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So like the title of my posts suggests, I will be graduating from college here in NY next spring with a degree in English Education for the middle/high school level. I have lived in New York City for most of my life, and honestly I do not care much at all for the endless crowds, dirty sidewalks, and rude nature of many of the people here. I was actually born in Coral Springs and I visit South FL whenever I can and I absolutely love the state. After finishing up next May, I plan to move down to FL permanently and start my career in teaching there. However, south FL seems an awful lot like to NY to me, which is what I am trying to get away from, and so I am very interested in moving to areas like Marion/Citrus counties in central FL and the Pensacola/Destin areas of north FL, which I have heard some good things about and have looked real nice as I drove through them. I have many questions, but I will start with the most basic one for me: Are there many jobs available for English teachers, and if so, which county(s)/areas offer them? I am open to virtually any and all that are hiring in the north and central parts of the state. Also, what would be some good areas for a single twenty-two year old male such as myself to look at potentially moving to? As I stated before, I loved the panhandle and Citrus counties from the few times I got to see them, the rural/smaller suburb is what I am hoping for, but my heart is not set on any particular area; I am open to pretty much anywhere in those parts of the state where teaching jobs are abundant. However, one small thing I would like would be to find somewhere suburban/rural as opposed to a bustling city; that is what I am looking to escape from in NY. If anyone could provide me with any information on any of those areas that would be great, as well if you feel that they could be a good fit for me. I love the outdoors, fishing and I am an avid tennis player, so places that offer those amenities would be really cool as well. Thank you all for any help you can provide me with here, and I am sorry if I repeated myself a few times, I am typing this on my IPhone haha. Thanks again, it is greatly appreciated!
So like the title of my posts suggests, I will be graduating from college here in NY next spring with a degree in English Education for the middle/high school level. I have lived in New York City for most of my life, and honestly I do not care much at all for the endless crowds, dirty sidewalks, and rude nature of many of the people here. I was actually born in Coral Springs and I visit South FL whenever I can and I absolutely love the state. After finishing up next May, I plan to move down to FL permanently and start my career in teaching there. However, south FL seems an awful lot like to NY to me, which is what I am trying to get away from, and so I am very interested in moving to areas like Marion/Citrus counties in central FL and the Pensacola/Destin areas of north FL, which I have heard some good things about and have looked real nice as I drove through them. I have many questions, but I will start with the most basic one for me: Are there many jobs available for English teachers, and if so, which county(s)/areas offer them? I am open to virtually any and all that are hiring in the north and central parts of the state. Also, what would be some good areas for a single twenty-two year old male such as myself to look at potentially moving to? As I stated before, I loved the panhandle and Citrus counties from the few times I got to see them, the rural/smaller suburb is what I am hoping for, but my heart is not set on any particular area; I am open to pretty much anywhere in those parts of the state where teaching jobs are abundant. However, one small thing I would like would be to find somewhere suburban/rural as opposed to a bustling city; that is what I am looking to escape from in NY. If anyone could provide me with any information on any of those areas that would be great, as well if you feel that they could be a good fit for me. I love the outdoors, fishing and I am an avid tennis player, so places that offer those amenities would be really cool as well. Thank you all for any help you can provide me with here, and I am sorry if I repeated myself a few times, I am typing this on my IPhone haha. Thanks again, it is greatly appreciated!
It may be hard to get on in a smaller school district like in the panhandle, nepotism helps LOL. Remember school districts are county wide
Look around the suburban Jacksonville areas, growing school districts. It is easier to find a position in Duval County(Jacksonville) it is a large urban district( 12th or 15th largest school district in the US) You can live in a more suburban/rural area in Duval County or in surrounding county such as St Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker. You can be close to beaches, springs, fishing, tennis, golf etc. There are also quite a few private schools in the area as well.
Check out around Tallahassee as well. Leon County, Wakulla County to the south has grown a lot in the past few years. Gainesville is another location to consider, Alachua County
Something you absolutely need to check out: do Florida and New York have a reciprocal certification agreement? If not, check out the Florida requirements for certification.
Something you absolutely need to check out: do Florida and New York have a reciprocal certification agreement? If not, check out the Florida requirements for certification.
Florida accepts current, valid teaching licenses from all 49 of the other states I believe. There are only a couple of states that do not at this point.
Marion County (Ocala) is begging for teachers. We're about an hour from beaches. Big town, though, population 60K, and Marion County is slightly bigger than the whole state of Rhode Island.
Employment Services / Home Don't be discouraged if there are no specifically-English positions listed currently as you won't be here for several months and no one can predict what will happen in a period of time.
It does get cold here (low last night was 30), but it doesn't stay cold for long periods of time like NYC. Next week we will be in the 70s with lows in the 50s. I would advise you to keep your parka as 30 degrees here seems very cold after you become thin-blooded like us locals. I'm sure glad I brought mine when we moved back to Florida from Tennessee!
Ocala still has some reasonably priced housing, but prices seem to be going up fairly quickly. If you're looking to rent, which I would recommend you do for at least a year until you're sure where you want to be, you can look for $700-$1500 a month depending on what amenities you're looking for. There are certain apartment complexes and areas of town to avoid, though.
Good luck wherever you decide to settle down. Florida is a glorious state as long as you don't have the "we did it this way in NY attitude" and try to change us!
Florida accepts current, valid teaching licenses from all 49 of the other states I believe. There are only a couple of states that do not at this point.
It's been a while since I taught K-12. This reasonable approach was not always the case, so thanks for the update.
So like the title of my posts suggests, I will be graduating from college here in NY next spring with a degree in English Education for the middle/high school level. I have lived in New York City for most of my life, and honestly I do not care much at all for the endless crowds, dirty sidewalks, and rude nature of many of the people here. I was actually born in Coral Springs and I visit South FL whenever I can and I absolutely love the state. After finishing up next May, I plan to move down to FL permanently and start my career in teaching there. However, south FL seems an awful lot like to NY to me, which is what I am trying to get away from, and so I am very interested in moving to areas like Marion/Citrus counties in central FL and the Pensacola/Destin areas of north FL, which I have heard some good things about and have looked real nice as I drove through them. I have many questions, but I will start with the most basic one for me: Are there many jobs available for English teachers, and if so, which county(s)/areas offer them? I am open to virtually any and all that are hiring in the north and central parts of the state. Also, what would be some good areas for a single twenty-two year old male such as myself to look at potentially moving to? As I stated before, I loved the panhandle and Citrus counties from the few times I got to see them, the rural/smaller suburb is what I am hoping for, but my heart is not set on any particular area; I am open to pretty much anywhere in those parts of the state where teaching jobs are abundant. However, one small thing I would like would be to find somewhere suburban/rural as opposed to a bustling city; that is what I am looking to escape from in NY. If anyone could provide me with any information on any of those areas that would be great, as well if you feel that they could be a good fit for me. I love the outdoors, fishing and I am an avid tennis player, so places that offer those amenities would be really cool as well. Thank you all for any help you can provide me with here, and I am sorry if I repeated myself a few times, I am typing this on my IPhone haha. Thanks again, it is greatly appreciated!
Given your current residence of NYC and upbringing in South Florida (similar background myself) I would urge you to consider Gainesville which will give you the suburban/rural vibe you're looking for along with the amenities more often found in much bigger cities minus that vibe. For example even though there's only around 125K living there they've managed to land a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's. The school system in Alachua County is also surprisingly good for a rural area, probably due in part to the presence of educators/administrators from UF in varying communities throughout the county as educators are often quite involved in their children's educations.
- rebek56/OpinionOcala: I am actually bypassing the NY license entirely and taking my FL exams this summer so I can apply for the FL professional license as soon as I graduate. I am looing to be ahead of the game and ready to go come next summer haha
- Jwolfer: That does sound interesting, but what is the JAX school system like? I definitely do like the fact that it is large, and therefore hopefully some open positions when the time comes. And yes, I hear you on the nepotism card, it is exactly the same deal here. Must be the story of education lol
- Florida Happy: That is great to here about Marion County regarding the need for teachers, that area is one of my top choices and I hope that it stays like that going into next year. I would definitely appreciate if you could give me a little more insight into the county, particularly in the areas to avoid, other details, etc. because I am very interested. Also, I hear you on the weather front for sure, although I would gladly trade your 30 degrees for the 9 we had this morning! Haha
- Kyle 19125: I thank you for the suggestion, of course I will check out Tebow County LOL. Do you know if teaching positions are abundant there, and also if you have any other details about the area I would greatly appreciate it as I am very interested for sure.
Because you are a new teacher you will get the lowest salary possible and therefore welcome in a Florida school system at least initially. As soon as you qualify for a higher salary you will find you aren't welcome anymore. Be aware, the Florida legislature passed a law making it acceptable to let go a teacher without cause and not tell the teacher why they were let go. There are forums about teaching in Florida, google them be aware of what kind of environment you want to jump into.
Take a look at Palm Coast. Close to uncrowded beaches, has a nice tennis center (annually host the "Futures" tournament each year for up and coming tennis players), very clean, perfectly situated between Daytona and St. Augustine, low taxes, affordable housing and, a good school system. Don't know about available teaching jobs but a phone call to the schools should be able to answer that. Many beautiful things in this relatively new city (incorporated in 1999). It's a city that takes great pride in its lifestyle and appearance. Moved here 2 1/2 years ago from upstate NY (grew up in NYC) and absolutely love it. Convenient to everything without the hustle and bustle of the big city.
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