Jobs for qualified teachers from OS (Portland, Eugene: home, job openings, school districts)

[Feybie]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums here. I've been prowling for a while and finally decided to post.

My husband and I are actually Australian, but we're moving to Portland at the end of this year (December). I'm currently finishing off my teaching qualifications and I'm wondering how hard it is going to be for me to get a teaching job in Portland (or surrounding areas) high schools. I'm happy to work in both private and public schools, and I understand that there is a hefty process that I need to go through in order to get a teaching licence in Oregon. I was going to try and get this process finalized before I arrived in Oregon but it seems to be too hard from here, so I'm going to wait till I arrive just after Christmas and then get the ball rolling as quickly as I can.

I'm worried, considering the financial problems happening the USA at the moment, that schools won't be interested in hiring me because I'm a foreigner. I've got my working visa sorted already, so whoever hires me wont have to worry about that, but I'm still very concerned. Although I'll be a first time teacher, I'm very qualified. I have a bachelors degree in Journalism, a masters degree in English Lit, and a grad qualification in secondary teaching.

Can anyone share some insight with me? I'd love to hear from some teachers about expectations, etc.

[Silverfall]

I think you'll have a tough time. Oregon has serious school budgetary woes. Your nationality isn't an issue. Our school budget is.

[Minervah]

I am afraid this is not the best time for you. Our only daily newspaper after laying off employees is now having people take mandatory short days. I understand it is difficult to get a teaching job in the Portland Public Schools right now due to budget cuts. Your educational credentials are impressive but there are many more here with those kinds of degrees seeking work.

If you do decide to move here, you might want to try and find other fields that are hiring but you will have to really look hard for them. As Silverfall stated, it's not your nationality it's just that there are few to no jobs available right now for anyone.

[Feybie]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm happy to travel a little for work or I'm happy to live just outside of Portland (maximum one hour). My husband will be traveling a lot for work and we'll need to be within an hours drive of an airport.

I don't know much about Eugene or Bend but I assume they don't have airports like Portland, right? And is the situation any better in either of those cities?

I'm wondering if one of the smaller towns outside of seattle, like Olympia might be a better choice for us. Does anyone know if the situation is any better there?

[Feybie]

No takers? This thread has seriously freaked me out.

[Acuda]

Originally Posted by Feybie

No takers? This thread has seriously freaked me out.

It is seriously going to be very difficult. The State has cut the budget big time and even has cut school days. Oregon has some great teaching programs with highly qualified teachers with master's coming out of Oregon teaching programs. Competition is going to be insane. Do you speak Spanish? Are you ESL? If you are that will help you out.

Eugene has three teaching programs located there alone with University of Oregon having one of the best in the country. Plus, you have Oregon State right up the road and probably 5 other schools with teaching programs located in Salem and Portland. That is a lot of teachers graduating with few openings. Bend is also tough to get into as many people want to live there.

I'm not sure about Seattle. Finding teaching positions is all about who you know. It is difficult in every desirable place people want to live.

Good Luck

[Feybie]

What about just outside of Portland? We need to be living somewhere that is no more than an hours drive to an airport. Is the competition fierce just in Portland, or in all of Oregon?

No I don't speak Spanish and no I don't have ESL training. My training is in English/Media/Journalism disciplines.

[Den Mathias]

Originally Posted by Feybie

What about just outside of Portland? We need to be living somewhere that is no more than an hours drive to an airport. Is the competition fierce just in Portland, or in all of Oregon?

No I don't speak Spanish and no I don't have ESL training. My training is in English/Media/Journalism disciplines.

I was reading a report today with regards to how home schooled kids compare academically to public school. The HSers blow away the public trained kids.
On standarized academic tests they place 37 points higher than the public kids!

Maybe, with your expertise, you might open up a private academy based on home school principals. i will bet parents would love another alternative.

Also, the home schooling parents only spend around $500/student per year. The public school national average is pushing $10,000! Throwing money at a problem doesn't always work?

Good luck in your search!

[Feybie]

Would I at least be able to pick up regular substitute teaching work? By regular, I mean 3 days a week?

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Feybie

Would I at least be able to pick up regular substitute teaching work? By regular, I mean 3 days a week?

Again, you will competing with all those on the list of substitutes. But check out the individual school districts to find out for sure. Another problem is your need to live within an hour of an airport. That will still be Portland or a 'burb and you will have the job problem to contend with.

Regarding Olympia Wa, it's a lovely little town. I used to visit a friend there quite a bit. It's the state capital so it's possible you could find work there. Check out government job openings on the Internet. All states have a website that will have job listings.