Hi All,
I am deciding that I can no longer live in California. It is like living in Paris or New York: rediculously expensive. I rent a studio and with housing prices doubling (no exaggeration) over the past five years, if I stay, I will continue to live in a studio. I have been teaching for ten years and am 53. My question: who is hiring? I will consider looking EVERYWHERE! I like the idea of living near Tennessee or Kentucky as I have family in that direction. If you know of any districts begging for teachers, I would appreciate hearing all about it!
Thank you much!
I'm currently a year away from graduating with my BS in Elementary Education and schools in my area are desperate for teachers. Every principal I've met in the Marion County/Levy County area is constantly asking when we'll be able to start working. I overheard one principal inquiring with my Reading professor about when we'll be graduating so she can put us to work. We also learned from the president of the local teacher's union that there are lots of cases of long-term subs being utilized for entire school years because there aren't enough teachers to be hired. Really sad situation, honestly, but I am feeling quite secure in my job prospects for when I graduate.
Many Florida counties need teachers. The pay isn't great, but depending on area, COL may be less than CA. My district in South central FL has had a permanent sub all year.....Plus, I don't think it is difficult to get certified here. Many counties hire with a phone interview. Check DOE website, it may have more info.. I do like the KY,TN areas, but have no idea about the job market. Good luck.
We live in the hub of the central valley and crime is getting so bad here! It's too expensive to move to a more desirable area in California. We couldn't even afford to buy a house where we'd like to! I've looked into the east coast and I was very interested in Georgia and South Carolina. Both have very affordable places to live and they have open positions.
Thank you for the response. I have a credential in elementary education. Have taught 9 years. Am 53 yrs old. Hope it's possible to find something more affordable. Crazy expensive here!
Take care
PS. I loved visiting Portland, Maine!! Cook's Lobster House is world's greatest restaurant!!!!
I reside in Indiana. It's a hit or miss on who needs teachers, and age discrimination runs rampant. However, Catholic schools (You don't have to be Catholic!) seem to hire older teachers and the pay is okay. Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville are the "big cities." Fishers, Carmel, Terre Haute, Angola, Columbia City, Jeffersonville, and Muncie are smaller cities/suburbs.
Housing is affordable, however, taxes are going up. You can find a decent home for $90,000 - $140,000 (2,000 square feet) in Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend. There is a beautiful condo not too far, in a desirable neighborhood, from me that is $70,000.00. It's amazing!
Indianapolis is quite pricey where a home in a good neighborhood is $250,000. There are a few pockets in Indianapolis, where the homes are $125,000 or so and are in acceptable neighborhoods.
Washington state has a teacher shortage right now but our cost of living is pretty high too. If you stay out of the Seattle metro area its okay though.
Be sure to look into the teaching situation in the states people are suggesting, I know several states that are desperate for teacher but...for good reason. They busted the teachers unions and in so doing created work environments that are unacceptable and others have test score related performance based pay and a lot of things that make situations that many arent will to work under-that is why they are desperate for teachers. Several have a voucher systems that are bringing a corporate mentality to teaching that just doesnt work.
I hear you loud and clear about struggling beyond what is reasonable to teach in California-I am right with you and I may make my way to greener pastures sooner or later myself just, do your homework.
I live in the Phoenix area and we have a very low cost of living compared to CA. There is also a major teaching shortage here. You would have no problem finding a teaching job. You are welcome to PM me if you have questions.
Thank you very much for the kind words. I would not be able to move to AZ as I'm hoping to head East (no family out here in the West). But thank you very much for the info.
You didn't say what part of California you live in...
I teach in southern California, the Inland Empire, Riverside, Redlands, Corona, San Bernardino, and districts pay pretty good. If you're living in a studio, are you up in northern California? It's not so expensive down south. Probably wouldn't want to hit the Los Angeles area, though...
Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Loudoun) will have a lot of openings because the area is growing so much. In Loudoun, when I was in school in 2002, there were 4 high schools in the whole county. I want to say there are about 15 high schools now. Tremendous building and growth there. There are programs for teachers, police, etc. to buy affordable housing in Loudoun. They set aside new construction in many new developments and offer them at greatly reduced prices. You have to apply and get on their list but I have known people who have gotten great deals. Maybe your area in CA has something similar as far as helping professions finding affordable housing. I now live in PA and am no help to you in my state. Best of luck!
Well, there's an extreme shortage in Detroit, but as KinderKr4zy said, there is a reason teachers are leaving.
My sister lives in Fairfax County & loves it. My niece & nephew both got an excellent education there. They believe getting rid of the unions was good. They say districts actually publish their salary scales in the paper and take pride in outpaying teachers in other districts. At one point, my sister could not understand my "feeling stuck" in my situation & said their teachers were being offered signing bonuses up to $1,000. A new teacher I know just got a job in Fairfax (she had two attractive offers) and is thus far THRILLED. I think the only "worry" (unless it's important to you to have a union) is that VA can have expensive hoysing as well.
Best wishes to you!
Last edited by GdHrtdTchr; 05-14-2017 at 05:46 PM..
I'm not sure what you mean by "getting rid of unions" in Fairfax County. I have been with the district for 24 years and we have the same unions and associations that we have had since I started. VA has always been a Right to Work state, so membership is not mandatory.
I haven't seen scales posted in the paper, but it's easy to find district's scales online on their websites.
This year, FCPS was offering $2000 signing bonuses for early contract hires. That amount is being reduced as we get closer to next school year.
There is definitely a competition when it comes to pay and benefits. It's always a discussion among the school boards and it's often in the news if a district is falling behind. FCPS is trying to bring certain parts of the scale up to market scale average, but the budget is making that tough.
Northern VA ain't cheap, but it's not as bad as what you have to deal with and the schools are good to work for. There is growth in the region which means elementary jobs. I would avoid Arizona and Florida. Yes, they need teachers---and for good reason. Nobody actually wants to teach in Arizona or Florida, unless they are restricted geographically for personal reasons. Too many horror stories.
Oh. I stand corrected, TGBWC! My sis has said, "No unions" but what you are no doubt right. She is in government vs education and probably sees "right to work" as equivalent to "getting rid of unions." Here in Michigan, we recently became a "right to work" state and I guess we do see it as another step towards "striving to dissolve the unions." It seems our union was already losing power (district was under emergency management for most of a decade) and it has felt like having a union was doing next to no good. When the state became "right to work" many of us did some thinking about what we were and weren't getting for all the money going into a union with its hands tied. But I and I think most of my coworkers felt there was too much to be afraid of without a union. Still not sure I'm getting my money's worth. Every year is worse: Over-sized classes, too few resources, lost preps, more stress, completely underpaid again. But, the world is crazier than ever and I guess there's still some sense of security (from a parent or an administrator) with a union.
I probably should not have spoken about VA with any authority. I just saw a post about Fairfax County and the contrast between what I experience here and hear about there prompted me to chime in. The OP should listen to those who are there and really know (not li'l ol' me)!
If you google Loudoun County Public schools vacancy list you should be able to find the page with the 48 openings. Scroll to the bottom of the job opportunity page. The county is really growing so they need teachers. Loudoun isn't cheap, but its possible if you are willing to commute a little from a less expensive area.
We left norcal in 2005 for SW Missouri and never looked back. As far as teaching here in Missouri, we have a lot of schools cranking out new teachers so I haven't been offered a job yet, but its still early, many districts hire days before the new school year depending on final enrollment.
cost of living way lower than cal. and much nicer for the most part.
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04-23-2017, 05:42 PM
