New Jersey Performing Arts High Schools - Teaching Positions (Newark: fit in, 2014)

[ajbugeja]

My husband and I are considering moving to New Jersey (if we can find a high school that will be hiring a full-time Drama/Theater and/or Speech Teacher with a Masters Degree in Education along with a BS in Theater and a Minor in Art. My husband will have national certification once he graduates in May and we want to leave Arkansas and head to a school and community that is rich in culture, safe and has reasonably priced housing. We have two sons, one will be in 10th grade and the other will be in 7th grade. Our 7th grade son has an IEP in written expression and is under the special education title as "other health impaired". Also, I hold a secondary education degree in Unified Science but my emphasis is in Biology. I would like to find part-time employment only, but I do not know if the school districts hire part time instructors or teachers aids, so any advise is preferred.

Does anyone know which school districts are the best to consider and where the options would be to submit resumes this spring for the 2013/2014 school year. My husband would also like to continue to perform on stage and also on film. Any suggestions that anyone could provide in regards to schools, school districts and housing suburbs (where to look to find rentals until we can find house to purchase) and where to start looking would be greatly appreciated.

The other piece to this puzzle requires that my husband also find a army military base within a reasonable distance from our home where he can continue with the national guard, he has to transfer units, preferably one that has a 92A slot.

We want to move this summer and be ready to begin by the beginning of the next school year.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[exhdo1]

Currently trying to recover from a nasty hurricane that blew through here last week and preparing for another storm due to hit later today. Kind of busy now but we'll get back to you.

[ajbugeja]

I know, I understand. I can't even imagine what everyone is going through right now. I don't expect to hear anything regarding schools at this time, but I just needed to post the question so I wouldn't forget to ask. You are in my prayers daily and I pray that everyone is safe, warm and receiving help. I don't know what I can do, but please let me know if the midwestern states can help in any way.

Is the Red Cross dispatched yet, what about the National Guard for disaster relief efforts?

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by ajbugeja

I know, I understand. I can't even imagine what everyone is going through right now. I don't expect to hear anything regarding schools at this time, but I just needed to post the question so I wouldn't forget to ask. You are in my prayers daily and I pray that everyone is safe, warm and receiving help. I don't know what I can do, but please let me know if the midwestern states can help in any way.

Is the Red Cross dispatched yet, what about the National Guard for disaster relief efforts?

Both are at work in NJ.

[ajbugeja]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Both are at work in NJ.

I'm glad to hear this. Hopefully things will be up and running again in no time. I just can't fathom how everyone is able to stay warm, have food and continue to go to work with such dire circumstances.

[KoalaNJ]

Originally Posted by ajbugeja

My husband and I are considering moving to New Jersey (if we can find a high school that will be hiring a full-time Drama/Theater and/or Speech Teacher with a Masters Degree in Education along with a BS in Theater and a Minor in Art. My husband will have national certification once he graduates in May and we want to leave Arkansas and head to a school and community that is rich in culture, safe and has reasonably priced housing. We have two sons, one will be in 10th grade and the other will be in 7th grade. Our 7th grade son has an IEP in written expression and is under the special education title as "other health impaired". Also, I hold a secondary education degree in Unified Science but my emphasis is in Biology. I would like to find part-time employment only, but I do not know if the school districts hire part time instructors or teachers aids, so any advise is preferred.

Does anyone know which school districts are the best to consider and where the options would be to submit resumes this spring for the 2013/2014 school year. My husband would also like to continue to perform on stage and also on film. Any suggestions that anyone could provide in regards to schools, school districts and housing suburbs (where to look to find rentals until we can find house to purchase) and where to start looking would be greatly appreciated.

The other piece to this puzzle requires that my husband also find a army military base within a reasonable distance from our home where he can continue with the national guard, he has to transfer units, preferably one that has a 92A slot.

We want to move this summer and be ready to begin by the beginning of the next school year.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

I just wanted to take a few minutes to give you some info you should know before moving to NJ, on teaching positions in NJ. Finding any teaching position in NJ is extremely difficult. Most districts simply are not hiring due to the economy. Districts that do have openings are seeing literally hundreds of applicants for each opening. My local district, which is a sought after school district, received 500+ applicants for each position. Others on C/D have indicated that even in the less desirable schools (Newark, Camden, etc) there were 250+ applicants. All of the recently hired teachers at my school district had been working in the district as a substitute for several years before obtaining permanent positions. The same is true for other area schools.

You should also be aware that although your husband will have national certification, NJ State certification may not be granted unless he completes further training or has three years successful teaching under the certificate. (see New Jersey Licensure & Credentials - Out-of-State Teachers for more info)

You should also know that your husband is not the only actor who moves to NJ to get a job teaching drama/english/speech while they try to catch their break in NYC. There are thousands of them seeking such jobs every year. School districts are aware of this phenomena, and their hiring practices reflect this.

As far as communities with good schools, that are in safe areas, we have plenty of those! To be able to give you truly useful answers, we need more info from you. Please see the sticky post at the top of this forum, //www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...residents.html and provide us with your answers to the list of questions.

HTH
KoalaNJ

[ajbugeja]

Here are my answers to:
Questions For Future and Potential Residents
*Read this list so you are aware of what should be included if you are moving from out of area and coming to New Jersey.


Where are you coming from? Fort Smith, AR
Why are you moving? My husband is seeking a teaching job where he can work as a teacher, act on the side and continue his Army NG status as a commissioned officer.
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC? Yes, we both will be working. I have a teaching license in Science and my husband is finishing his masters in education and will graduate this May. He also holds a dual BA in Theater and Art and a minor in Psychology. He can also look for work on an Army base on AGR status if he is unable to find work teaching. I plan on substituting or finding employment elsewhere if substitute work is not available. We don't mind working in NY or NJ or PA, whatever is available, but we want to live in NJ. I also have over three years experience in conducting child abuse/neglect/maltreatment investigations and I would be interested in entering into this line of work again if the opportunity presented itself.
Will you buy or rent? we will rent until we decide that we want to buy something. We do not want to get a mortgage for a home if we do not want to stay in the NJ area. We are considering other states to move in addition to NJ, such as FL and TX
What is your budget ? Our family has lived on a very meager budget for the last several years and we would continue the same until we found a home we were interested in purchasing. It is unknown what our budget would be because the cost of living is so different in the NJ area than it is for AR. Any help or suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
What kind of place are you looking for ? A home or duplex with a back yard, three bedrooms (at least) and parking space. A place close enough to New York but far enough away to not be considered urban.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? There will be four of us moving, my husband, myself, my 16-year-old son (as of January) and my 12-year-old son. In addition to this we also have two 6-year-old cats and two dogs.
Do you need/want good public schools? We need a public school that will be suitable for my son who has an IEP as other health impaired, but that can specifically deal with is literacy, spelling and written expression deficit. My other son is exceptionally bright and has already completed several AP courses for 9th grade, but he also has Aspergers and would benefit by receiving instruction in his specialty area of computers and programing. I would love to find a charter school or a public school where they can both receive the specialized and individual care they both need and deserve.

Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) We have lived in several different types of communities but we both desperately want to live near an artsy yet diverse community. We have had enough of everyone knowing your business type of town, so we would welcome our privacy but would like to get to know our neighbors and would welcome the chance to meet and make new friends. It would be great if they had children close to the same age as our sons or younger (we do plan on adding on at least one more child). We would like to live in close proximity to an active Catholic Church and also have other areas where we could find a great Boy Scout troop to transfer to.

List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc) The three things that are most important to me are safety, close proximity to an active and thriving Catholic Church and Boy Scout Troop, exciting activities for our family and also for adults (indoor or outdoor is great). We love the beach so a drive that wouldn't be longer than 45 minutes would be nice, but not necessarily the highest priority. A decent commute is also very important and close proximity to great schools suited to our children's needs is also on the top of the list.

I hope my answers to your questions help you to understand what we are looking for and what we can offer the state of New Jersey. This is a big move for our family and we are excited yet apprehensive at the same time. Our family always does recon before we make a move and we always have a plan of action before we do anything. We are just looking for the state that is best suited to our needs and where we can fit in the best. I also am partial to moving to the NE because of the rich history and the beauty of the area; I have longed to move to the NJ/NY area for over 20 years now. My aunt lived and worked in the NJ/NY area for many years before she moved to Australia with her current husband and son, and I have often wished that she still lived there so that we would have family in this area.
My husband family has been tied to this area for over 100 years now, his great-grandfather immigrated from Malta to the US in 1904 and lived in Brooklyn, NY and worked at Edison Electric until he retired (he passed away in '83 or '73, I can't remember which one). My husband's father was born in Brooklyn and he lived there until he was a teenager, and he had many fond memories and lots of stories to share. He eventually moved to Pittsburg when my husband's grandfather got a new job and then they retired and moved down to Pinellas Park, FL, where they currently reside. We know that we have family by marriage living in the New York area but my husband has never met them.

This is all I know and I hope this sheds insight about our family. Please let me know where in NJ we should look that would be suitable to our needs. Do you think any of the schools would be preferential to men who are also have military experience (commissioned officers)?

[snuffybear]

I hear Red Bank HS is good for performing arts.
Brick is a good town for children with IEPs.

There are military base(s) around that area.
It is about 1.5hr from NYC and near ocean. Nice area, but just hit by hurricane.