Another teacher moving to NYC (Florida, Hope: 2009, teaching jobs, elementary school)

[GinnyLee]

I am going to be moving to NYC (Brooklyn most likely) in June of 2009. I am currently an elementary teacher in Florida and have a BS in Elementary Ed K-6 and am certified in ESOL. I was wondering if anyone has any tips/tricks of the trade to share with me about finding a job when I get there. How soon should I start to look? Should I go directly to the schools of interest in order to apply? What is the best way to narrow down where I want to teach? (as there are SO many schools to consider)

I have 4 years experience in an inner city,Title I school. The grades I have taught are 3-5, all of which are test driven in the state of FL. Also, how does NY gear their education towards testing? Florida has a test driven education system, which is one of the reasons I am trying to leave. I want to be abel to teach my students to be more than great test takers...

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

[BXGEAR]

Testing was 50% of your final grade. It could have changed.

Some teachers give tests once a week, others once a month. I remember the best teachers gave us tests 2-3 times a year. You should try Eastern Queens or certain parts of the city

[UpsonDowns]

NYC schools are becoming more and more test driven. If you want to get away from testing and insane bureaucracy, NY is not the place to come to teach.

[Rachael84]

Everyone is struggling to get a job with the Department of Ed. Teachers are being excessed by their schools because of budget cuts and can't find jobs.

[Andysocks]

It's not as bad as LI, since city teachers get paid less.

[Ocean breeze]

Hi, my niece is currently trying to obtain work with the new york city dept of ed. She has been told that you can just take your resumes to the different school principals where you would like to work .
Apparently the principals have the last word in hiring. Hope this helps.

[adm1985]

I may be totally wrong, so forgive me if I am misinformed, but I was told that you can't even get a job teaching in NYC without a masters degree. My husband and I are moving to NYC for his job next year and I was informed that the best I could hope for with my BS is a parapro position. I am planning on getting my masters once we move, but I've been preparing to make a small amount of money in an assistant or parapro position until then!

[Dark of the Moon]

Masters' Degrees may be preferred, but it's certainly not impossible to get a teaching job without one. As always, though, the jobs you'll find may not be in the "best" parts of the city. Teaching jobs in areas such as the South Bronx, Bed-Stuy (Brooklyn), and E. Harlem are much easier to find than those in schools on, for example, the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Keep in mind also that elementary school teachers are in much less demand than high school teachers -- especially those in the hard-to-staff areas (math, science, Special Ed and/or bilingual).

[Rachael84]

You have 5 years to get your Masters degree once you're hired.

[UpsonDowns]

Originally Posted by adm1985

I may be totally wrong, so forgive me if I am misinformed, but I was told that you can't even get a job teaching in NYC without a masters degree. My husband and I are moving to NYC for his job next year and I was informed that the best I could hope for with my BS is a parapro position. I am planning on getting my masters once we move, but I've been preparing to make a small amount of money in an assistant or parapro position until then!

Have you applied for the Teaching Fellows Program? You may as well have the city pay for most of your Masters.