# § 901. Definitions
For the purposes of this chapter, the term—
**(1)** “teaching position” means those duties and responsibilities which—
**(A)** are performed on a school-year basis principally in a school operated by the Department of Defense in an overseas area for dependents of members of the Armed Forces and dependents of civilian employees of the Department of Defense, or are performed by an individual who carried out certain teaching activities identified in regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense; and
**(B)** involve—
**(i)** classroom or other instruction or the supervision or direction of classroom or other instruction; or
**(ii)** any activity (other than teaching) which requires academic credits in educational theory and practice equal to the academic credits in educational theory and practice required for a bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited institution of higher education; or
**(iii)** any activity in or related to the field of education notwithstanding that academic credits in educational theory and practice are not a formal requirement for the conduct of such activity.
**(2)** “teacher” means an individual—
**(A)** who is a citizen of the United States or, in the case of a teaching position that involves instruction in the host-nation language, a local national when a citizen of the United States is not reasonably available to provide such instruction,
**(B)** who is a civilian, and
**(C)** who is employed in a teaching position described in paragraph (1).
**(3)** “overseas area” means any area situated outside the United States.
**(4)** “United States”, when used in a geographical sense, means the several States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, and the possessions of the United States (excluding the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and Midway Islands).
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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 86–91, § 2, July 17, 1959, 73 Stat. 213; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title XVI, § 1606(a), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2736; Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title X, § 1073(c)(9)(A), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1904; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title V, § 564, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3384.)
## Editorial Notes
### References in Text
For definition of Canal Zone, referred to in par. (4), see , Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
### Codification
Section was formerly classified to prior to the general revision and enactment of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, by , , .
### Amendments
2014—Par. (2)(A). inserted “or, in the case of a teaching position that involves instruction in the host-nation language, a local national when a citizen of the United States is not reasonably available to provide such instruction” before comma at end.
1997—Par. (1)(A). made technical corrections to . See 1996 Amendment note below.
1996—Par. (1)(A). , as amended by , inserted “or are performed by an individual who carried out certain teaching activities identified in regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense;” after “Defense,”.
Par. (2)(C). , added subpar. (C) and struck out former subpar. (C) which read as follows: “whose services are required on a school-year basis in a teaching position.”
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 1997 Amendment
, , , provided that the amendment made by that section is effective as of , and as if included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, , as enacted.
### Short Title
> “This Act [enacting this chapter and provisions now contained in
>
> , Government Organization and Employees] may be cited as the ‘Defense Department Overseas Teachers Pay and Personnel Practices Act’.”
, , , provided that:
## Executive Documents
### Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding , Territories and Insular Possessions.