Teaching Jobs in Houston (Spring, Katy: low income, find a job, safe neighborhoods)

[NewTeachScientist]

I am looking for a teaching position in the Houston area. I completed an ACP certification program as an EC-4 Generalist this past summer. I have a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with minors in Geology and English. I decided to become a teacher after many years in the Geologic consulting field. I work as a substitute teacher in Katy ISD, but I have only lived in Texas for 2 years and I don't seem to have the contacts I need. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by NewTeachScientist

I am looking for a teaching position in the Houston area. I completed an ACP certification program as an EC-4 Generalist this past summer. I have a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with minors in Geology and English. I decided to become a teacher after many years in the Geologic consulting field. I work as a substitute teacher in Katy ISD, but I have only lived in Texas for 2 years and I don't seem to have the contacts I need. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Katy ISD generally hires 4+ years experience. ACP is a no-go. Fort Bend ISD, Cy-Fair and Klein ISD are pretty much the same. Alief ISD hires ACP heavily. They are lower income and have some rough schools. I wouldn't rule them out as they do have some great schools, however I would do your homework. The same can be said about HISD (Houston). Spring Branch is a great district and hires ACP's also. My advice with every district is if you are offered an interview, look them up at Schooldigger.com -- Search and compare elementary, middle, and high schools.. I would not recommend teaching for any school that receives less than 3 stars. I'm sure you are aware of the "combat years" and "paying dues" mentality many administrators and teachers have. Try to avoid this at all costs. There is no reason you should have to teach your first years in a school where parental apathy and/or misbehavior is high. Try your best to avoid teaching for any school that gets less than 3 stars from schooldigger. It may be hard and take patience, but mark my words. You will be happy you did. Even if your dream is to teach for a low income school in a tough neighborhood you can find plenty of schools in these neighborhoods that are well run and under control. You can of course also find plenty of schools in higher income/safe neighborhoods that are quite the opposite.

[NewTeachScientist]

Thank you for the Schooldigger.com site. I thought that with my industry background (I also taught 5th-8th grade science in Missouri 10 years ago) and education it would be easier to find a job. I will look into the districts you mentioned. Thank you again.

[westres1]

Have you contacted Region 4 service center? They have job fairs for teachers and lots of teacher info for the entire Greater Houston area.

[Josci]

Look up information for the 2009 Gulf Coast Job Fair. Every district in region 4 will be there. Make sure you apply online to the districts you are interested in prior to going.

It does not matter how you got your certification...as long as you are certified. If you are not certified it is very doubtful you will get a job. You said you completed the ACP program so I am assuming you are done and passed all the tests?

Also, EC-4 is the most oversaturated and competitive area. You should apply to several districts.

Good Luck!!!

[Josci]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Katy ISD generally hires 4+ years experience. ACP is a no-go. Fort Bend ISD, Cy-Fair and Klein ISD are pretty much the same. Alief ISD hires ACP heavily. They are lower income and have some rough schools. I wouldn't rule them out as they do have some great schools, however I would do your homework. The same can be said about HISD (Houston). Spring Branch is a great district and hires ACP's also. My advice with every district is if you are offered an interview, look them up at Schooldigger.com -- Search and compare elementary, middle, and high schools.. I would not recommend teaching for any school that receives less than 3 stars. I'm sure you are aware of the "combat years" and "paying dues" mentality many administrators and teachers have. Try to avoid this at all costs. There is no reason you should have to teach your first years in a school where parental apathy and/or misbehavior is high. Try your best to avoid teaching for any school that gets less than 3 stars from schooldigger. It may be hard and take patience, but mark my words. You will be happy you did. Even if your dream is to teach for a low income school in a tough neighborhood you can find plenty of schools in these neighborhoods that are well run and under control. You can of course also find plenty of schools in higher income/safe neighborhoods that are quite the opposite.

It does not matter how a teacher becomes certified as long as they pass the required tests. I have friends that work in different districts...some did ACP through Region 4, some did a deficieny plan, some did it as a major in college. It does not matter as long as they pass the tests.

They do look for experience...so that might make it harder to land a job at the more desirable schools.

[EM1956]

I have a sister who is a teacher via ACP, and she had no problems getting a job her first year. I also took a few years break from nursing and became certified via the ACP and my first job was with Katy ISD. Several of my classmates were also hired by Katy.

I also taught in Alief. Although their schools might be a little rough, it is a great district. They have probably the best inservice program for teachers in the area and almost only promote from within. As an added bonus they are also one of the highest paying districts in the area. They are truly a great district for new teachers and offer lots of support. And truly, I didn't see that much of a difference between the kids in Alief and those in Katy (and I lived in Katy, so there is no prejudice) And the parents in Alief were much easier to deal with.

Go to the district websites, email principals, go to the job fairs. Don't get discouraged because many vacancies are not filled until late June-July. Most teachers that are going to resign haven't even done it yet, so principals don't really know what vacancies they will have.

Don't worry--you will get a job.

[EM1956]

Sorry, just saw this was an old post- hopefully the OP has a great job!