Teaching And Living In Nc??? (Charlotte, Star: foreclosures, rent, car insurance)

[ean85]

I'm new to the site and I was just wondering if anyone had information on what it's like to be a teacher in NC.

My fiance has his bachelors degree in History with a minor in political science and only has a year left in finishing up his certification courses in Secondary Education, with certifications in: history, political science, and social studies. We're from Michigan, which is one of the top producers of teachers in the country, and there is NO job market here for him. We've already accepted that we will have to move out of state for him to find a job, and he's had advisors and friends in the program tell him that NC, SC, FL, and AZ are pretty "desperate" for teachers. So, I just had a few questions:

1) Does NC really hire teachers who aren't even certified? (that's what's going around the rumor mill here)

2) What is the pay like there for teachers? (Michigan teachers are the 5th best paid teachers in the country, how does NC compare?)

3) What's the cost of living like down there? (I'm just assuming it's less expensive than here in Michigan)

4) What are your winters like? (personally I HATE snow, so anywhere that doesn't get a lot is alright in my book)

5) What's the housing market like there? (Michigan has the third highest foreclosure rate in the country right now)

6) And overall, do you like living in NC? (We just want to start a life and raise a family in a place that doesn't have such a bleak future, like Michigan's is shaping up to be)

Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated!!!! And I'm sorry if all of this has been asked before,

[mm34b]

In this teacher salary survey by the American Federation of Teachers’ (AFT), Michigan was ranked 8th and North Carolina was 24th.

http://www.aft.org/presscenter/relea...ySurvey-NC.pdf

Winter-type precipitation usually occurs with southerly through easterly winds, and is seldom associated with very cold weather. Snow and sleet occur on an average once or twice a year near the coast, and not much more often over the southeastern half of the State. Such occurrences are nearly always connected with northeasterly winds, generated when a high pressure system over the interior, or northeastern United States, causes a southward flow of cold dry air down the coastline, while offshore a low pressure system brings in warmer, moist air from the North Atlantic. Farther inland, over the mountains and western Piedmont, frozen precipitation sometimes occurs in connection with low pressure storms, and in the extreme west with cold front passages from the northwest. Average winter snowfall over the State ranges from about inch per year on the Outer Banks and along the lower coast to about 10 inches in the northern Piedmont and 16 inches in the southern Mountains. Some of the higher mountain peaks and upper slopes receive an average of nearly 50 inches a year.

[jaynarie]

Originally Posted by ean85

I'm new to the site and I was just wondering if anyone had information on what it's like to be a teacher in NC.

My fiance has his bachelors degree in History with a minor in political science and only has a year left in finishing up his certification courses in Secondary Education, with certifications in: history, political science, and social studies. We're from Michigan, which is one of the top producers of teachers in the country, and there is NO job market here for him. We've already accepted that we will have to move out of state for him to find a job, and he's had advisors and friends in the program tell him that NC, SC, FL, and AZ are pretty "desperate" for teachers. So, I just had a few questions:

1) Does NC really hire teachers who aren't even certified? (that's what's going around the rumor mill here)

You can be a lateral entry and it is not an easy thing. Many hoops to jump through.

2) What is the pay like there for teachers? (Michigan teachers are the 5th best paid teachers in the country, how does NC compare?)

Much lower than Michigan. Starting salary is $29,750 plus any supplement. Not all districts have supplements. Mine is $2,000.

3) What's the cost of living like down there? (I'm just assuming it's less expensive than here in Michigan)

I pay almost double the rent here that I paid in Michigan. Groceries are higher and taxed. Things like car insurance and license plate fees are way cheaper though.

4) What are your winters like? (personally I HATE snow, so anywhere that doesn't get a lot is alright in my book)

There was less than an ince of snow in the Charlotte area I don't think it ever was below 30 degrees, either.

5) What's the housing market like there? (Michigan has the third highest foreclosure rate in the country right now)

Foreclosures are every where. The market is better than Michigan's, but I wouldn't call any US market good right now. It can also vary from region to region.

6) And overall, do you like living in NC? (We just want to start a life and raise a family in a place that doesn't have such a bleak future, like Michigan's is shaping up to be)

I like it, but I miss Michigan as well. More than I thought I would.

Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated!!!! And I'm sorry if all of this has been asked before,