Teaching in Philly (Philadelphia, Montgomery: rent, how much, safe area)

[texx]

Hi, me and my wife are two early twenties teachers in houston and wanting to get out of Texas and I was interested in Philly. I have no idea how much teachers can expect to be paid out there or if two teachers incomes can afford a decent life in Philly. We are interested living in a safe area if at all possibe!! Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

[eggtimer]

It depends on what you consider "a decent life." I left the school district after 8 years with a masters degree and I was making under 50K. I don't know off hand what the current starting salary is anymore.

Housing is realatively cheap in Philly compared to some other major east coast cities. Some of the nicer "safer" neighborhoods though can be costly to buy. Again, it depends on what you are looking for and if you are looking to buy or rent but two teacher's salaries should be able to afford a modest rowhome in a decent neighborhood.

If you have any neighborhoods or areas in mind it may be more helpful.

[Philly Dave]

If you can manage to get a job in the schools out in Bucks or Montgomery counties, you can live very well. In the city, forget it.

[toobusytoday]

But getting a job in the suburbs is nearly impossible unless you are PA certified and know someone or have some special hook. EVERY teacher wants to teach in the suburbs. We have dozens of colleges here in PA that churn out hundreds of graduates every spring, certified and looking for those jobs.

[slickvic277]

Philly dave and toobusytoday are right on the money!Suburban teachers do verywell,city teachers not so much and catholic school teachers even less.
Im a philly guy but I would like to know why you would leave houston to come to philly?Two teachers can do well and live in a nice place but I would stay away from the philadelphia public school system.

[lkalwin]

Is there any positive?

[lkalwin]

[toobusytoday]

I think that two teachers can make a decent living teaching in Philadelphia and yes, you probably can get a job. The certification is something that I tend to emphasize because of the experience my daughter had. She went to college out of state, graduated and was certified there. To teach in PA she had to take the Praxis tests. It took months after she had taken them to get certified and she was lucky that she had a couple of hooks to get a job here in PA.

Philadelphia, like most city school systems, is always looking for teachers but the PA certification is key. This site may help you: Employee Entry - School District of Philadelphia