation organization. Since it’s founding, Wycliffe has been involved in more than half of all Scripture translations: 721 New Testament and Bible translations impacting more than 80 million people.

Wycliffe’s worldwide Bible translation work -- and the language development that is a foundational element of each translation -- impacts the efforts of countless other Christian ministries, relief organizations, governments and more. Its reach can be seen through improved literacy rates, health care, government relations and advocacy programs.

In 1999, Wycliffe formally adopted a vision of seeing Bible translations underway in all languages needing translation by the year 2025. That goal -- known as Vision 2025 -- is leveraging Wycliffe’s tried-and-true language development techniques and advances in technology to expedite Bible translations by the year 2025. Visit www.demossnewspond.com/Wycliffe  or http://www.wycliffe.org/ for more information.

DID YOU KNOW?

**There are more than 4.6 million U.S. teachers [Source: NCES (2007)]
**Degrees in Elementary education (No.3) and Education (No. 6) are ranked in The Top Ten Most Popular Majors [Source: Princeton Review (2008)]
**Numbers of teachers are increasing while the numbers of students are decreasing [Source: NCES(2007)]

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:

**Interview and follow blogs from first-year educator, Anna Baker (Rain Forrest International School in Cameroon)
**Interview new hire, Anna Casassa or second-career teacher, Elaine Duimstram
**Interview Jamie Farr, MissionTeach.com contributing developer, director and former international educator

CONTACT:
Jeannine Rhoden or
Tracy Clement
(770) 813-0000 or
(770) 881-4892 cell
www.DeMossNewsPond.com/Wycliffe;

 www.Wycliffe.org;  www.MissionTeach.com

Wycliffe Bible Translators
3235 Satellite Blvd.
Suite 555
Duluth, GA 30096

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael's involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) -- of ACT International at: Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT) International.