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I have posted before. I am the English teacher who is going to interviews at a few schools throughout SC. It looks like I now have Greenville to add to the decision pool.
The pay for Greenville is perhaps $500 more a year than in York, with Walterboro being the lowest.
If I am offered more than one job, I want to know the best possible place to move to, as I won't have much time, if any, to explore the areas prior to relocating.
I kind of had my heart set on York, but Greenville seems to have more apartments and selection of accomodation.
Basically, what would be best place for a teacher's salary in regards to cost of living?
I would prefer an area that has culture, coffee shops, quaint shops, a lively, but safe, downtown...but not overly congested....not overly expensive.
I was thinking the same thing. I am almost tempted to cancel my Walterboro interview, but I don't want to be too confident, because I really want to make sure I get out of TN ASAP!
The problem is, I am currently teaching summer school--ironically enough--in Greeneville, TN. I have Weds-Friday off next week to head down to Walterboro and York. How could I fit Greenville in within that those days. I am lousy with geography. I need someone familiar with the state to give me a suggestion on how to juggle all these interviews in a three day time frame.
The initial plan was to drive out on Weds afternoon, arriving at night and staying over night--doing the interview in the morning, heading out that afternoon, arriving in York, staying over night and doing Chester and York the following day....
Too bad Walterboro is the farthest..Greenville and York are in closer proximity.
I have posted before. I am the English teacher who is going to interviews at a few schools throughout SC. It looks like I now have Greenville to add to the decision pool.
The pay for Greenville is perhaps $500 more a year than in York, with Walterboro being the lowest.
If I am offered more than one job, I want to know the best possible place to move to, as I won't have much time, if any, to explore the areas prior to relocating.
I kind of had my heart set on York, but Greenville seems to have more apartments and selection of accomodation.
Basically, what would be best place for a teacher's salary in regards to cost of living?
I would prefer an area that has culture, coffee shops, quaint shops, a lively, but safe, downtown...but not overly congested....not overly expensive.
suggestions?
Greenville sounds like the perfect fit for your needs and desires. It has one of the lowest costs of living for a metro its size; it is overflowing with a dynamic variety of rich local and international culture; it has more coffee shops than I can keep track of (and constantly more on the way); it has plenty of the quaint shops anyone would love; and has a very vibrant and safe downtown that is comfortably compact in comparison to many other southern cities. The schools in the area are among the very best you'll find in the state, and there are plenty of extra options in the community for willing instructors. If you are looking for a high quality life without working yourself to death just to stay alive, Greenville is a great place to be.
Check out this thread over in the GSA subforum for a quick snapshot of downtown living.
Thanks for the advice!!! It looks like it will more than likely be Greenville! I had a phone interview today, and was essentially offered the job. I never expected that in a million years, as Greenville schools are among the higher rated schools in SC. It doesn't seem like they would be all that desperate. I am meeting with administration on the 11th to sign papers, should I decide to finalize the decision. (I don't see why I would decide otherwise!) Greenville school district is the only district that I have dealt with thus far that offers relocation assistance to teachers. The relocation assistance includes a list of quality apartments in nice areas that have an agreement with Greenville schools to waive security deposits with new teachers from other states. There's also an agreement with Duke Electric to waive a security deposit. It sounds ideal.
Does Greenville get a lot of snow? I lived up north for years, and spent about 8 years in the Poconos of PA--commuting back and forth between there and New Brunswick, NJ for a time period. I HATE driving in snow. I get panic attacks when driving in snow after sliding off a few too many slick roads.
I do think my husband is disappointed. He wanted a more rural area. Oh well. I can't please everyone, eh?!
York is a really nice town with a quaint downtown area. Whatever you can't find there can most definitely be found in uptown Charlotte, only a short drive from York.
Thanks for the advice!!! It looks like it will more than likely be Greenville! I had a phone interview today, and was essentially offered the job. I never expected that in a million years, as Greenville schools are among the higher rated schools in SC. It doesn't seem like they would be all that desperate. I am meeting with administration on the 11th to sign papers, should I decide to finalize the decision. (I don't see why I would decide otherwise!) Greenville school district is the only district that I have dealt with thus far that offers relocation assistance to teachers. The relocation assistance includes a list of quality apartments in nice areas that have an agreement with Greenville schools to waive security deposits with new teachers from other states. There's also an agreement with Duke Electric to waive a security deposit. It sounds ideal.
Does Greenville get a lot of snow? I lived up north for years, and spent about 8 years in the Poconos of PA--commuting back and forth between there and New Brunswick, NJ for a time period. I HATE driving in snow. I get panic attacks when driving in snow after sliding off a few too many slick roads.
I do think my husband is disappointed. He wanted a more rural area. Oh well. I can't please everyone, eh?!
Greenville doesn't get much snow. On average once a year and it's gone in a day. Ice is more of an issue than snow. Schools most definitely will close with sometimes a teachers work day.
Tell your husband you can find rural areas within easy distance from Greenville schools and downtown Greenville. You don't need to actually live in Greenville city proper. Do you know what school you'll be asigned to yet?
I don't mind being directly in the city, although the prices will surely be higher. Finding a place quickly will also be easier in the city. I am happy to be out of Kingsport and in a better area. That's my main objective, and it's partially accomplished.
I have posted before. I am the English teacher who is going to interviews at a few schools throughout SC. It looks like I now have Greenville to add to the decision pool.
The pay for Greenville is perhaps $500 more a year than in York, with Walterboro being the lowest.
If I am offered more than one job, I want to know the best possible place to move to, as I won't have much time, if any, to explore the areas prior to relocating.
I kind of had my heart set on York, but Greenville seems to have more apartments and selection of accomodation.
Basically, what would be best place for a teacher's salary in regards to cost of living?
I would prefer an area that has culture, coffee shops, quaint shops, a lively, but safe, downtown...but not overly congested....not overly expensive.
suggestions?
Greenville! If you haven't been then you should go and your decision will be easy. It sounds like Greenville would fullfill all of your needs. Good Luck
I don't mind being directly in the city, although the prices will surely be higher. Finding a place quickly will also be easier in the city. I am happy to be out of Kingsport and in a better area. That's my main objective, and it's partially accomplished.
Thanks for your feedback! Have a happy Fourth.
Sevier Middle is North 29 (Wade Hampton) north of the city. More towards rural but still not far from downtown (probably 5-10 min) I think it's a new school. It serves Pebble Creek subdivison as well as others in that area. Welcome to Sevier Middle School
If your husband wants to look to training for jobs in the area Greenville Tech is an EXCELLENT school and has various programs working with businesses in or coming into the area.
Hi. I just finished a huge note on another thread and have added it below. I am not informed about Sevier Middle, but my Daughter attends Wade Hampton High School which Sevier feeds into, so I have some experience of the area. There are some rural areas just north of Pebble Creek, and if you are not necessarily needing an apartment, but would be interested in a small house, you could be 15 minutes north from your school and live in a little country ranch with garden, everything. The major road north towards rural is Stallings Road. Somewhere it changes names, but stay on it. We live on Lake Robinson, just north of there, and it has a sweet park for putting in kayaks and canoes. Very quiet fishing lake, gorgeous mountain views. Get informed about the ARMES program - middle school program for the arts after school at the FINE ARTS CENTER, very close to Sevier. Downtown Greenville is about 15 minutes west from there, with galleries, museum, library, theatre. We have two great children's theatres. Nice parks. Zoo. Furman University. A college center that will be convenient if you need extra classes for your liscence. Your school is about 10 minutes to Paris Mountain State Park, which is like being in the blue ridge in the middle of town. You will be happy you moved here. Go to the Fresh Market on North Street for groceries. Do not let them show you apartments south of 85 - there are alot, and they are nice, but the traffic will make you crazy.
Here's what I wrote on another thread about teaching in Greenville County:
I am a parent who is almost finished raising two children in the Greenville county school system. One child graduated in 2006, the other will graduate in 2008. My experience has been positive, and I was active enough as a volunteer to get to know many teachers well, and their feelings about teaching here. Greenville has a few things going for it that most school systems don't have. They have a magnet school program that is outstanding. It utilizes school buildings in less that desirable areas to promote certain studies, which encourage more in the way of cultural, racial, and social integration. The program starts in Kindergarden and goes thru high school. There are the language magnet schools, where your child has a opportunity to study each of the regular studies in language emersion, studying their math, literature, arts in either French, Spanish, and others. There are science magnet schools, and our favorite experience, the arts magnet schools. Our children went to the art magnet elementary. Visual, theatre, music and dance arts are part of the curriculum and are emeshed with the three R's.
We also have the Fine Arts Center, where high school students can study dance, visual and fine arts, music, poetry and creative writing, and other areas. Their Jazz guitar program is phenominal and some kids go right into professional work. Students studies there are part of the transcript and count as part of their GPA, and many colleges say that FAC grads are immediately in junior qualifications for their degree. My child has studied dance as part of her high school curriculum for two periods a day, for three years.
We have two schools that are IB, with an IB elementary and Middle also.
We have a charter high school with Greenville Technical College that is outstanding. There are two very good career centers to prepare non-college bound students for other areas of employment.
We are also the location for the South Carolina Governors school for the Fine Arts, where students from all over SC come to immerse in their media. That school also covers their education in the regular studies (social studies, math, etc.) and seeks educators of high ability.
Eleven of our schools have been replaced with new structures in the last few years. Although they are not pretty (students equate them with prisons) they are mold free, which actually was a major issue for health. They are all built with the latest in technology, with really nice athletic and labratory areas.
We are originally from Indiana, were raised where Purdue University is located. My father was a teacher there. We had high expectations for our kids education. Greenville county has been pretty good in that respect. I wish we could say the same for South Carolina's state colleges. That is another discussion. We have also lived in Wisconsin, Maryland, Missouri, Georgia (north and South), and Florida (Palm Beach). This is our favorite location and we are so happy to have settled here. The weather is mild year round. No hurricanes (however, do not live in a mobile home because we do have tornadoes). We live on a lake and you can kayak year round, golf year round, hike year round, camp year round. There are lots of beautiful parks and lakes in the area. You are an hour from Asheville and the Blue Ridge parkway. Greenville itself has a beautiful park, Paris Mountain, right in the city. Also the city has developed the Reedy River Park into something special, with nice trails, a lovely series of waterfalls, a very unusual curved suspesion bridge, and gardens. Down town has developed into a cultural meca, with the Peace Center brining in big names in music and broadway (say Phantom, Mama Mia, Joseph and his ATRaincoat, Sweet Charity, more) and the Bi-lo center has concerts from blue grass to hip hop.
Of course, being in the south, cars are important.
I lived here for years before I met anyone who was raised in Greenville. If you live on the east side of town, most people are from the midwest and new england. There are many "half-backs" - people who retired to Florida and moved just a little back up north to get away from the Florida problems. There is a huge growth in retirement homes and neighborhoods, as parent move here from the north to be by their kids families.
As you can see, I can't say enough good things about the area. If you are interested in Elementary teaching, Heritage elementary is the place to be. My friend who is the principal was one of the leading forces in the magnet program years ago, and she has done amazing things with the school. She has also added a series of after school programs, with scholarships for the ones who can't afford them, with things like piano lessions, dance, math blasters, and more. It is rural with a broad spectrum of children's economic background - multimillionairs with gentleman farms to hillbillies who's parents had them when they were 15. Lots of kids to help, lots of grateful folks, and then those with money keep the pta well funded. And the most beautiful mountain view from the parking lot you will ever see.
I highly recommend researching the area. The administration has problems, but whose doesn't. Greenville county is huge. Don't go down by Simpsonville. The area is overdeveloped, Woodruff road is a nightmare, and the school has horrible problems. Blue Ridge Middle and High school are considered excellent. Travelers Rest High school is impossible. Wade Hampton has some good teachers, but administration is very controlling. However, it is next to the Fine Arts Center and lots of kids are transferring there because of that, so you are getting an influx of creative kids and very interested, active parents.
IMO.
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