[cdimauro]

My husband and I are thinking of slowing down...late fifties, but in good health and shape. We are looking at HSV. We are coming from Fairfield County in CT.

I am a math and special ed teacher in middle school.

Would it be difficult to get a teaching job in this area?

Thanks.

P.S. If you have any thoughts about Hot Springs Village, I would love to hear them.

[JeffAtkins]

HSV is in two school districts, Jessieville and Fountain Lake. HSV is a great place to live, I've been here over 6 years.

If you visit, there are nightly and weekly rentals. If you decide to move, there are longer-term rentals available. You can 'lease' membership privileges (for golf, tennis, etc) until your buy a homesite or an existing house.

If you want to learn more, the local newspaper is online, and the "archived" issues are available without subscription. I will PM the website.

[Fasder]

Well, I'm going to date myself, but one of twins left HS, moved to Dallas to be close to us a couple years ago. While it was great having him close by, he did what most do ... and found someone he really liked in the city. Long story short, they courted (OK I'm really dating myself - HA!), got enaged, and then married. She's a great lady and they make a wonderful couple. Woot ... just what a mom and dad want of their kids

So what does this have to do with your question about getting job in Jessieville and Fountain Lake. Well, they wanted to move back to HS, and she was a teacher in this area. So they just spent the summer looking for jobs in HS area. Happy to say, she found a job, but ended up getting one in HS public school district.

I'm not saying that you can't find a job in Jessieville or Fountain Lake ... but what they found was the jobs in the outlying districts are very stable. The communities are established and job grown outside of schooling is small. So the openings fill fast and sometimes in advance ... if you know what I mean. You may have a better teaching shot closer to Little Rock ... say in Bryant or Benton school districts. Jessieville and Fountain Lake teaching jobs most likely are tied up.

BUT ... You can still live in HSV, and go out the East gate on old little rock hwy (I said I was dating myself ... grins). This will get you to Bryant or Benton area's in a very short commute, just through some back roads instead of hiways. But honestly, in Arkansas, the Hiways are limited so you will spend a great deal of time on what most call backroads in other states. And the drive really isn't that bad, no matter where you go in this area, once you get used to getting around.

[BREAK OUT - this may sound like knock but I think the facts will weight me out here, as in look at any AR State road map, as the only true Interstate in Arkansas is 30 and 40. Yes, you can traveling around LR area on the 430/440/530/630 - Bypasses. 55 in far north AR or 540 between FT Smith and Rogers but as soon as they leave the state ... they change their names to something else - NOT Interstate Hiways.

So most of the roads in state are ... doh ... state hiways at best. And for the most part no better than most other state's metro suburb access roads. I love Arkansas ... it's just that road system in general is NOT designed to move the masses like in major population states/cites off in the West Coast/East Coast/Metro cities area's. ]

EXTRA NOTE ... I get long winded ... my wife always reminds me that I tell you how to build a car when discribing how to get somewhere. But background information can be helpful at times. And all I'm wasting here besides ... your reader's time ... is a bit of Java and some Vbullentin space vBulletin® - Instant Community . Otherwise, in this medium, I'm not hurting anyone being verbose.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by Fasder

EXTRA NOTE ... I get long winded

Well now......

That's why we got these big ol' easy chairs.

I'd kick off my shoes if I had any on.

Long as you don't mind if I go get a sweet tea every now and then, I enjoy reading your posts.

[Aporkalypse]

You would also have the Hot Springs, Magnet Cove, Lakeside, and Lake Hamilton school districts close by. There should be plenty of job opportunities.

[vrussell]

You'll need to check with the Arkansas Department of Education regarding your certification. They will need official transcripts, teaching certificates, etc. in order to evaluate your teaching credentials. They will let you know of any deficiencies that you may have.

If you are HQ then you'll need to take Arkansas State History for Teachers in order to get your "Standard" Certification. You can take it online and it's available through many of the community colleges and universities. The class I'm taking requires a few meetings on campus, so I'm not sure if you could take it out of state or not. Out-of-state tuition can get a bit pricey.

Arkansas will issue a provisional certification, but it is up to each individual district whether they want to hire someone with a provisional license or not. I have not had much luck with that and I have been trying to get a teaching job in Arkansas for over a year now. However, Math and special ed are needed areas, so that should help you. Just be sure to do your research well.

Good luck!

[photobuff42]

I think you would be ver happy there. With certifications in math and special education make you a shoo in! I am a special education administrator and if a job there opened up, I would apply for it. Between the friendly people and natural beauty, I can't think of a better place in the whole world. Good luck!