Possible move to the north east perhaps MA (Boston, Worcester: how much, high school)

[iluvmybasset]

Hello all... I'm a mathematics (secondary through calc BC) teacher and my family and I are considering a move to the north east usa possibly MA. (we currently live in KY) My questions are the following
1) I have a masters degree plus and four years experience...does any one know what that might translate to in salary terms?

2) are secondary school math jobs as plentiful in MA as they seem to be everywhere else in the country

3) what would be a good area of the state to relocate to that would be appropriate for a family that likes some access to urban life, but wouldnt want to be surrounded in the city

4) how bad are the winters? really....

[ogre]

I can't answer your professional questions, but I can take a stab at the third and fourth questions. The kind of area that would fit your description of a place to live depends on your housing budget. It will also be influenced by how much urban life you need nearby and how you prefer to strike the balance between having city amenities close to you and still not being right in the city. Also, there are the questions of what kind of local community you would prefer (highly suburban, a bit of urban life in the suburbs, sort of rural, etc.) and what degree of access to public transit you would like. The Boston metro area is the only very large urban center in MA, but, depending on how much of a city you want close to you, and what urban amenities you'd like, it's possible that you could live in central MA, within reach of Worcester or Hartford, or southeastern MA, close to Providence, and find some decent basic city shopping, dining, and entertainment. It is possible to live a fairly short distance from Boston and not have the city all around you, because Boston and its inner suburbs are densely populated, so a lot of population is packed into a relatively small area, meaning that you get into lower population density closer to the city than you might expect in a metro of four and a half million. However, housing also tends to get more expensive as you get closer to Boston, and all that population density makes for a lot of traffic, which means that it can be surprising how close you can be to the city and still have a long commute. Of course if you live and work in the suburbs traffic is a bit less of a problem, though it still exists.

It's a bit difficult to answer questions about the weather, because tolerance of different kinds of weather varies between individuals. The winters in MA definitely are on the cold side, but the state is not in the frozen far north. How it would compare to what you're used to where you are living now would depend on the part of KY you're in. According to the temperature graph on the City Data front page for Louisville, it appears that Louisville may average about seven degrees warmer than Boston in mid-January. A significant difference you'd have to get used to would be that winters are quite a bit longer here than in Louisville. You could expect each stage of spring to arrive several weeks later and each stage of fall to arrive several weeks earlier than they do in L'ville. Of course, if you're farther south in KY, the differences in average temperature and length of winter will be greater. You can also expect an average of somewhere around four feet of snow for a winter, though it varies from year to year. Definitely real winter, but again, not the long, brutal winters of the far, far north.

So there's some info to get you started. Now we can keep our fingers crossed that someone will be able to answer your first two questions. Feel free to ask for clarification on anything I've told you here. Best of luck with your move.

[shaund44]

For secondary education, you need to be certified by the state of mass, MTEL exam. Look it up on the www.mass.gov and u should find something to help you with what you need. Good Luck.

[Woof Woof Woof!]

Originally Posted by iluvmybasset

4) how bad are the winters? really....

I don't mind the winters at all. I went outside for a run today and felt great. I love the winters and the cold weather. The key is to make sure you dress appropriately. I wear long underwear and a super warm jacket from LL Bean. I also have rubber boots and an assortment of hats, gloves and scarves. I don't think anyone can answer that question for you. It's a mindset...

[StAcKhOuSe]

if u hate socialism then dont move to MA

[AandD]

Originally Posted by iluvmybasset

Hello all... I'm a mathematics (secondary through calc BC) teacher and my family and I are considering a move to the north east usa possibly MA. (we currently live in KY) My questions are the following
1) I have a masters degree plus and four years experience...does any one know what that might translate to in salary terms?

2) are secondary school math jobs as plentiful in MA as they seem to be everywhere else in the country

3) what would be a good area of the state to relocate to that would be appropriate for a family that likes some access to urban life, but wouldnt want to be surrounded in the city

4) how bad are the winters? really....

1. You can probably find some forums that are specific to teachers and ask this question.
2. I don't think ANY job is plentiful right this moment. I would think that applying from KY and securing a job prior to your move would be doable in your field. I know anecdotally of many education professionals who have done the 'distance interviewing' process successfully in the past, especially in hard to fill areas.
3. New here, so can't really answer that other than to not suggest my area. Not because I don't like my area, but because I really like my area and don't want a lot of peole moving in. LOL.
4. I hate the cold. Absolutely LOATHE cold weather. And I find MA to be extremely livable. It's not nearly as bad as one who doesn't live here would imagine. It was five degrees this AM, and I wasn't completely miserable. Glad I hadn't worn a dress, yes. Miserable, no.

[VerBoston]

You should give a lot of thought before moving to Mass.

The new state budget, which takes effect on July 1st, 2009, will trigger local aid cuts of $ 375 Million; much of this will impact local school systems; many towns will have to lay off school teachers.

Tufts Daily - State budget cuts hurt local cities (http://tinyurl.com/ad6loa - broken link)

You should broaden your potential move to include small cities such as Portsmouth, NH, Nashua NH and Providence, RI. These cities are all within an hours drive of Boston and all cities offer some brand of urban lifestyle - restaurants, shops, cultural events, etc. Portsmouth comes alive in the summer.

Winters are too long and Summers are always too short. I have grown to hate the long Winters and I think they lower my quality of life.

[HLFloor]

I am also a high school teacher. To answer your question, it really depends on where in Mass you teach. FYI: According to the my teacher salary schedule for the district I am in, you should be making above 54,000.

[Boston Girl]

I am a student currently studying to be a HS math teacher. And have Family members that teach a variety of grades in MA. I grew up outside of Boston and my advice would be to not teach in MA. In some areas teachers make a decent salary starting rate at about $50,000 maybe more because of your experience. However it also depends on what type of conditions you would like to deal with and it is rather expensive to live up here. A lot of towns have a system of bumping and biding where teachers who do not have seniority bid on whatever position may or may not be open. It is a very messed up system. If you do decide I would Definitely look into western MA.

As for the urban life if you live just outside the city you can have the best of both worlds. We have the MBTA so it is just a short train ride to the city from many places. I personally love the city of Boston itself all the time. There is always something to do and free concerts during the summer. It is a great place.

The winters are not bad we do get a lot of snow and, depending on the city or town, removal can be a mess, but its not bad.