Teaching in Houston Follow-Up (Austin, Sugar Land: credit, homes, find a job)

[Denver303TJC]

Howdy,

First of all, thanks for the input on my prior posting related to teaching in Houston, I wanted to start a fresh forum posting to give a status update and ask for input.

I finished applying to A&M today for the MA of Education course, then a couple hours later had an "enlightening" in which I started to question if I was doing the right thing by signing up to go on the path towards a MA in Education (and might I add this was without drugs ). I started to think about if I was truly ready to take around 18 credit hours of undergrad courses just to get me "green-lighted" towards the Masters program. As I understand it, these courses would make it so that I fulfilled the requirements from the Texas Education Association for licensed teachers. AFAIK, that would be the 18 hours, plus the required 36 hours for the non-thesis Masters, making it 54 credit hours. Granted, I should have thought of this more in-depth before, but I guess at the time it seemed right. Now I'm really debating whether I should be doing this now, or if I get accepted, ask to defer admission for a year and substitute in the meantime in Houston to see if it's truly for me.

I understand that being a sub and being a FT teacher is different since at least as a contracted "normal" teacher you have the same students and can build rapport with them, whereas being a sub is often different students on a regular basis (which I suppose can be good or bad). Also, after researching HISD, I noticed that they pay the same salary to teachers with a BA or MA, so I wouldn't see a pay bump right away. BUT, I know having a higher degree in the Education field could come in handy in other districts/cities/states in the future.

A bit more concerning is I recently took the Shobia Career Finder Quiz, expecting "Teacher" to be high on the list, but instead my top ranked career suggestions were, (clears throat), A Business Interactor/Biz Devel Associate or a manager on a political campaign. In addition, they suggested I could be a Social Service Manager, HR Worker, Compensation/Benefits Manager, Agent for a Performer, PR or Fundraising Manager, Program Director, or even a PR Specialist. I understand these suggestions may not be "pure truth", but I also know I shouldn't write them off.

I think a lot of my issues stem from being 31 y/o and wanting to get more opportunities in life and also from the fact that I graduated from college years ago and have an assorted work history, with my background being in teaching abroad and clerical billing. Yeah, I realize my work experience kinda sucks as, err, butt, but I want to turn my life around and become successful. I think that's partly why I am looking to get back into grad school, so that I can get skills needed to launch a new career I know I'll like down the road. I'm not lazy, and I'm willing to put in the time to better myself, I just first want to find a job/career I like and am good at.

I am an ESFP personality type and do pretty well in improv, but sadly that's not exactly a great career path unless you're one of the lucky few. When I taught in the past I liked that I made students happy and helped them learn, but I had issues with classroom management and being strict, since I'm naturally a friendly guy
(But, my charisma has paid off at many past jobs in ways including, but not limited to, I was often kept around for comedic relief and if I sucked at a job my firing was often postponed or the staff learned to "deal with my presence", the same one might try to do with an evil spirit in their homes).

Anyhow, I don't want this thread to turn into a Dr. Phil-type posting, so in a nutshell, I want to do well in life and I want to try teaching again, but am unsure if it is too soon for me to go to grad school in Spring 2017 before getting classroom time in Houston. The wife and I plan on moving to Houston in January, so I'm excited to learn more about teaching in Houston and other backup career options. Austin has been fun, but I think career-wise there are more opportunities in Houston. I applied recently as a substitute teacher in Austin, but am still waiting back to schedule the next round.

Thanks again and any helpful advice related to teaching, accurate career aptitude tests, or general career advice for someone my age is appreciated.

[ma23peas]

Take this as you see it. A great deal of your angst I have not experienced on such a great scale..primarily because of my faith. If I relied on my wisdom, ability to create opportunities, or analyze all my options well..I'd not fare so well. My faith and trust that God has a plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11) has always led me to the right path. Just something to consider.

I would go the sub route just to make sure this is what you prefer to do. But, first, I would ask God for wisdom on the matter. You certainly may gain some here and hopefully it will help you narrow some options.

This is the best I can offer, may it go well with you...Houston could certainly benefit from your skill sets.

[Denver303TJC]

Originally Posted by ma23peas

Take this as you see it. A great deal of your angst I have not experienced on such a great scale..primarily because of my faith. If I relied on my wisdom, ability to create opportunities, or analyze all my options well..I'd not fare so well. My faith and trust that God has a plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11) has always led me to the right path. Just something to consider.

I would go the sub route just to make sure this is what you prefer to do. But, first, I would ask God for wisdom on the matter. You certainly may gain some here and hopefully it will help you narrow some options.

This is the best I can offer, may it go well with you...Houston could certainly benefit from your skill sets.

Thanks!

Not being sarcastic, that's cool you have a lot of faith and peace. Perhaps I need to up my meditation and prayer; Heck, I don't see how it could hurt. Long story short, I'm just looking to turn my life around and be successful in life, so hoping I can find a job/career in which I'm good at it. I'm thinking now if accepted I'll defer for a year and sub to make sure I like it. Another option is if I do like it I can get licensed by an approved program which will allow me to teach, then down the road consider my MA.

But, thanks again!

[gslape]

Originally Posted by Denver303TJC

Another option is if I do like it I can get licensed by an approved program which will allow me to teach, then down the road consider my MA.

But, thanks again!

Do this. Way less investment of time and money than getting MA.

[Denver303TJC]

Hi Y'all,

Good news! I recently moved to Houston and am currently Airbnb'ing it in the Heights area. I recently passed the content exam for Social Studies 7-12 and am sprucing up my resume and cover letter and getting ready to apply to schools, with a hope of teaching this semester and getting hired on before Fall 2017. I know it's possible to teach mid-semester, such as if a teacher up and quits for whatever reason, but I know that it's not a good method for depending on finding a job. But, nonetheless, I'll still try. Ultimately I want to be a school counselor, but TX requires counselors to teach two years in a Texas school before they can start the course work to become a school counselor). I'm currently not planning on getting my MA in Education at this point.

I am planning on applying to schools in Houston ISD, as well as surrounding districts, and perhaps charter schools, as well. From what I've heard, Alief and Aldine are rougher districts and should be avoided for a relative newbie teacher like me (I taught overseas for three years, so I have some experience, but not as "full-on" experience as one would get from teaching in a school in the States).

Perhaps from what others here know, or have heard, for a teacher with less experience, is it possible to find a job with say, Katy ISD or Sugar Land ISD? I understand that my content area is a bit like "The Speech Comm degree" content area (easier to get and more people have it), and down the road I should look to get a more in-demand content area like something in Science or Economics (my major was Econ....pause for snickering... ;-) ).

Long story short, I passed the content exam and did my coursework with Texas Teachers.org and am now starting to apply for jobs, but was hoping for feedback/advice from other teachers in Houston, or people who know someone who teaches.

Thanks again! :-)

[Meyerland]

You will need to apply en masse to all the districts in the surrounding Houston area. It's harder than you think to get hired, especially if you have a narrow range of jobs you want. Go to every job fair you find. Good luck to you!

[Denver303TJC]

Thanks Meyerland, I'll start applying en masse :-)

[houstonreadhead]

Hi,

Sugar Land doesn't have an ISD. Ft Bend ISD covers Sugar Land.

Here is a link to every HR department of every ISD in the Houston area. Click on a red star.
District Jobs

I doubt you'll have much trouble finding a job.

Good luck

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

You will need to apply en masse to all the districts in the surrounding Houston area. It's harder than you think to get hired, especially if you have a narrow range of jobs you want. Go to every job fair you find. Good luck to you!

This is 100% accurate. I looked at teaching about 10 years ago and I got certified through region 4. What I found was that the alternative certification is less regarded than a traditional education degree. Its almost like the teaching version of a GED. It will be very difficult to get a job with a district like Katy or Fort Bend.

Also, your certification in Social Studies is either the most common or second most common certification. A lot of the district's don't have to use the alt certification to fill Social Studies positions because they are not hard to fill. Also, they often use those as positions for coaches. If you had a certification in math, science or special edition you would have a lot more choices.

That said, my experience was 10 years ago. My understanding is teacher hiring is cyclical and has high turnover. Also, you have a leg up on me by having taught abroad - that might really help you. I second the advice to apply everywhere in case there are fewer options than you had hoped.

[houstonreadhead]

One more piece of advice: I would encourage you to fill out the apps for the largest districts first to see where that goes: HISD, Cy-Fair, Ft. Bend, Spring Branch, and Katy would be my top five.

I advise this because...
1. Once you start filling out the employment applications, you'll notice that in order for your app to go live, your references will be emailed and asked to fill out an online reference for you. That may get tiresome for your references.
2. All those applications are tiresome for you, the applicant, to fill out.

If you need some tips for what to prepare for an interview when you land one, PM me and I'll give you some ideas of what principals are looking for.