teachers looking to move to Alaska

[bongo]

Being certified middle & high school makes you more marketable! So that is good. If either of you coach, that is a plus!

It used to be that in bush schools teachers would be hired in the small schools to teach multiple classes beyond their certification.

ASD is always hiring teachers, as is Mat-Su.

[bortstc37]

Look over the openings on the teacher placement site (though it's not exactly hiring season).

I would recommend coming for the job fair. It's the best bet. Some schools/districts like to hire couples. High school or middle school English should be easy enough to find a job for, but social studies might be more difficult. Smaller schools usually have one teacher for both (I teach middle school LA/SS combined in a small school).

The schools that prefer hiring couples are usually the very tiny ones that only require about two teachers altogether, so if you're not elementary or sped certified, you'd have a hard time getting into one of those positions.

Support for schools and appreciation for teachers is varied from community to community, as well as within each community itself. I would guess it's just about the same as anywhere else when it comes to that, though I think that there are a few smaller towns and villages that are extra welcoming.

Bush jobs are the easiest to get. They seem to hire younger teachers with less experience. If you are both experienced, you have as good of a chance to get hired on the road system as anyone else. I'm not trying to bad-mouth bush schools--I started there and enjoyed the vast majority of it, but it isn't for everyone. It's almost a sure thing if you're willing to go to the bush and bush life is compatible with your personalities and/or lifestyle (i.e. if you really enjoy outdoorsy things), but I wouldn't bother if you aren't confident you could last a couple of years at least. High teacher turnover does a lot of harm to village schools.

Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

[sbears]

Thank you so much for your advice...we both really have to work even if I have to go somewhere that would not have been the one I would have liked. My husband is the English teacher and I am the History teacher...frustrating knowing my passion of history could hold us back. More than what we teach, we are dedicated enough so that if we can just make a difference to one student...it is worth the struggle. Thank you for your kindness!

[hogfamily]

Alaska Teacher Placement: Featured Bush Educators

Google Alaskan bush teacher blogs.

[warptman]

There has been many husband/wife teachers in my area, LKSD. Dig around their website. Best of luck!

[lv2hoop]

Look into the Minneapolis job fair that many Alaska Districts attend and hire at. It may be cheaper for you to attend that one.

The ATP website is the place to go for all of your teaching in Alaska needs. It's a wealth of information.

[sbears]

Thank you! will do!