DFW Teaching Jobs - Oh YES there are! (Dallas, Arlington: house, job market)

[SCFriend]

I came to Dallas last weekend for the BIG May 4th Teaching Job Fair in Arlington. The job fair was canceled due to the flu scare in the Lewisville area. I emailed several districts to let them know that I made the trip from another state and wanted to know if they would meet with me since I had come such a long way. I met with 5 school districts. And MORE wanted to meet, but I could not fit them in. Every one of the districts were very professional and VERY friendly. I was sent to meet with several principals and was assured by the HR Reps from 3 districts that I WOULD have a job in their district. I was asked to call principals directly in some cases, and the HR person(s) in 3 districts even made appointments for me. To make a long story short, I came away from all this with two job offers, AND I had several school districts that wanted me to make appointments with them the next time I came into town because they did not get to meet me because I was so busy. I don't know a soul in education in Dallas and I am an Early Childhood teacher that is not currently certified in Texas. (But I am certified in my home state and I have already started the certification process in Texas.) I do have many years of experience, a positive attitude, and a big southern smile. I was SCARED after reading so many of these negative posts. And NONE of it was true. There ARE jobs in the DFW area. There are SUCH friendly people that work in the Human Resources Departments of every district I interviewed with that were so helpful and that went the extra mile to help out. I was so impressed with the professionalism of the principals and teachers that I met. I left feeling like I had made real friends! So, don't let these posts scare you off! They are NOT true of every situation. I am sure that there are instances that have been negative for some. But it was NOT my experience and I was so pleasantly surprised! I NEEDED to hear something positive before I went on those first interviews. So, I hope that my experience has helped someone! I talked to the best districts in the DFW area. I did my homework. You know, a positive attitude and a CAN DO attitude goes a LONG way! Just my 2 cents worth.

[FarNorthDallas]

Awesome!! Congratulations on the job offers!! Glad to hear there are jobs.

[scyogi]

Love that! Are you from SC? I lived in Aiken,SC for almost 10 years. Dallas is a nice little spot--I am sure you find living very enjoyable!

[aceplace]

This post describes a potential problem anyone might have when reading people's posts.

In a face to face encounter, I can usually look for non-verbal clues that will help me evaluate the truthfulness of what someone is telling me. Is he believable, or is he not? When someone posts something on the internet, I have no way to evaluate his general credibility.

If someone writes about a hard luck episode, is it Dallas' fault? Or is it just a personal issue?

In the Original Poster's case, the few posts he read gave him a completely wrong impression of Dallas.

Every city will have a handful of disgruntled people, and they are the ones who are most motivated to complain, in whatever forum they can find. But should we assume their complaints reflect badly on their city? Or did they just create their own bad luck?

I would think it is dangerous to evaluate an enormous metro of nearly 7 million people on the word of just a few people. Or to assume that the people who post in a particular thread represent the entire metro area.

On the other hand, if you want some positive info, such as "where are some good taco stands", I'd pay attention to people's suggestions.

SCFriend, I'm glad things worked out well for you. Welcome to Dallas.

[SCFriend]

Thank you guys! I just wanted to give others a little hope. Hope I did that for someone. :-) I know I am walking on cloud nine today.

[SCFriend]

Oh, and yes, I am from SC. I am looking forward to the move with my family. It will definitely be an adventure. Now, I am onto house hunting and high school researching. I want the transition to be as easy as possible for my daughter. Aiken is a nice town. I live near Columbia, SC.

[scyogi]

Welcome to the Big D. My daughter was 9 (now 11)when we moved and she is doing very well. Our son is driving home from USC tomorrow.

[loves2read]

SCFriend
not to rain on your positive description of seeking/finding a teaching job in DFW area but
I don't think your experience is what most people who were coming to the job fair found if they called school districts about possible jobs when they discovered it was cancelled---coming from out of state and being stranded might have gotten you past some HR people but you would have had to be in a position that was needed--not just someone who wanted a job---

you apparently (from your past posts) have experience as a special needs teacher--this is a job slot that has vacancies and usually more than can be filled with qualified teachers...getting someone who has managed to stay in teaching as a special needs teacher for as long as you have probably means that you are well-qualified and understand the demands of the job...and won't leave in the middle of the year or cause more problems than you are worth...

I am sure that you did get interest when you called--
I am not sure that someone in pre-K/early ed with an ELA specialization and one year experience would have gotten the same reception...

YOU surely know that some fields are more desireable than others---the fact that you don't mention your field to me is a glaring omission---I don't imagine you were hired to teach OUTSIDE your specialty, were you?

[SCFriend]

My goodness - Loves to Teach - You are negative. Yes, I have experience working with special needs children. But I have absolutely NO certification in that area. I have been involved with special needs children as a REGULAR EDUCATION inclusion teacher. And I love the fact that we have mainstreamed many, many special needs children for years. With the assistance of wonderful special education teachers our program is a model that I am especially proud to have been a part of in my current district. You know what I DO have - a positive attitude, experience, and some really exceptional professional training that has been offered through my district. I read these posts on this site - many that you commented on, and was terrified that I would not be able to find a job. The thought of not being able to do what I love was really frightening to me. The post by aceplace was correct. I should have never assumed by these posts that everything I read was true. So, shame on me for not believing in myself. And yes, I would hope that my years of experience WOULD give me some kind of advantage in the job market. But I was also worried that with the recession, districts might choose someone with less experience because they obviously would have to pay me more. I know that I have been in the place of the "new" teacher and luckily a wonderful administrator took a chance on me. I have sat in on many interview teams, and often the best candidate for a teaching position is that special first year teacher that is enthusiastic, energetic, and willing to go the extra mile for children. Some people just have that special gift to "teach" and sometimes that person is the seasoned veteran, and other times it is the new teacher with the great ideas and positive energy. I can assure you that these great new teachers will find employment. You can't dim a shooting star. I STILL hope that someone reads this and feels a little better about the job market. Put a smile on Loves to Teach - I know that you are knowledgeable, I have read your posts. I can respect your opinions. I hope you respect mine.

[fratermus]

Originally Posted by SCFriend

My goodness - Loves to Teach - You are negative.

I did not take loves2read's post that way. It seemed to be a fairly realistic analysis of why your experience may be an anomaly. I hope it's not an anomaly, and that there are jobs out there for everyone who is willing and qualified to teach.

Originally Posted by SCFriend

I STILL hope that someone reads this and feels a little better about the job market. Put a smile on Loves to Teach - I know that you are knowledgeable, I have read your posts. I can respect your opinions. I hope you respect mine.

We have to read both success and failure stories as the anecdotes they are. Neither is more valid than the other.

Again, I am genuinely pleased to hear of your success. We certainly need good teachers.