Moving to/ teaching in Virginia (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: find a job, school district, universities)

[geneseem]

My boyfriend and I are hoping to move to Virginia , in the Williamsburg area, over the summer. We are both elementary teachers teaching in Colorado. We would appreciate any advice or suggestions from teachers and parents about the school district and the city of Williamsburg. Thank you for your help!

[Hokie]

I know it is hard now to find teaching jobs in the Va. Beach and Chesapeake area. Please check out the market up there before you move. It is a nice area. The problem here is that there are many colleges and universities in the area turning out teachers, in addition to career swticher programs and troops to teachers programs. I taught for awhile, and took time to stay home. It was hard to get back in. Good luck! I hope you find something you like. What do you teach?

[CrazyTed]

It's not really too hard to find a job in Virginia Beach right now. There are several positions that are open that have been open all year. My wife is having to fill in for empty teaching spots right now. They are continually interviewing.

[JunieBJones]

VA Beach tends to hire late. By the time they get around to hiring new teachers, they've already signed with other districts. When I was looking this summer, I was told enrollment in Chesapeake was declining which is why it's hard to get in there. York County is a very desirable place to teach from what I could tell when I was applying so there may be a lot of competition.

I would avoid Portsmouth if possible and if you end up applying in Norfolk, do in-depth research on the schools first. I took a job because nothing else had come along for me and I was miserable, but there are some good schools in the city.

[dvcgal]

Elementary school teachers are a dime a dozen here in Williamsburg. We have a local college that has a huge Master's program for all levels of teaching. I would apply before moving here. You may be able to find work in New Kent County which is only 15 minutes towards Richmond or try Newport News, but Williamsburg and York County are going to be difficult to find a teaching job in. They are desirable areas to teach in and so there is no real shortage.