How's it to teach at Community Colleges in NYC? (New York: to rent, roughest)
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I'm a mathematics teacher that has been teaching at a community college in a small town in the midwest. Will be moving to the NYC region because I've met the love of my life. However, I hear that Community Colleges in NYC and NJ are not far behind High Schools in terms of bad behaviour, poorly motivated students, even gang behaviour in those colleges. If this is right I'd be better off looking for work in 4 year colleges but I only have a master's and not a Ph.D. Maybe that metropolitan area is too competitive to land a job in 4 year college without a Ph.D? Thoughts and tips about places to teach and places to live in in NYC/NJ region that are safe to live in greatly appreciated.
Some possible alternatives for someone with a master's degree but not a Ph.D. might be adult/continuing education courses offered by many colleges and universities here. I don't know if your specialty would fit this situation or not, but that's the first thing that came to mind.
Some four-year colleges also offer associate's degrees; these might be less like the community colleges you have described.
In any case, there are a plethora of colleges, universities, and training institutes in NYC and the New York metro area. Some are city colleges; others are state-run; others are private. Some schools have a curriculum focused on more immediate career training (medical technician, paralegal, business, and so on) and may offer 2 year, 4 year, or even master's programs or certificates in some cases.
With a master's, you might do a lot better in terms of salary and benefits if you choose to teach in the public schools. High schools are generally the roughest (as opposed to, say, elementary) but it also depends on the individual school district--some are a lot better than others. Private schools might be an option, but I don't think their pay and job security/benefits are too great. NYC public schools are protected by a solid union which makes opportunities for advancement, job security, and great benefits available to you. Far as I know, with a master's you might be able to command a significantly better salary.
As far as where to live, the first consideration would be maximum budget for housing, and whether you want to rent or buy, as well as how long a commute you could comfortably handle.
My understanding is that the old Board of Education run system has been dismantled (I believe) so it could be that the system is improving. If interested, see other threads on this forum re: teaching in the pubic schools. Even those teaching in the Bronx public high schools seem to have much less of a problem than many residents would believe them to have (based on some of the teachers who post here)--at least in terms of safety.
Another possibility might be private tutoring, either full time or on the side.
Some possible alternatives for someone with a master's degree but not a Ph.D. might be adult/continuing education courses offered by many colleges and universities here. I don't know if your specialty would fit this situation or not, but that's the first thing that came to mind.
Some four-year colleges also offer associate's degrees; these might be less like the community colleges you have described.
In any case, there are a plethora of colleges, universities, and training institutes in NYC and the New York metro area. Some are city colleges; others are state-run; others are private. Some schools have a curriculum focused on more immediate career training (medical technician, paralegal, business, and so on) and may offer 2 year, 4 year, or even master's programs or certificates in some cases.
With a master's, you might do a lot better in terms of salary and benefits if you choose to teach in the public schools. High schools are generally the roughest (as opposed to, say, elementary) but it also depends on the individual school district--some are a lot better than others. Private schools might be an option, but I don't think their pay and job security/benefits are too great. NYC public schools are protected by a solid union which makes opportunities for advancement, job security, and great benefits available to you. Far as I know, with a master's you might be able to command a significantly better salary.
As far as where to live, the first consideration would be maximum budget for housing, and whether you want to rent or buy, as well as how long a commute you could comfortably handle.
Are you planning on pursuing your Ph.D. as well?
Too old for the Ph.D now, thank you for asking. The adult/continuing education sound interesting. I've only got my subject specific degree in mathematics. Do you know if any additional teaching qualification is required for that kind of teaching? From what I know one can do both Pre GED and Post GED.
My understanding is that the old Board of Education run system has been dismantled (I believe) so it could be that the system is improving. If interested, see other threads on this forum re: teaching in the pubic schools. Even those teaching in the Bronx public high schools seem to have much less of a problem than many residents would believe them to have (based on some of the teachers who post here)--at least in terms of safety.
Another possibility might be private tutoring, either full time or on the side.
The private tutoring sounds interesting but the rates I've seen are scaringly low, such as $10 per hour. How do New Yorkers manage to live off of that?
Who told the OP that community colleges are ganged up?
If I heard wrong then would you please tell me what the situation is then? How would you characterize community colleges in the NYC/NJ region, if you had to generalize, in terms of students motivation and behaviour?
Too old for the Ph.D now, thank you for asking. The adult/continuing education sound interesting. I've only got my subject specific degree in mathematics. Do you know if any additional teaching qualification is required for that kind of teaching? From what I know one can do both Pre GED and Post GED.
What's your background in teaching?
Offhand, I don't know, though I think you need certification to teach in public schools. You could check some of the websites for info on their continuing ed programs. Here's a few offhand:
NYU/SCPS (School of Continuing and Professional Studies)
The New School University
Columbia University
Fordham University
CUNY (city college system, including 2 and 4 year)
Again, my impression is that you might do better both financially and job-stability/benefits wise in the NYC public school system. There are also admin/supervisory/principal postions that can be very lucrative/desirable as well.
My impression is that with a master's, you may not be able to advance very far in most of the colleges and universities. Even getting a doctorate is no guarantee, since unless you make tenure you're probably somewhat expendable. But in general, the continuing ed positions don't always require Ph.D.'s and the better ones (like NYU's) may offer more of a solid career.
I am not a teacher, but I do have a master's from NYU, and worked in a university setting for many years. My aunt and cousin were also in the NYC school system for many years.
Can't speak to the GED question, though. The continuing ed I'm speaking of is not really related to that. If you look up NYU/SCPS you will see what I mean. It may be that math may not be as in demand in continuing/adult ed (vs. community college/tech/trade schools).
If I heard wrong then would you please tell me what the situation is then? How would you characterize community colleges in the NYC/NJ region, if you had to generalize, in terms of students motivation and behaviour?
A lot of the people that go to community colleges are not bad people. They usually have some personal issue that caused them to not be able to go to a 4-year. The students can be very motivated because they want to be able to transfer to a good school. There also tends to be a lot of older people with full time jobs so that is not a bad thing either. In NYC I know BMCC and LaGuardia have pretty decent reps.
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