Dormont PA, Looking to move here (Pittsburgh, Lebanon: low crime, homes, teaching jobs)

[NYC_Teacher]

Hi so I am new to your forums, I am looking to move to Dormont PA; in next few months.
I am looking to hear honest feedback and I see this forum doesn't hold back .
Questions I hope you guys and girls can help me with.

1) How is the overall feel of Dormont PA.
2) I went to a crime site it shows low crime 50% lower then most townships in PA..but i rather have a person tell me if this is true or not.
3) It is a great place to start a family?
4) Hows the drive from Dormont to The Consol Center, I am already a pens fan :P.
5) What are some good places to go hiking?

Now Career Questions

1) Teacher ...yes Nyc Teacher... Hardcore stuff. Whats the first steps to find Teacher job placements?
The system looks sounds very alien to me, a friend of a friends states its run by district unlike NYC where as its the whole city tied to one system the DOE.

2) If thiers a website that has all the job postings? Our Doe site has that for all our boroughs and i cant seem to find one for Pittsburgh.

Well Hope to hear from some one soon ( you dont need to answer all the questions just one or stop by and say hi and share anything at all about Dormont PA.

[tclifton]

Dormont is nice...great access to the "T" which can take you out to South Hills Village if you want to go to a mall, or downtown.

Dormont is a nice place, with a business district. Walkable, but a fair amount of hills.

Not sure about crime since I don't live there, but at least anecdotally it seems to be low crime (i.e., I can't recall the last time I've heard Dormont mentioned in a news item)

I'm guessing if you can swing a place in Mt. Lebanon (right beside Dormont), it's probably better for a family. I think it's a better school district, and has a more suburb feel than Dormont (i.e., bigger yards, etc.)

You'll be taking the T to the Consol I imagine, so no drive necessary!

If you don't mind driving, Ohiopyle to the south is great for hiking.

As for the job, yes municipalities all have their own school board/school district. The city of Pgh has it's own, as does Mt Lebanon, etc.

From what I've heard, it helps a great deal to know someone if you want to get a teaching gig in Pittsburgh.

Good luck!

[Geeo]

Not a resident, but have friends in the area and visit frequently. Dormont is a quiet town with homes from the early to mid part of the last century. It has a pretty good business district and a very nice walkable street called Potomac Avenue that is kind of off the main drag going into Pittsburgh. Potomac has a landmark movie theater called The Hollywood that shows independent and specialty films and holds film festivals. Also on that street is a book store, clothing stores, and other small shops.

As far as I know, it's a very safe area. Never heard of any problems there.

As mentioned, the T provides great and dependable access to downtown Pittsburgh and to the southern suburbs and the South Hills Village mall. There is also good bus service along W. Liberty Avenue and I think the buses use the South Busway to get into the city quickly.

[Pitt Chick]

I enjoyed my several years in Dormont.
Never an issue with crime; some noise in the alleys in the summer, but not bad.
I live without a car as I did not need one. I even walked to work!

All in all, I highly recommend it.

[Goinback2011]

I grew up in Dormont and visit frequently. It's a nice area, little crime, nice business district. The one downside in the tax rate there, which is higher than many similar communities.

You should do more research on the teaching job, though. They are hard to come by in SW PA.

[NYC_Teacher]

thanks every one, yes I have be searching online and have been seeing the same thing about teacher jobs (You have to know some one). lol sounds very old school, I know a guy who knows a guy.....

[RonSantoRules]

Get a job before you move. My significant other had 5 years teaching experience, including 2 in NYC, and it took my SO 7 months to find a teaching job. Get certified before you move here. No one will look at your app for a full time job unless you a certified in PA and have jumped through all the required hoops for the privilege to be underpaid and overworked.

[punctus_contra_punctum]

A teaching job will be very, very difficult to come by in the Pittsburgh area. Teaching jobs in this area are secure and high paying; combining this with the large number of local education schools leads to fierce competition for the few available jobs. This is true for all certifications; only special ed will give you a leg up on the competition.

As for website, go to www.pa-educator.net. This is a state-wide website, which many (but not all) school districts use to recruit from. You can look for jobs by county and certification, which you will no doubt find useful in your search.

[WildPittBill]

Dormont is a very nice place to start a family. Mt Lebanon next door is a very nice place to raise a family. There's not much crime in Dormont. It is hilly. The T provides super access to the city as well as to South Hills Village. I guess you could live without a car there but the Pittsburgh suburbs are not friendly to the car-less.

The Keystone Oaks school district is ok but no comparison at all to Mt Lebanon, one of the most highly ranked school districts in the country, which it borders. This will affect resale value.

Full time teaching jobs are extrememly difficult to secure unless you have a highly sought after certification. Or if you have an in. Each public school teaching job attracts hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applicants. Getting noticed is nearly impossible.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by NYC_Teacher

thanks every one, yes I have be searching online and have been seeing the same thing about teacher jobs (You have to know some one). lol sounds very old school, I know a guy who knows a guy.....

I think someone mentioned this down-thread, but I feel as if I have to correct a misconception. You don't get hired as a teacher because you know someone... although you might get called in for a pre-screening in some districts due to being connected. Or someone you know might tip you off that there is a position opening, so you can get your application in. But knowing someone is simply not enough in this competitive environment.