[the bird]

My husband and I are both certitied teachers (secondary science and elementary, respectively) and would love to move to northern Michigan. We especially love the area around Traverse City (Glen Arbor, Old Mission, etc.) Anyone know how likely it is that we will be able to find teaching jobs in the area?

[Jasmin71]

teaching jobs are hard too find in Michian no matter where you are at.

But I wish you good luck the Area is beautyful !

[Rapunzll]

There is only an elementary school on Old Mission and that is part of the TC school district. It is very hard to get a teaching job in the TC schools. You might have a better chance if you start out in some of the smaller districts, Kingsley, Elk Rapids, Alba (really small), etc.

[the bird]

Sorry, I must not have been clear in my original post. We love the Old Mission peninsula area, so that would be where we would like to live. Thus we could teach in any districts 30-45 minutes away. I have also heard that TC is a hard district to get a job in.

[Rapunzll]

I lived out on Old Mission for ten years and loved it, but depending on where you are, it can take a good 20 minutes to get down to Front and Garfield. That limits you as far as how far you can get in the time you are allotting yourselves. Try Kingsley, you might be able to find something there and they are probably about 40 minutes or so.

Keep in mind that there are few places to safely pass on Center Rd. or Peninsula drive and it can be slow going.

To be quite honest, I think you will find competition for teaching jobs up here to be much tougher than you might imagine.

[Jasmin71]

Right, you are. We have a LOT of teachers,, who are looking for Jobs..and school who have too down size... because of bugdet crises

[aathomp]

I have been a Michigan elementary teacher, unemployed (in the educational field anyway) for 4 years now (since graduating). I have put out hundreds of resumes all over this state. Michigan has a MAJOR teacher surplus, and when you couple that with cutbacks in the school system, increased class sizes (so less teachers needed) and older teachers who can't afford to retire yet, its a terrible combination. A recent article stated 75% of all ed. graduates will NOT find work as teachers, at least not in Michigan, they'll either move away or work in some other field.

On a brighter note, your husband may have a better chance at finding employment with a secondary science certificate. That is a much higher needed field than elementary right now. However, because the districts up north are smaller, theres not as much hiring going on and the few teachers who are there seem to stay put for a while.

May I suggest you visit the Michigan teacher chatboard on Teachers.net? There is a man there (Tom K) who conducts an email list updating you each week on openings in the state. This might save you a lot of time and help you guys find something!

Best of luck to you! Michigan is a WONDERFUL place to live, but we are unfortunately in the midst of economic woes and teachers are getting hit bad...things can't get too much worse so we're all hoping for the best here!

[chris0681]

There is a Music Teaching Job in Elk Rapids, near Traverse City for anyone interested in a teaching job up north in the Traverse City area. Hope I was a help to some people.

Originally Posted by the bird

My husband and I are both certitied teachers (secondary science and elementary, respectively) and would love to move to northern Michigan. We especially love the area around Traverse City (Glen Arbor, Old Mission, etc.) Anyone know how likely it is that we will be able to find teaching jobs in the area?

[tsla0c001]

Do you know if it is any easier to get special education jobs in the Traverse City area with 4-5 years of experience?

[Rapunzll]

My daughters best friends mom taught special ed for years in Kalkaska and commuted from Old Misson until she was finally able to get into the TC district, so no, I don't think it is easier.