Teaching Jobs (San Antonio, Mart, Anton: rated, teachers, summer)

[slaleman]

Just found out that NISD still has over 100 vacancies available, split about 50/50 between elementary and secondary. That's KNOWN vacancies...that doesn't include the positions they might add after the school year has begun because of higher enrollment rates than expected, or those positions that may open up because people move or decide not to work for them at the last minute.

[buffy888]

In my own search for a teaching position, I looked at the recruiting schedules for several districts and saw that many of them attend at least one job fair that is specifically for people in an alternative certification program; I don't think they would waste time and manpower to attend these if they didn't consider these types of teachers for employment.
Flapjack, you had mentioned you are seeking certification in Special Ed - this is definitely an area many districts are looking for. Once you have your certification, I really think you will have a good chance of getting a position.

[JaneEvans]

Whew...thanks slaleman...that is very good news indeed!...and I am sooo sorry Buffy about the slip up about your name!...and you had such good advice too!... I just heard that the superintendent of Judson ISD is going to a smaller district. I still don't understand why it takes them so long to inform applicants of their status...Are they inefficient, disorganized, or just dragging their feet? lol...don't they know who I am????!!! <grin>

[pobre]

Slaleman: you mentioned that you were in administration...I have a question...

Do districts ever pick up the tab for degrees or further education? I was told that SAISD is picking up the tab for some teachers to get their mid-management (principal) certification. While I understand districts love people with higher degrees and certifications, do they actually pay for them as well?

[bigbill]

These are my conclusions based on my experiences of the last two months or so:
1. The larger and more "famous" school districts (NISD, NEISD, Judson) are more reluctant to hire alt cert teachers who have not done an internship unless you are Special Ed or bilingual. Even in this case, these districts would rather not hire an alt cert individual if they can help it.

2. As an alt cert teacher looking for an internship, be willing to take a job in the outlying areas (Seguin, Jourdanton, Somerset) so you can get the experience if you really want to work in the "famous" school districts. The districts in outlying areas seem to be much more willing to hire alt cert folks for whatever reason.

3. Despite the numbers I have seen on this page and in the papers, I do not believe there are as many teaching vacancies as have been advertised. This could be because I chose to go through an alternative certification program and districts have tended to shy away from me because of that, but if there were a lot of vacancies, I would have thought the school districts would have wanted to fill them with those they thought were qualified and capable of doing the job, not just because they chose a more traditional path to becoming a teacher.

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to share my experiences. I am not trying to run down NISD or NEISD because they are doing what they believe is best for them. I do not regret the path I chose, but it has been somewhat frustrating since I finished at ACT.

[slaleman]

Originally Posted by pobre

Slaleman: you mentioned that you were in administration...I have a question...

Do districts ever pick up the tab for degrees or further education? I was told that SAISD is picking up the tab for some teachers to get their mid-management (principal) certification. While I understand districts love people with higher degrees and certifications, do they actually pay for them as well?

Yes...some do, and it's a completely valid question to ask during a district-level interview. Something along the lines of "do you provide tuition reimbursement to your teachers seeking to further their education?"

I've found that it's kind of a rare thing around here, whereas it's more widely done in the midwest. When I lived in the Chicago area, I received a 50% reimbursement toward tuition when I was getting my MA, and it didn't matter where I went. Of course there's also collective bargaining there, and all of the union issues that go along with it...but that's an entirely different thread that I don't even want to start =-)

I'm pretty sure that Schertz-Cibolo-U. City does provide reimbursement (I've been told that by colleagues, but haven't actually checked into myself), and I've also heard that one or two of the south side districts may. When I started in SAISD 11 years ago, they were allowing teachers to take 80% pay for 4 years and take the 5th year off (with 80% pay) to work on a degree.

I've also seen/heard of programs around here where teachers have to get a certain kind of degree at a specific university and the district will pay for part of the degree. A lot of times these are programs that are with small cohorts and aren't widely advertised even within the district.

Since it's not as common around here it's good to ask around. Even if they tell you that they don't during your district level interview, keep asking around...there may be something like the cohort thing that comes up in the future.

[slaleman]

Originally Posted by bigbill

These are my conclusions based on my experiences of the last two months or so:
1. The larger and more "famous" school districts (NISD, NEISD, Judson) are more reluctant to hire alt cert teachers who have not done an internship unless you are Special Ed or bilingual. Even in this case, these districts would rather not hire an alt cert individual if they can help it.

This is a broad generalization, but I would say that principals will hire someone with experience over someone without experience unless a rookie just blows them away in their interview, or they have a hard to fill position.

2. As an alt cert teacher looking for an internship, be willing to take a job in the outlying areas (Seguin, Jourdanton, Somerset) so you can get the experience if you really want to work in the "famous" school districts. The districts in outlying areas seem to be much more willing to hire alt cert folks for whatever reason.

Probably because they don't get as many applicants, and, I hate to say it this way, but they can't be as choosy. They have fewer applicants for a number of reasons, but the main ones are the drive and the money.

3. Despite the numbers I have seen on this page and in the papers, I do not believe there are as many teaching vacancies as have been advertised. This could be because I chose to go through an alternative certification program and districts have tended to shy away from me because of that, but if there were a lot of vacancies, I would have thought the school districts would have wanted to fill them with those they thought were qualified and capable of doing the job, not just because they chose a more traditional path to becoming a teacher.

The positions are there. In Schertz, we've hired close to 100 folks already and were only projected to hire about 70. Keep in mind that positions continue to open up throughout the summer. There is an ebb and flow to it. Unfortunately, all districts can do is give a rough estimate of how many positions they will have, just like they can give a rough estimate of how many kids will be enrolled come the end of August.

You also have to remember this, though. If you have a certificate in a high-supply area (elementary, secondary social studies and PE) you're going to be competing with a lot more people for a job. There is a great need for teachers, but it may not be in the district you want, either. If you need a job, you can't really be picky about where you work. Remember, you're in it for the kids, and kids need good teachers everywhere. Don't set your sights on Stone Oak Elementary and not accept anything else. Also remember that principals talk to each other and if you don't return the phone call of a principal at a school you don't want to teach at, you may not get another call from anyone in that district.

If you are reading this and thinking about going into teaching, special ed, math, science (especially secondary level) are the hardest positions to fill. Go to any teacher's college and ask an education major what degree path they're studying. I would bet that 8 out of 10 will say elementary education. The ONLY way to stand out in elementary ed is to be male, bilingual, or a minority, and in San Antonio, two of those three don't really help either.

[bigbill]

As I was going through this process, I kept wishing I had taken more math classes so I could have gotten a certification in that (my cert is in 4-8 English/Reading/Language Arts and Social Studies). I believe it would be much easier to find a job with that in my pocket. Personally, if I was still pursuing a teaching job, I definitely would have been willing to teach in some of the outlying areas simply because I felt I would have had an easier time getting a job there. I may try again next year and will probably focus outside the city.

[Genevanative]

Can I ask a few questions about salary and benefits??

I am a math teacher in Upstate NY (read: small city district about halfway between Syracuse and Rochester) with 17 years of teaching in my district. I have my masters degree and 2 certification areas: Mathematics 7-12 and Social Studies 7-12.

Three of my brothers and sisters moved to SA several years ago and have been urging me to make the move as well, especially when we talk during our nasty cold and snowy winter months.

What kind of a salary, benefits, and retirement package would I be able to expect, given my level of experience?
Currently I earn about $50K, and I know that housing costs in SA are comparable to my particular area in NYS.

Any help you can give me in this area would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[pobre]

Originally Posted by Genevanative

Can I ask a few questions about salary and benefits??

I am a math teacher in Upstate NY (read: small city district about halfway between Syracuse and Rochester) with 17 years of teaching in my district. I have my masters degree and 2 certification areas: Mathematics 7-12 and Social Studies 7-12.

Three of my brothers and sisters moved to SA several years ago and have been urging me to make the move as well, especially when we talk during our nasty cold and snowy winter months.

What kind of a salary, benefits, and retirement package would I be able to expect, given my level of experience?
Currently I earn about $50K, and I know that housing costs in SA are comparable to my particular area in NYS.

Any help you can give me in this area would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Here is a link to North East ISD. They pay, I believe, the highest salary in Bexar County. However, the other districts will be within 2,00 of their salary for the most part. They have gone to a straight pay scale with a 1,800 stipend for a Master's degree. So with 17 years, you would be looking at 51,953 +1,800= 53,753, plus a retention amount of 1,500 (paid Dec and May) for a total of 55,253. Assume other districts would be in the 52000-55000 range. They all publish their salaries on their websites, too. In addition, you could most likely get critical needs stipends for your Math certification. Add Special Ed, you could buy the district!!