Question for Cape Coral area teachers... (Lee: short sales, insurance, fingerprinting)

[quettadee]

Hi! I think I have fallen in love with Cape Coral! I currently live in Oklahoma and am a special education teacher. What is the current outlook for securing a teaching position in Cape Coral?

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by quettadee

Hi! I think I have fallen in love with Cape Coral! I currently live in Oklahoma and am a special education teacher. What is the current outlook for securing a teaching position in Cape Coral?

I know someone that works in the Lee County School District as a teacher, she has tenure which is great because they have been making a lot of cut backs. Right now the outlook is bleak to say the least.

[TamRE]

Go to the Lee County Schools web site and look at the current openings. They should be posting for next year sometime after school is out in May and they have shuffled everyone around. Same goes for any of the other school districts around. A lot of the schools have had cut backs. You need to fill out the application online and provide the required paperwork. They will not even consider you until you have everything completed in their system.

There has been a need for special ed teachers. That is one area that always seems to be a shortage of.

Lee County Schools - Welcome to The School District of Lee County
Charlotte County Schools - Charlotte County Public Schools Home Page

If you are moving here you would need to get your Florida teacher certification. Some states will transfer and you just pay the fee and get your fingerprinting and background check done. Here is the site that you need to go to: Educator Certification

I transferred my 3 teacher certifications from NY to FL. I had a teaching job in Charlotte County Schools but they eliminated my position.

[quettadee]

Thanks for the info. I will check out the links. I'm planning to come out the first of June. The housing market appears to be really good there - lot's of short sales. I don't know much about what they entail other than what I've seen on HGTV. lol

btw...I'm so happy to have found this forum. What a wealth of information about Cape Coral!

Thanks Again!

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by quettadee

Thanks for the info. I will check out the links. I'm planning to come out the first of June. The housing market appears to be really good there - lot's of short sales. I don't know much about what they entail other than what I've seen on HGTV. lol

btw...I'm so happy to have found this forum. What a wealth of information about Cape Coral!

Thanks Again!

The housing market appears to be really good here, lots of short sales? When there are a lot of short sales that means the opposite, bad market. Short sales are not exactly what they seem. Yes you can get some great deals, but they usually have delays and many times it is difficult to get a conventional mortgage, they are good however if you have cash and are not in a hurry.

I will also forewarn you, I am not sure how it was 10 years ago for teachers or really any specialized field when the employment rate was like 2%, but now you need to be in Florida, have your Florida licenses all squared away, have a Florida address, a Florida phone number, and Florida drivers license before 99% of would be employers will even talk to you, which is a double edged sword because it absolute insanity to move here without employment, especially in the summer and early fall, when the school year starts and there are even less jobs to be had. And I have to agree to disagree with the other poster, yes there may be a shortage of SpEd teachers, but that doesn't not mean they are hiring them. As you can see, her position was eliminated, I don't know why or anything like that, but it's just an indication of how the job market down here is right now.

[TamRE]

Charlotte County Schools and Lee County Schools both had openings this past school year for ESE teachers and paraprofessionals. Again, the most important thing is to get all the requirements complete for certification in Florida. They will not look at you without it. I moved here from NY. I came down for a job interview as a teacher and got it. But I had all my paperwork and temporary certificate in Florida before I applied for jobs. My position at Charlotte County Schools was a Business Teacher for the Administrative Assistant Program at Charlotte Technical Center. They eliminated that program and the Accounting Program at the Center. Both of us teachers lost our jobs. It was due to budget cuts and low enrollment in the programs. Secure a job first before you make the move.

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by TamRE

Charlotte County Schools and Lee County Schools both had openings this past school year for ESE teachers and paraprofessionals. Again, the most important thing is to get all the requirements complete for certification in Florida. They will not look at you without it. I moved here from NY. I came down for a job interview as a teacher and got it. But I had all my paperwork and temporary certificate in Florida before I applied for jobs. My position at Charlotte County Schools was a Business Teacher for the Administrative Assistant Program at Charlotte Technical Center. They eliminated that program and the Accounting Program at the Center. Both of us teachers lost our jobs. It was due to budget cuts and low enrollment in the programs. Secure a job first before you make the move.

I am telling you right now, they may have had openings, but in Lee County alone they had over 1400 applicants for 28 job openings last school year in the LCSD. Take it for what it's worth. Like I said before, I am not sure what year you got your job, but currently in Lee County if your address is not in the state of Florida you will immediately be disqualified for employment due to the overwhelming employment rate of those already in the area. Another issue is almost every single one of those jobs you are interested in will also require a copy of your Florida Driver's License. Trust me, I went through this whole thing with my sister last year, when she decided she wanted to move to Florida.

[quettadee]

Thanks again to both of you. It's nice to hear varying opinions.

Much Appreciated!

[stahltkd]

It all really boils down to - what you bring to the table. I was hired in Nov of 2010 as a paraprofessional. Granted, I did have a physical address down here, but still had my Ohio license. My wife got hired in Jan 2011. Both of us work in the ESE field - she's a teacher.

The more realistic picture - if you have tenure where you are, forget it down here. I've heard of teachers with 10+ (taken with a grain of salt - as I've only heard) starting all over due to the union slashing that our governor has been working on. All new hires are annual contract only. Unless the union wins the lawsuits pending - this will be it from now on.

3% (right now) will automatically taken out for your retirement.

Depending on your family situation - you'll be paying about $40.00 (single) to 1,500 (family) a month for insurance

Lee county has not had a step (pay grade) raise in a few years. I know of a few teachers who have been working 5/6 years and still at step 0 (38k)

Just something to keep in mind. It is a rewarding career - but not paying.

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by stahltkd

It all really boils down to - what you bring to the table. I was hired in Nov of 2010 as a paraprofessional. Granted, I did have a physical address down here, but still had my Ohio license. My wife got hired in Jan 2011. Both of us work in the ESE field - she's a teacher.

The more realistic picture - if you have tenure where you are, forget it down here. I've heard of teachers with 10+ (taken with a grain of salt - as I've only heard) starting all over due to the union slashing that our governor has been working on. All new hires are annual contract only. Unless the union wins the lawsuits pending - this will be it from now on.

3% (right now) will automatically taken out for your retirement.

Depending on your family situation - you'll be paying about $40.00 (single) to 1,500 (family) a month for insurance

Lee county has not had a step (pay grade) raise in a few years. I know of a few teachers who have been working 5/6 years and still at step 0 (38k)

Just something to keep in mind. It is a rewarding career - but not paying.

I'm assuming that since you were hired in November and your wife wasn't hired until January that she had all her Florida credentials in order? The OP can take this thread for what it is, opinions, but in reality you cannot assume you will get a job here based on "credentials", when 99% of time they will never even get to that area of a resume once they see an out of state address. Also, if you read the requirements for any professional job, "must submit copies of Florida license's" is usually right near the top of the list. You had a Florida address, out of state licensing, and got a job, but you were the exception to the rule. I just don't want the OP to make the same mistake so many people do and move here in anticipation of finding a job quickly based on "credentials" or the "Northern worth ethic" they feel they possess. They come down all gung ho, after 3 or 4 months of applying for positions that have 500 other applicants, they give up, and get a job waiting tables, season ends, summer rolls around, and back to Ohio, Oklahoma, or Michigan they go with no money and their tails between their legs.

I recommend putting out feelers, make some calls, and see what you can do before committing to a move. You will most certainly make less money here and coming from Oklahoma where the cost of living is lower, you really need to weigh your options. The economy is starting to pick up a bit and the tourism is at an all time high, so it might be a much safer move in a couple years.