How do I get AISD Principals to call me back??!!!?? Trying to teach! (San Antonio: credit, home)

[AGA]

I heard today from the Vice Principal at our school that AISD is under a hiring freeze and that people will be moved around and such before any hiring will take place!

[Acuda]

Originally Posted by AGA

I heard today from the Vice Principal at our school that AISD is under a hiring freeze and that people will be moved around and such before any hiring will take place!

Yeah, I just noticed today we are getting a 5th grade teacher that was surplus (from another school).

[centralaustinite]

My neighbor is new to town and she has been struggling to find a job teaching high school English, so far nothing! Right now, she can't even sigh up to substitute in AISD.

[loves2read]

this--hiring freeze and people being shuffled around--is what my daughter's district in FL has gone through for two years--
next year could be just as bad if the legislature does not get its head out of its collective asses--
giving teachers a pay raise is not the answer to the problem of how to fund schools in TX...

[girlcitizen]

Move to San Antonio - the market for teachers seems much better there

[buffy888]

Originally Posted by girlcitizen

Move to San Antonio - the market for teachers seems much better there

Hmm, not so much... The purported hundreds of openings in certain districts don't really come to fruition as many of those are taken up with transfers, fewer classes, etc. The teacher job market in S.A. is somewhat tight, especially at the elementary level. The OP's 4-8 science certification might help here. Many schools here are looking for bilingual rather than ESL, so that may not help the OP as much.

For the OP, have you considered any charter schools? They usually pay more than private but less than public... might be a way to at least get some experience under your belt?

[Stratocaster86]

Just curious, but I'm a recent PA secondary ed English/Lang Arts/Reading grad and I'm trying my hardest to relocate to Austin via a job. I'm fully certified in PA and I've jumped through the TX certification hoops and whatnot, attended a few job fairs on a recent vacation, and have applied with about 20 different ISDs so far within the Austin/central Texas area for secondary and middle school positions.

I'm not expecting success considering my situation and the overall national outlook...even in union heavy PA we're seeing cutbacks, terminations, and transfering as opposed to hiring...but can anybody give me an idea of the odds that I'll receive contact or an interview, let alone actually get a job offer in Texas? Is it impossibly difficult to land a position within the general Austin-ish area, or is this more or less just a recent trend due to the economy? More or less, would it be wise for me to give up on the idea or is there some light at the end of the tunnel and better odds over the next few years? Any oppinions or thoughts? How has it been in the past?

[centralaustinite]

Well, in the past, we weren't facing some of the worst economic turmoil in 50 years!

Schools here are under financial pressure and there are a flood of applicants!

Private and public school principals are saying that they have never had such high stacks of resumes from teachers in 25 years.

My neighbor could not find a teaching in Austin or any surrounding district, she took a survival job doing summer school in a rural district far to the south. So, she will be paying rent on an empty house all summer as well as rent where she is teaching.

So, this coming year does not seem rosy. AISD has so many people signed up to sub that they are no longer taking applicants.

I have relatives who teach in PA and the salaries seem higher up there than they are down here. But long-term, the Texas economy is doing better than most and people are still moving here and starting families, so school districts are growing. But there is no shortage of people who want to teach here.

I hope that you find a position soon.

good luck!

[MovingCouple]

Just out of curiousity(sorry to threadjack) - if I were to get a bilingual alternative teaching certification would I virtually be guaranteed in getting a teaching position?(I'm fluent in spanish)

My wife(who is fully certified in NYC but doesn't know Spanish) went to the AISD job fair recently and noticed that there were many bilingual positions available but no one seemed to be on line for those jobs. Kind of ridiculous that these schools are bending over backwards to provide a service that will probably make these kids less likely to learn English.

[llkltk]

Hiring freeze, yeah I doubt it. In SW Austin, there are two new schools being built. They'll need plenty of teachers.