Is there a need for teachers...? (county, public schools, economy, salary)

[Chanteuse d' Opéra]

on the East Coast of the US? I'm talkin' NJ, NY, PA, MD, MA, those states...I'm wanting to move up there & was wondering if there was a general high demand for teachers there or if I should just stay in good' ol TX/Oklahoma?

Thanks...

[TuborgP]

Pennsylvania produces a surplus and ships graduates out. Maryland has a shortage and tries to import them. However if you are elementary that is pretty much a surplus in the stronger school districts. A lot depends on the content area. Math a tremendous need for in most states. History as much need for.

[North Beach Person]

Math, Science, Special Ed., Foreign Languages, ESOL generally needed in MD. Social Studies and English not so much. Same for VA. Cost of living here higher than you're used to. Starting salary mid to high $30s.

[StarlaJane]

Originally Posted by Chanteuse d' Opéra

on the East Coast of the US? I'm talkin' NJ, NY, PA, MD, MA, those states...I'm wanting to move up there & was wondering if there was a general high demand for teachers there or if I should just stay in good' ol TX/Oklahoma?

Thanks...

I think that Texas and Oklahoma are easier areas to live in on a teacher's salary--especially Texas, as their salaries are high in comparison with the cost of living. However, I think that educational standards in the Northeast are higher and teachers are treated better/ more respectfully. Salaries in the Northeast [at public schools] tend to be higher than in the South but so are income taxes and cost of living, especially property taxes (which is usually why the schools are better funded and the teachers better paid.)
With respect to the states that you mentioned, there are always jobs. What is really important to consider is your field of expertise and certification qualifications, which is really going to decide where you will be able to get a job. IMO, it is easier to get a job at a public school if you meet the certification requirements (or are already certified in another state and there is reciprocity) than at a private school, although teachers tend to be happier at private schools even though they pay less. If you are not certified, forget NJ and NY, at least for public school employment, and consider MA, PA and MD. If you are certified, then you should'nt have a problem getting a job in any of those states.
Good luck!

[toobusytoday]

I don't think you can generalize and say one state or another needs teachers. There are most likely positions available in most cities across the US. In Pennsylvania, as TuborgP said, we graduate many more teachers then we have jobs for and I know several graduates (certified) that are going on their second year without a full time job. In my school district most (if not all) of the aides and most of the subs are certified and hoping for a classroom.

[izannimda]

Originally Posted by Chanteuse d' Opéra

on the East Coast of the US? I'm talkin' NJ, NY, PA, MD, MA, those states...I'm wanting to move up there & was wondering if there was a general high demand for teachers there or if I should just stay in good' ol TX/Oklahoma?

Thanks...

There are a gazillion teaching jobs in NYC, and they'd love to have you if you're up for the challenge. They're very flexible with respect to teacher credentials.

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I don't think you can generalize and say one state or another needs teachers. There are most likely positions available in most cities across the US. In Pennsylvania, as TuborgP said, we graduate many more teachers then we have jobs for and I know several graduates (certified) that are going on their second year without a full time job. In my school district most (if not all) of the aides and most of the subs are certified and hoping for a classroom.

Top school districts in all of the north east have a surplus in most areas. It is the average to below average districts that have staffing problems. While a big city urban school is begging for teachers in many areas their suburban counterparts are turning them away. The current economy has made finding a job more difficult. Teachers aren't leaving and those who have loss jobs in other areas are seeking to become teachers. It is easier to find elementary jobs if you want to teach 5th grade and not 1st grade. Every market, school and district has a different supply/demand equation.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by StarlaJane

..., and consider MA, PA and MD. If you are certified, then you should'nt have a problem getting a job in any of those states.
Good luck!

Wrong for PA!
It is very difficult to get a job here, as many others have said.

Unless you know something we don't....

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

Wrong for PA!
It is very difficult to get a job here, as many others have said.

Unless you know something we don't....

Bingo, in addition Mass and NY have two of the most rigorous certification standards in the country. Mass and NY certification is transferable virtually anywhere. You might need a specific course if the state doesn't reciprocate but their Praxis requirements are probably the highest.

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Math, Science, Special Ed., Foreign Languages, ESOL generally needed in MD. Social Studies and English not so much. Same for VA. Cost of living here higher than you're used to. Starting salary mid to high $30s.

Much higher for starting salaries in the Balt-DC corridor.
$46,410 is the minimum starting salary in Montgomery County
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/d..._FY09_MCEA.pdf

$44,527 is the minimum for a certified teacher in Howard County
http://www.hcpss.org/employment/fy2009_teacher10mo.pdf

$43,916 is the minimum for a certified teacher in Prince Georges
PGCEA Teachers' Salary Scale

Those are the minimums not including any possible signing bonus. Check out the scale yourself and see how high the final steps are. Realize your pension is based on the average of your three highest years and is for life. Now you can see why there are so many retired teacher loving life and why educators are one of the employee classfications still able to retire in comfort today.

The top of the scale in Montgomery is $96,962-$103,634 and that doesn't include add on like department chair etc. Who said teachers are poorly paid?