Teaching jobs? (Jefferson: elementary schools, to live, moving)

[coffee4me]

I am considering moving back to Northern Virginia to be closer to family. I have a Masters in Education and I currently work in a private Christian school teaching 7th/8th grade English. I probably should work my way into the public school system at some point b/c the pay and benefits are better but I've been mostly scared off by the fact that everyone says it is impossible to get in. I have my state certification for Texas in grades 4-8 but I was never able to get into the public schools here. There are no jobs! Is it the same scenario in Virginia?

[tgbwc]

Well, one thing is for sure: you can't get in if you don't apply. Districts are hiring. Not as much as in some years because of changes in class size and programs aren't expanding, but they still have to hire.

[anpanman]

I think the principals have worked through all of the destaffs and are now interviewing applicants from outside the county (PW). I know my school has several interviews lined up this week.

[OrangeFish]

I know two FCPS elementary schools are in the midst of reviewing candidates for hire. I echo the earlier suggestion of applying just to see what might happen.

[clintsullivan]

Where in NO VA is the family you want to be close to? You may want to look at Jefferson County WV. We're right beside Loudoun VA, but you can live here much cheaper. You can check out the Jefferson County BOE website to see if they are hiring. The pay here is much less than in VA though, so you may want to live here and commute. There are also some good Christian schools in the area. I understand the difference in pay & benefits you could get in the public system, and I know the children in the public system desperatly need good teachers. I'm sure it would be tough to teach the required state curriculum when it contains so many flaws in so many subjects, but I don't suppose there are many issues in teaching English or grammar.