Teaching Jobs in the Denver Area (university, high school, student)

[Katiana]

No, I am not a teacher. I am the chair of the education committee for my local League of Women Voters. I have to make clear here I am speaking only for myself, not the League. But that is why I have such an interest in education. I also see myself as an "educating nurse", in that all my jobs have involved teaching to some extent. But I have never worked for a school district.

[mandb76]

Mohnstad:
From my experience, most of the school districts in this area will not even look at your resume without a CO license (I had an out of state license when we moved). That being said, if you have more than 3 years experience, you don't have to take the PLACE exam. Just go to the CO department of education and click on the link for the licensing paperwork. The sooner you get it in, the better. It took 3 months to process my paperwork and receive my license. I took a job as a para in the meantime, but it's very frustrating! Good luck!

[mohnstad]

Thanks so much, Mandb76, for your perspective, I was getting the feeling that my applications won't move without a CO license, but its good to hear it for sure. I am most interested in DPS and thought it being a city school system, they might be more lenient, but it looks like that's not the case?? I want to start my CO licensing paperwork now, but the problem is that you have to get the fingerprint cards done first and I am teaching in Latin America until the end of May!! So, I have no way to get fingerprinting done, unless I shell out some big money to fly Stateside for a few days just to do it. So, I'm trying to decide if I can just wait till early June to attend a CO jobfair and start the licensing process (and still get a job for the 2008/9 school year) OR if if its worth the money to buy the plane ticket and start the CO licensing paperwork next month. Any thoughts are welcome

[HighlandsGal]

I moved here last July from Michigan. I taught in MI for 4 years prior to the move, and had almost finished my Master's. I began applying for a CO teaching license in January, got fingerprinted and mailed in my paperwork in February, and got my CO Professional License in June or July. I was hired via a phone interview in mid-May (to this day I have never met the woman who hired me over the phone because she is in the process of opening a new middle school in Douglas County and so left the school I was hired at!)

Anyway, it takes a lot of work, and a lot of luck, but it can be done. I must have applied for almost a hundred jobs out of state and got 3 interviews out of it -- two in JeffCo and one in Douglas County. Most area districts in the Denver Metro have a question on the online application that will ask if you are in the process of applying for a CO teaching certificate. So start that process ASAP -- but DO NOT let it prevent you from applying anywhere and everywhere you are interested in!

Hope my experiences can help you a bit.....and by the way, I never heard a peep from DPS, even though I applied to high risk areas....

Overall, I am very lucky and happy to be where I am!!

[mohnstad]

Thanks again for all the great info...I realize now that in order to land a job in the Denver area, I need to get back to the States asap to start the licensing process. So, I´m looking around at some other states that don´t have such tough licensing reqs, I like Austin, Tx.... We´ll see, Denver´s still my first choice for the moment, but I´m getting discouraged by how competivite the teaching job market is...

[Katiana]

You should also look into substitue teaching. The requirements are not so stringent. You can find information on the Colo. Dept of Education website, which you can google.

[Mark Kaplan]

I'm a public school teacher looking to relocate from CA to CO. We're focused on the Denver, Colorado Springs area, but are considering Golden, or (of course) Boulder.

Any insight into teaching conditions there? Specifically pay scales, quality of life, good school districts for young children?

My wife is Chinese, so we'd like to find a strong Chinese community (if possible) with schools so my kids can learn Chinese. Is this too much to ask for?

Also, we are vegetarians. Which cities offer the best chance for our lifestyle? Please help!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Mark Kaplan

I'm a public school teacher looking to relocate from CA to CO. We're focused on the Denver, Colorado Springs area, but are considering Golden, or (of course) Boulder.

Any insight into teaching conditions there? Specifically pay scales, quality of life, good school districts for young children?

My wife is Chinese, so we'd like to find a strong Chinese community (if possible) with schools so my kids can learn Chinese. Is this too much to ask for?

Also, we are vegetarians. Which cities offer the best chance for our lifestyle? Please help!

My generic answer is Denver just because it is bigger and has more capacity for diversity. Maybe higher wages but probably more expensive in $/sqft. One thing that echos across these forums, you are probably less likely to find a bad school district in Colorado than you would in SoCal.

Do a few simple things like use google maps to map chinese churches, cultural things, stores, etc. I live near COS and I don't sense any concentrated Chinese communities. It isn't big enough for a Chinatown type thing.

Also use the CD search tool for teachers and wages and salaries.

Here's a thread that may help you

Best school districts in Burbs

[SheridanL]

I would have to say, the Cherry Creek School District is the best.
My son was in the International Bacclauareate(IB) program.

The district is huge.....Aurora, Greenwood Village, etc.
There are usually year round schools...a,b,c &d tracks. Basically 9 weeks on..3 weeks off.

It is one of the top in the nation.

There are many diverse communities there. I would google it if I were you.

[rebagirl]

Originally Posted by SheridanL

I would have to say, the Cherry Creek School District is the best.
My son was in the International Bacclauareate(IB) program.

The district is huge.....Aurora, Greenwood Village, etc.
There are usually year round schools...a,b,c &d tracks. Basically 9 weeks on..3 weeks off.

It is one of the top in the nation.

There are many diverse communities there. I would google it if I were you.

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder.