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I was wondering if there is anyone out there who was able to secure a teaching job in the New York City area. I'm from Southern California and was recently offered a committment letter for the 2008-2009 school year from the NYCDOE. However, it seems like finding a teaching gig (preferably in Manhattan or Brooklyn) is a task that the newly hired teacher must do on his/her own. Does anyone have any experience with this process? Please help.
You DO have to find your own position. The DOE job postings are notoriously unreliable, which makes it difficult to know which schools are currently seeking teachers.
Additionally, this time of year is Open Market, during which already-employed teachers can apply for new jobs without having to notify their current Principals. Therefore, many Principals won't actually know they have openings until sometime in the summer.
Your best bet is to target a geographic area in which you'd like to work, and simply contact Principals directly. You can find relatively unbiased reviews of most schools at Inside Schools, which can help you narrow down the schools to which you want to apply.
Thanks for the great info. It definitely helps because I know nothing about New York. But can I ask you a few questions?
1.) How long have you been teaching in the NYC?
2.) Where do you teach and do you like your school?
3.) Any recommendations for schools in the Manhattan area?
I really appreciate all your help. Again, thank you.
This is my second year in NYC, but fifth year teaching public school.
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Originally Posted by jpascua
2.) Where do you teach and do you like your school?
I teach Special Education at a high school in the South Bronx and it's ... well ... an adventure.
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Originally Posted by jpascua
3.) Any recommendations for schools in the Manhattan area?
I'm really not familiar enough with Manhattan schools to be able to offer an opinion. As I mentioned before, the Inside Schools site offers reviews of most of the city's schools. You can also check a school's "report card" at the State's DoE website. This page (https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/CountySchool.do?county=NEW%20YORK - broken link) should list all the public schools in Manhattan. It's a lot of information to digest, but the reports will give you an idea of attendance, class size, pass rates, etc., etc., etc.
Squeezeboxgal, do you know of any online forum just for NYC teachers? My husband teaches SE in the South Bronx too and I have a heck of a time finding decent doctors/dentists/etc in the health plan. I figured with so many young fellows that there would be a bustling forum of teachers trading info and gossip about their schools, but I haven't found a thing.
Squeezeboxgal, do you know of any online forum just for NYC teachers? My husband teaches SE in the South Bronx too and I have a heck of a time finding decent doctors/dentists/etc in the health plan. I figured with so many young fellows that there would be a bustling forum of teachers trading info and gossip about their schools, but I haven't found a thing.
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any NYC teacher forums. There is a message board just for Teaching Fellows, but I don't think you can access it unless you're actually part of the program. And most of the posters there are asking questions about the program and about finding jobs, etc.
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any NYC teacher forums. There is a message board just for Teaching Fellows, but I don't think you can access it unless you're actually part of the program. And most of the posters there are asking questions about the program and about finding jobs, etc.
Sorry .....
(Of course, maybe we could start one, eh ??? )
My husband was a Fellow, so I did ask him to check there, but as you know, no dice.
I will admit that by posting on an open forum I was hoping that someone would take the idea and run with it!
I taught for 10 years in the city, 4 in the South Bronx and 6 in Manhattan. Are you an elementary teacher or MS/HS? My experience is only with elementary.
I think your best bet is to order a copy of Clara Hemphill's book from Amazon.com for your age level and my advice is if it's not listed in the book, don't apply there! Her books are
The Parent's Guide to NYC's Best Elementary Schools
and then some at other levels.
I think it's rather easy to get a job in hard-to-staff areas, of course with good reason. I went to District 7 hiring office and was given a list of schools. I was told to call the principals and when I found one I could work with, to give the district a call and they would set me up. I was hired by the first principal I talked to on the day I called and interviewed.
The Manhattan schools are harder as are the "best" districts--such as Bayside and Douglaston in Queens. Hemphill's books will describe each school in detail which is how I chose the school I ended up transferring to in Manhattan.
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I'm a first-year NYC teacher. I also interviewed for the commitment letter but didnt' receive one. They will place you in a school at the last possible minute before the school year begins if you just let them do the work. The only catch is that they place you in one of the more dangerous areas and less desirable schools. You would probably end up in East NY, south Bronx, Harlem, Bed-stuy, one of those areas probably.
I ended up finding a job on my own and I'm teaching elementary in the south Bronx. I'm looking to transfer though; either to Manhattan, Queens, or certain parts of Brooklyn. You really need to get a year under your belt before the better schools even consider you. That's what I have found.
And yes, there is a message board for NYC teachers. I've been going to it since I was in HS. It's actually for NYS as a whole, but 90% of the teachers who go on it teach from the city. Here's the link--
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I used to teach in NYC
