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My husband took a job in Northern Mass., so we are moving to Southern NH. I have narrowed the search down to Londonderry or Bedford. I am planning a trip up there to get into the schools. My daughter is 12 and she will be in middle school for a year before HS.
I am a teacher and I am going to need a job. I am guessing I will need to start at step 1 and take roughly a $30,000 cut in pay which I am not happy about.
Does anyone know how the hiring of teachers works in NH? Here in my town just about everyone is connected in some way...I'm not, so I have experience having to break in. Any advice would be great.
I know there are new schools being built, so I am hoping this will help me.
I also need a realtor. I'm not going anywhere until June, but I want to get up there before the holidays so I can start processing all of this.
Welcome to the area! do you mind if I ask why you want to live in NH if your husband is working in MA? Mind you, I think NH is preferable to MA, but... if it's to avoid the income taxes, you'll be paying that to MA anyway (sad, but they do that), and the property taxes are a bit higher I understand in NH than in MA. So...
If you're looking for a realtor, you can't do any better than our own ValerieC who posts here. She lives in Londonderry so she knows the area well, and I think she used to live in MA - she works in both. She's the most wonderful, helpful one around who has tons of great info and always willing to share anything she can. Definitely an honest realtor you can trust.
MaestraMommy I think teaches around Bedford, so she might know what's available. There was another thread where GregW posted a link for finding what teaching positions are open. Maybe he'll post it here for you.
Hi there........what do you teach? We have many critical shortage areas in the state and it should be fairly easy for you to get a job. Also, why would you need to start at step 1? Will it be your first year teaching? Out of state years should count toward your experience in NH. NH DOE has the Bureau of Credentialing, which will tell you all you need to know on gaining NH certification, etc. See their website NH Department of Education - Bureau of Credentialing (Certification). Also, a good place to look for openings is on edjobsnh.com.
I currently teach HS English, but I am certified k-12. I am also in the process of getting my Masters Degree. In the town where I currently teach, they are more apt to hire a new teacher at a lower salary instead of a teacher with experience. They also tend to not give years of experience. I was hired with 4 years experience and started at step 1. I guess I just figured this was the norm. I hope I am wrong.
I don't think you will have a problem with getting your years to count here. In the better school districts, years of experience are valued highly, typically. You should have good luck with school districts such as Londonderry, Bedford, Amherst/Souhegan, Pinkerton Academy in Derry, Hollis/Brookline, Bow, Concord....
*ouch* on the possible pay cut! Where would you be coming in from? One thing that I've noticed is that while folks moving here from California find our real estate much more reasonable, others from the midwest, or southern states have sticker shock on seeing what homes here are going for. Recently I worked with a family from the midwest who was appalled at the homes in the 250K range. When I saw a picture of their home in Illinois, I understood why!
The big difference at this time between Bedford and Londonderry's HS's is that Bedford is so new, and a new high school takes time to grow into itself. Sports teams, band, clubs, etc. all need to be formed from the ground up, whereas in an established HS, the older and more experienced students help to guide the newest additions. I also understand that anyone Bedford students who are presently attending Manchester's HS will remain there through graduation. Maybe less intimidating to incoming students, but IMO upperclassmen, with their experience do tend to set the tone for the school. Of course these "growing pains" are felt every time a town manages to pull away from the regional school they once belonged to.
If your daughter plays an instrument or is interested in music, consider Londonderry, and definitely visit Andy Soucy, music director for Londonderry. Back in June, the band visited China for a pre-Olympic ceremony, visit NYC every St. Patty's Day, march in multiple parades throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
I do agree with Wanna's advice regarding MA/NH residency. Comparing apples to apples on a tax burden for property tax--NH may be somewhat higher, but property in MA is generally higher in price than NH, so it may be a wash. I would suggest that you look at both. What city or town is he going to be teaching in? Keep in mind that traveling south on Rte. 93 can be a huge headache--maybe I can help you with some back-road shortcuts!
I also don't get a chance to check posts or post here as often as I would like (my laptop no longer likes city-data, so I have to use the slow and ancient PC-yuck!) However, I just set it up so if I get a direct message, the system will email me to let me know. Any questions, I'm happy to help if I can
Hi! thanks for the referral Wanna, but though I am a teacher, I'm currently not working We just moved to Bedford in August. We looked in Londonderry, but it was farther away from my Dh's job. However, if your dh is going to be working Northern MA, then Londonderry sounds like a great place. The schools are supposed to be very good, ValerieC can vouch for that.
I'm going to follow this thread because I was assuming I might be starting back at step 1 when I return to work. I have only 8 years experience, and by the time I go back I'll probably have been out of work for 8 years. In addition I'll have to renew my CA credential, then do whatever it takes to transfer it to NH.
I figured I was going to end up on step one. Coming from NJ with 10 years experience and a BA + 15, my salary next year will be around 62,000. I chose Londonderry because it is in the center of a lot of towns that have their own school system, so it will be easier for me to commute (when and if I get a job) and be home to spend time with my 12 year old. daughter.
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