Teacher relocating to DFW (Plano, Denton: affordable apartment, to rent, student loan)

[jo719]

I'm single with no kids so I really want to be somewhere where I can rent from an apartment because even renting a house is out of my budget.

[Waterdragon8212]

Have you thought about looking into private schools? We have a number of good private schools for kiddos with learning differences and special needs. They also tend to prefer candidates with master's degrees from what I've heard, so that might help you out. Private schools aren't handcuffed in the same way as public schools with regard to certification issues, so they are often more flexible in that regard.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by jo719

I'm single with no kids so I really want to be somewhere where I can rent from an apartment because even renting a house is out of my budget.

Apartment rent in decent DFW neighborhoods averages as much as a mortgage these days, so depending on the area you choose to live in, you might just decide that it's better to just go ahead and rent a house.

[loves2read]

Originally Posted by Waterdragon8212

Have you thought about looking into private schools? We have a number of good private schools for kiddos with learning differences and special needs. They also tend to prefer candidates with master's degrees from what I've heard, so that might help you out. Private schools aren't handcuffed in the same way as public schools with regard to certification issues, so they are often more flexible in that regard.

They also dont pay as well as public ones and can be a negative if u want to move to public schools later

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by loves2read

They also dont pay as well as public ones and can be a negative if u want to move to public schools later

Both of those statements are true, but ESPECIALLY the fact that private schools pay less--and often, quite a bit less---than pubic schools. And as DFW stands now with its quickly increasing cost of living, a single teacher with REGULAR school pay can hardly afford to live in decent areas that aren't bad or sketchy. So I definitely wouldn't move to expensive DFW and take the pay cut that a private school will surely give you.

[Waterdragon8212]

Originally Posted by Tex Luthor

Both of those statements are true, but ESPECIALLY the fact that private schools pay less--and often, quite a bit less---than pubic schools. And as DFW stands now with its quickly increasing cost of living, a single teacher with REGULAR school pay can hardly afford to live in decent areas that aren't bad or sketchy. So I definitely wouldn't move to expensive DFW and take the pay cut that a private school will surely give you.

I'm not arguing with your points, but not all private schools are created equally. Some (like ours) are quite competitive with DISD and PISD in terms of base salary. I don't know what our school's "max" salary is for teachers, and it's likely there could be a difference there. However, in general, Dallas privates have MUCH more time off (the more you pay, the less you go, lol), which could provide for tutoring or babysitting opportunities that could increase annual income substantially. We have a friend who is a teacher at one of the areas most respected LD schools. She gets paid $50K just for the summer to tutor/nanny one child and was hired because she teaches at this specialized private school. So, while I'll agree that privates typically pay less and moving to public from private can be challenging, it doesn't mean that OP couldn't find a way to make up for the difference, especially being single and having no kids. It's not a guarantee and requires some luck/hustling, but I wouldn't rule it out based on salary alone - especially if the school is a good fit in terms of environment.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by Waterdragon8212

I'm not arguing with your points, but not all private schools are created equally. Some (like ours) are quite competitive with DISD and PISD in terms of base salary. I don't know what our school's "max" salary is for teachers, and it's likely there could be a difference there. However, in general, Dallas privates have MUCH more time off (the more you pay, the less you go, lol), which could provide for tutoring or babysitting opportunities that could increase annual income substantially. We have a friend who is a teacher at one of the areas most respected LD schools. She gets paid $50K just for the summer to tutor/nanny one child and was hired because she teaches at this specialized private school. So, while I'll agree that privates typically pay less and moving to public from private can be challenging, it doesn't mean that OP couldn't find a way to make up for the difference, especially being single and having no kids. It's not a guarantee and requires some luck/hustling, but I wouldn't rule it out based on salary alone - especially if the school is a good fit in terms of environment.

I was just speaking in general, but I think what you are describing private school wise would be the equivalent of, say, a Highland Park public school wise; a VERY good position to get but also a VERY hard one to come by, unless you know someone on the inside or something. So to the OP, I still would focus on public schools versus private ones, from a pay standpoint if nothing else.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by Tex Luthor

I was just speaking in general, but I think what you are describing private school wise would be the equivalent of, say, a Highland Park public school wise; a VERY good position to get but also a VERY hard one to come by, unless you know someone on the inside or something. So to the OP, I still would focus on public schools versus private ones, from a pay standpoint if nothing else.

Then again, there aren't all that many of those schools so reaching out to them doesn't take a ton of time. The two paths don't have to be mutually exclusive. And I'd agree with the point about side income at private schools, but I'm not sure whether it would work for a special needs teacher (not saying it won't just saying that I don't know people teaching that subject so I have no idea).

[jo719]

Originally Posted by Waterdragon8212

Have you thought about looking into private schools? We have a number of good private schools for kiddos with learning differences and special needs. They also tend to prefer candidates with master's degrees from what I've heard, so that might help you out. Private schools aren't handcuffed in the same way as public schools with regard to certification issues, so they are often more flexible in that regard.

I would rather stay in public schools because of my student loan repayments. I do t think you can get the same repayment programs if you work in private schools.

[jo719]

Originally Posted by Tex Luthor

Apartment rent in decent DFW neighborhoods averages as much as a mortgage these days, so depending on the area you choose to live in, you might just decide that it's better to just go ahead and rent a house.

Apartments in DFW are way cheaper than trying to find an apartment in a decent neighborhood in Colorado Springs. Moving to Texas would be at least $10,000 a year payment increase for me so I'm looking for something that will be no more than $1,100 right now. I have looked at renting houses but that seems like it's going to run me at least $1,400 a month.