NJ to Colorado (Denver, Fort Collins, Pueblo: apartments, rentals, roughest)

[NJtoColorado]

I am planning to move to Colorado this summer from NJ. I am a teacher, and I have two dogs. Would anyone be able to give me advice about good school districts (pay is a concern), where a late 20's, single girl might want/afford to live, and rentals that accepts dogs? Thank you!

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by NJtoColorado

I am planning to move to Colorado this summer from NJ. I am a teacher, and I have two dogs. Would anyone be able to give me advice about good school districts (pay is a concern), where a late 20's, single girl might want/afford to live, and rentals that accepts dogs? Thank you!

Most of the CO population is along the Front Range (Fort Collins to Pueblo, near the I-25 corridor). Tons of stuff here. Denver is best for young single people. Lots of apartments, dog parks, nightlife, events, sports, arts, culture. Check the index in each forum for teacher, school info and Photo Tours. What few requirements you did state are easily met just about anywhere in the Front Range.

Pay is less in CO than back east, but housing costs and taxes are way lower.

Do you care where in the state you want to be? Out in the western part of the state, Grand Junction, they need teachers badly due to a booming population derived from the expansion of oil and natural gas drilling.

Lots of info here in existing thread. Use the Advanced Search tool with whatever keywords apply to your requirements, e.g., apartment, pets, dog, pizza, rents, neighborhoods, walkable, rentals, crime, car-free living, RTD, teaching, teacher, young, single, Italian, night life, etc. Be sure to limit your search to CO, else you get answers for all forums on the site. You can even search on the name of a certain poster if you care to do that.

Come on out this summer and look around. You're gonna LOVE Colorado!

s/Mike from back east

[Katiana]

I agree with the above. I would say re: teaching jobs, apply to every district with an opening in your field. Jobs are competitive here!

[jazzlover]

This has been covered many times before--do a search on this forum. Main advice: DO NOT MOVE TO COLORADO AND ASSUME THAT YOU WILL FIND A TEACHING JOB. It usually doesn't work that way. Get a job in hand, first. Then move. Katiana is absolutely right. Jobs are very competitive--AND, in many districts, there is an unspoken bias toward hiring local residents, especially in the rural districts. Unlike many places, teaching jobs are often a coveted job in Colorado because they can be relatively secure, often pay better (yes, that's right) than many other jobs that are available, and offer summer vacations for people to enjoy what Colorado has to offer. For those reasons, teaching jobs can be hard to get, pay is often less than in other states, and people who have teaching jobs tend to hold on to them--usually to retirement. Like many places, many of the available openings are in the roughest schools--where gangs, etc. are a big problem.

I'm not a teacher, but my ex-wife is--been through the drill.

PS--If you have a New Jersey accent, best to lose it somewhere on I-70 between there and Colorado . . .

[CosmicWizard]

While still living in Virginia, I found an opening in one of the Grand Junction schools over the internet, which I passed along to my wife. She then submitted an application. Two months later, when we were on the road she received an email to call the school to arrange an interview. Since we were not in the Grand Junction area at the time, she requested an initial phone interview, which was granted. She pretty much nailed down the job over the phone, but she and the principal both wanted a face to face meeting to get a better feeling for each other. During the meeting, she was offered the position and a few days to make a decision, which she did accept.

This position was open for several months, apparently because no one in the local area had the qualifications they were looking for. My wife is one of quite a few out of state teachers hired in the Grand Junction area during the past several years, so don't let being from out of state deter you from applying. If you're qualified and have a proven track record, you might just get hired. Another teacher who worked with my wife in Virginia is now teaching in Durango. She had only 2 or 3 years of experience.

Jazzlover is absolutely right about Teaching being a coveted job in rural Colorado. Teachers are among the best paid workers in most rural economies.

BTW, my wife enjoys teaching in this environment. She says the local kids are far more disciplined and easier to teach than the big city kids that she taught in Virginia.

[jazzlover]

I agree with NewAgeRedneck--IF you have a teaching specialty that is in demand, getting a job can be much easier. Probably the most sought-after teachers are special education teachers. Though the job can be quite difficult, it seems those teachers never have a problem finding work. For the smaller districts, like it or not, if you can successfully coach a sport in addition to your teaching abilities, you have a leg up, too.

As to "outsiders" getting jobs, it's certainly possible anywhere, but more likely in the bigger districts--the Grand Junction schools NewAgeRedneck mentions certainly fall into that category.

Simply stated, having a teaching skill that is in demand and having an outstanding scholastic and work record is what it takes. And, like it or not, if your credentials and experience are equivalent to a local applicant, the local will get the job just about every time.