wanting to relocate to Skokie (Chicago, Aurora: lawyer, income, jobs)

[adopt2002]

I cuurently live in NY state and dislike it. I was researching states and came to the Chicago suburbs. I am looking to relocate to the Evanston/Skokie area. Can you tell me all you know about these areas. I am an elementary teacher and will need a job. How are the people there? What is the climate like? What about the diversity? Can you please help? Thanks

[Nafster]

Well, if you are an elementary teacher you should have no problem finding a job in and/or around the area of Skokie/Evanston. There are plenty of elementary and middle schools that are constantly hiring and that you can find a job in. If not in that area, you can definitely head either north or west towards Glencoe or Des Plains, and there are several more there.

It's a very diverse town with large White, Asian, Hispanic, Black, Jewish, and Christian/Catholic populations. Everyone seems to be getting along fine here.

The climate is almost identical to Chicago's, if not slightly colder due to Chicago's big buildings and it's proximity to the lake.

What's also great about Skokie and the north suburbs is that it's incredibly easy to get to any area in Chicago.

All you need to do is take the 94 south 15 minutes and you're in the heart of the city.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Nafster

Well, if you are an elementary teacher you should have no problem finding a job in and/or around the area of Skokie/Evanston. There are plenty of elementary and middle schools that are constantly hiring and that you can find a job in. If not in that area, you can definitely head either north or west towards Glencoe or Des Plains, and there are several more there.

It's a very diverse town with large White, Asian, Hispanic, Black, Jewish, and Christian/Catholic populations. Everyone seems to be getting along fine here.

The climate is almost identical to Chicago's, if not slightly colder due to Chicago's big buildings and it's proximity to the lake.

What's also great about Skokie and the north suburbs is that it's incredibly easy to get to any area in Chicago.

All you need to do is take the 94 south 15 minutes and you're in the heart of the city.

15 Minutes on 94??? At what time of day is that? More like 30 minutes realistically and up to 45 during rush hour from the Loop. There are other options to get into the Loop though like the Skokie Swift Line for those that don't wish to sit in traffic for long durations of time and spend a small fortune doing it. Gas is about $3.05/gal. right now for 87 OCT.

[Keith S]

Try Morton Grove, Wilmette or Glenview unless you like lots of crime.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Keith S

Try Morton Grove, Wilmette or Glenview unless you like lots of crime.

Forgive me here, but since when is Skokie crime ridden? LOL! I guess it must be all those old Jewish moms sitting around complaining about their Kishkie and Ka Filta Fish that just got a bit too roudy. lol J/K

[kmwheel]

I see this question on here a lot from out-of-state or out-of-country teachers looking to move to Illinois. My first question would be...have you checked with ISBE to see if there is reciprocity for your teaching certificate? If so, that's great, BUT I am a teacher in Illinois and some of my teaching friends who came from out-of-state have told me that it can take the ISBE up to a year to grant your IL certificate.

Due to NCLB, no school district will be able to hire you in Illinois unless you are certified here. They might be able to make the case for a provisional or emergency certificate if you are in a high-need area like special ed. or ESL, but it's not likely. So be prepared to sub or find other income until you can jump through all of the hoops for your Illinois certificate.

Contrary to other posts, it is my opinion that there are NOT a lot of positions available for regular elementary teachers in the North Shore or for that matter any other suburb around Chicago. The positions that I applied for had over 200 applications per job. Many members of my cohort had to take teaching jobs in private schools or daycares, or they went overseas. Some of them were definitely hired by public schools in the area, but they had relationships with those schools prior to getting certified. Illinois graduates about 2000 new teachers per year, many of the younger ones who aren't established in a certain area have moved out west (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada) because there are more jobs available there.

It took my cooperating teacher two years to find a public school job. When she finally got one, she commuted from Chicago to Antioch every day...approximately two hours.

My son's 4th grade teacher was a former lawyer who went back to school to get her teaching certificate (she beat me out for that job, too...haha). She drove to Antioch from Aurora every day. That was another 2 hour commute. Did she finally find a teaching job closer to home? Yes she did. I was really glad for her, too. But my point is, these teachers aren't doing this for fun, the jobs really are that scarce.

I'm not trying to thwart you or seem pessimistic, I'm just highly recommending that you research your options before committing to a move. The Skokie/Evanston area is pretty expensive housing-wise, and a teacher's salary won't get you very far.

[Keith S]

Originally Posted by NYrules

Forgive me here, but since when is Skokie crime ridden? LOL! I guess it must be all those old Jewish moms sitting around complaining about their Kishkie and Ka Filta Fish that just got a bit too roudy. lol J/K

I won't say exactly how I know, but rest assured the place is a dump with lots of crime.

[mia220]

Originally Posted by kmwheel

Contrary to other posts, it is my opinion that there are NOT a lot of positions available for regular elementary teachers in the North Shore or for that matter any other suburb around Chicago.

I have also experienced that there are tons more applicants than there are positions. Just because there are lots of schools does not mean there are a lot of positions!

I'm a little luckier because I teach ESL/Bilingual, but Gen. Ed. teachers are saying that it's really hard to find a job around here.