Teaching in East Tenn. (Knoxville, Johnson City: house, job openings, elementary school)

[amyfw]

I really need anyone's help that can tell me more about teaching positions in that neck of Tenn. Is it really hard to get into the schools there, esp. if you are from another state? Are there any pre schools in the school systems? Anyone have any info on Head Starts form Knoxville on east? I ahve applied for my Tenn teacher's license and was wanted feedback on these questions. and I am going to ask again about what people think of Johnson City area?

Last question...Housing...is there anywhere in that area where you can get a home that's not the size of a 1 car garage for under $100,000?

[mbmouse]

Here are some web sites to look up info on teaching in TN and Tri-Cities TN schools:
http://www.greenek12.org/
http://www.wcde.org/
http://www.jcschools.org/
http://www.scde.k12.tn.us/
http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/education.html (broken link)
As far as housing, yes, you can find a home under 100k, check out realtor.com and use the zip codes, 37615,37601,37660 then chose "add more areas" for all of those, that will give you a good idea of what is available in your price range.
Hope that helps!

[NTLTN]

Unless you know someone, it is hard to get employment.

[hiknapster]

I have to ask this question...

Why exactly, is Fort Wayne boring? Do you think that East Tennessee, in the middle of nowhere, is exciting? Don't get me wrong. I like boring. That is why I am here.

My daughter attends Knox County schools. There are no job openings.

And your grammar is horrible. Sorry, it is. I was a newspaper reporter for years. I understand that we all make typos. Still.

I'm sorry, but this post bothers me.

[Mrs.Bewitched]

I have looked on a Tenn. teacher's chatboard, as well as Pro-Teacher's forum. From what I have been reading, it is hard to get a teacher's job. Some people post that the more education you have, the harder it will be to receive a job due to being eligible to receive a higher pay. I have also read that right before you are ready to acquire tenure, they "pink" slip you, which I think is let you go.
I am hoping that this isn't so, and that those people were just complaining because they weren't good teachers themselves, and it was only a reflection on them. This is the only thing that scares me about packing up and moving-I have a secure job here and I want to make sure I have a secure teaching position in my new area.

[amyfw]

Thanks for the feedback! I see that I made many mistakes in my post. Sorry if I offended anyone of my grammar skills. Maybe I should take some classes. LOL

I see that it's very hard to get a teaching position in Knoxville but what about the other surrounding counties? I really didn't want to go over to North Carolina for a teaching position. I have read so many good things about east Tenn. and wanted to move there.

Thanks for your help!

[hiknapster]

There was a teacher from Fort Lauderdale that came to Knoxville three days before I did. She is now the VOLUNTEER science teacher at my daughter's elementary school. Of course, she made a killing selling her house and doesn't really have to work. She was smart and sold fourteen months ago.

Looking on the Knox County website I don't see openings.

Someone asked me today if there were any government jobs. Looking on that website I saw very few and they were to fill a particular niche.

A couple of months ago, I started searching the NATIONAL job banks. It didn't look like there were a lot of jobs there, either. The lack of jobs may be all over.

I will tell you this, Florida is begging for teachers. I wouldn't want to move there, though.

[Alina8]

Hi ,
I am one of those teachers that got a pink slip. They did not want to give tenure to several teachers so they let us go. We were excellent teachers with good reputations and well liked by our students but that didn't matter. I believe that our reputations have been ruined because many people believe that you do not get tenure because you did something wrong. Who is going to want to hire us now?
There are so many people seeking employment in the Johnson City schools that they just turn over the staff. I was told that there are about 100 people applying for each teaching positions because there are three local colleges that offer degrees in education. Unless you know someone here it is very hard to find a teaching position.
You can imagine how I feel about the tenure system!
Good Luck,
A

[knoxgarden]

Georgia is usually actively recruiting teachers. There are areas of North Georgia in the mountains that are similar to Tennessee.
North Alabama also has some nice mountains, around Huntsville and Gadsden.

[YFY]

Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina are all desperate for teachers.

A friend of mine is a class room teacher at an elementary school in SC. She has never taken an education class in her life, has a degree in art. They were so desperate for anyone. She even got a signing bonus of $3000.