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Old 08-05-2011, 12:40 PM
 
9 posts, read 34,046 times
Reputation: 16

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We are looking to relocate from Philadelphia to the Orlando area...maybe Ocoee/Davenport? etc...not sure yet just beginning the research on areas..but I need any info about how to go about obtaining a teaching position in elementary public or charter school. I need any info about good districts, how to apply, how difficult it is to get a teaching job, how to do it from Philadelphia. Thanks so much
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Old 08-05-2011, 07:42 PM
 
Location: Central FL
1,382 posts, read 3,786,759 times
Reputation: 1192
I don't have the time to explain this all over again right now. You need to go on Teachers.net and look on the Florida chatboard to see all that has been going on down here this spring.

Are you teaching in PA? Do you have tenure? You are in for a very RUDE awakening down here. Long story short: terrible pay, horrible benefits, NO tenure - ever (annual contracts forever), probation for the entire first year you teach (can be fired at anytime during the year for no reason).

The pension plan was just changed so that new teachers will basically have ZERO cost of living increase after retirement. If you have any understanding of math/ finance, you know what that means.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but why on Earth would you make this move? We must moved back from Georgia, and honestly, FL is a million times worse for teachers than GA. At least in GA, our salaries would be $9,000 higher and family insurance only costs $268 vs $800 here (per month).

Do your homework. Oh and FL raised all of the prices of testing, so you'll be paying $220 per test plus $75 to add each one to your teaching certificate!
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Old 08-06-2011, 05:56 PM
 
9 posts, read 34,046 times
Reputation: 16
I do have tenure, but I am thinking of moving down for better quality of life..of course I want to continue teaching and I am very put off by the huge cut in salary too, but I would hope the trade off of a better life for my family and son would be worth it.

I teach at a charter school in the city, a very good neighborhood school BUT the city is becoming a major problem, that is why we are "thinking" about the move. We like the idea of outdoor fun and much to do.....

You sound like you had a terrible experience down there...why, if you dont mind me asking.

Thank you for your honesty because it does make me think!
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Old 08-08-2011, 05:53 PM
 
Location: Central FL
1,382 posts, read 3,786,759 times
Reputation: 1192
Well, I stated the facts as to why Florida is not the best place for teachers right now. The cost of living is not exactly cheap either. Salaries are rock bottom (even a state like GA pays thousands more and has way better health insurance) My sister-in-law lives in PA and tells me how good teachers have it there (and in NJ where my other SIL lives) Things down here are *nothing* like that.

Students are facing a lot of issues here now, from homelessness to poverty. Many of the open jobs in FL are at the Title I schools. The jobs at the more affluent schools will immediately be taken by in-district transfers (teachers at rough schools who want to move over). Everyone is trying to get into the "best" schools that they can because your student test scores will be reported to the state of FL for this year's test (given in Spring 2012). The state reserves the right to "take action against" your teaching certificate if your value-added score doesn't come out right.

Just think about it carefully. Could you move to a different area of PA? I hear that you keep your tenure in PA when you move counties. (that certainly was never the case in FL and now of course, tenure is gone for new teachers anyway)

If you are seeking a good family-oriented environment, I think Ocoee would be off the list. That area is going downhill fast. Not safe IMO. Davenport is pretty much a big nothing too. There are better areas for families, but I do hear that Polk schools are ok.

Seminole County known for being a destination for families who are relocating, but that district has been issuing some pretty dire budget predictions for next June. They just closed a school and it looks like they may close some more. Also, that district and my current district are both talking about going to a 4-day school week due to the budget crisis.
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Old 08-08-2011, 06:07 PM
 
Location: SE Florida
1,194 posts, read 4,113,101 times
Reputation: 758
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riogirl84 View Post
We are looking to relocate from Philadelphia to the Orlando area...maybe Ocoee/Davenport? etc...not sure yet just beginning the research on areas..but I need any info about how to go about obtaining a teaching position in elementary public or charter school. I need any info about good districts, how to apply, how difficult it is to get a teaching job, how to do it from Philadelphia. Thanks so much
I worked for 34 years in the Phiily area. My friend still lives in 19148 zip code and his son goes to a charter school in the city.

Anyway, teaching positions are not good in most sections Florida whereas the QOL in Florida is so much better than the north. I moved from the Valley Forge area worked for the Govt. and taught College on the side..I was 55 years old and had enogh City of Phila. mess. My wife worked for UoP for 30 years too. We now believe Florida is not an area to look for an upscale job especially in the teaching field. My Ph.D. would not help me now if I desired to work because of the total lack of jobs.

My neighbor has a PhD and was a VP of a local school. Her VP salary was 60k and not enough to pay off her school loans of 145k..They moved back to Michigan where her salary almost doubled.

...
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Old 08-09-2011, 06:01 PM
 
9 posts, read 34,046 times
Reputation: 16
That is amazing because I make more than your VP friend and I am only a classroom teacher at my charter school.....I actually live in 19148 zip code! What charter school does your friend send her child to? I send my son to the school where I work too! Small world.
This is the first step I am making in the possible (dream) move-researching! I do not like what I hear at all about state of education in FL...it really makes me so disappointed, it almost is like I would have to leave teaching to move there...I sometimes wonder if the QOL for my family is worth a career change? I also wonder what other type of career could I even get with a teaching degree?
Thanks for all the wonderful help and feedback!
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Old 08-17-2011, 08:09 AM
 
189 posts, read 518,504 times
Reputation: 78
In addition to the great insight people here will offer, THE LEDGER newspaper covers Polk County education/teaching issues frequently. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL covers Orange, Lake, Osceola & Seminole Counties. You can read both online and should, for real-time info on the many changes affecting teachers in FLA right now as well as 'quality-of-life' information that may be important to you & your family.
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Old 08-17-2011, 09:37 AM
 
Location: Orlando Metro Area
3,595 posts, read 6,912,155 times
Reputation: 2409
Hi RioGirl, my fiancee is a teacher for suburban Seminole county so hopefully I can bring a semi-insider's POV mixed with a semi-outsider's POV. Yes, a lot of the horror stories you are hearing right now are true. Yes the new TP Governor is attacking the union, teacher pay, tenure, and school funding. However, the good news is this is all nothing new, and the world hasn't come to an end. Truthfully, tenure in Florida has always been a joke and the same goes for pay. My fiancee actually doesn't mind not having tenure (although she will after 1 more year) because like any job, she knows if her bosses like the job she's doing, she will be fine. So she and I are in the same boat, we both have to work hard and please our managers or else we'll be finding new jobs. Also, the pay in Florida is low, but she is from South Carolina and she makes over 10k per year more here. SC also has state income tax so some of her college buddies back home are living off 26k before taxes!!! So even if it's true that GA pays 9k more than Fl, remember they also take back more of your income because of State withholding. The only thing I would say that is a deal breaker for teaching in Florida is having to teach to a test that will determine your job safety and pay raises. They call this plan merit pay and suggest it's holding teacher's accountable for their own actions. To me, it's tantamount to a dentist being evaluated by whether or not her patients go home and floss. She did her job, presented the information, made the her expectations to the patients clear, but the patient exhibited zero personal responsibility for their own dental health at home. This merit pay plan is an example of of holding teachers accountable for 25 other people's (and their parents) actions/non-actions and is very contrary to it's actual intent. That said, Florida voters passed and upheld a class size amendment and therefore even with the massive funding cuts, counties are still hiring here and there. Good luck.
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Old 08-17-2011, 04:41 PM
 
2,580 posts, read 3,718,580 times
Reputation: 2092
Quote:
Originally Posted by OrlFlaUsa View Post
Truthfully, tenure in Florida has always been a joke and the same goes for pay. My fiancee actually doesn't mind not having tenure (although she will after 1 more year) because like any job, she knows if her bosses like the job she's doing, she will be fine.
If you didn't get a Professional Service Contract prior to July 1, 2011, you will never get it.

I know it's just a word, but just to educate the masses, Florida hasn't had "tenure" since 1982. Prior to then, long-term teachers had Continuing Contracts, which is more akin to what people consider tenure to be. The only ones who still have Continuing Contracts are teachers who have been in the same district since 1982. I doubt there are too many of them left. Contrary to the views of people who get their education news from "Waiting for Superman" and news pundits projecting their views about things they've heard about their local NYC, NJ, and DC schools onto the entire country, teachers with a Professional Service Contract in Florida are subject to immediate dismissal for misconduct and incompetence. It's in the Florida Statutes.


Teacher tenure Florida: Merit pay bill in Florida would end tenure even for teachers who were "in the pipeline" toward eligibility. - Orlando Sentinel

I know this story says "if." The bill was signed.
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Old 08-17-2011, 06:12 PM
 
Location: Orlando Metro Area
3,595 posts, read 6,912,155 times
Reputation: 2409
Quote:
Originally Posted by boy3365 View Post
If you didn't get a Professional Service Contract prior to July 1, 2011, you will never get it.

I know it's just a word, but just to educate the masses, Florida hasn't had "tenure" since 1982. Prior to then, long-term teachers had Continuing Contracts, which is more akin to what people consider tenure to be. The only ones who still have Continuing Contracts are teachers who have been in the same district since 1982. I doubt there are too many of them left. Contrary to the views of people who get their education news from "Waiting for Superman" and news pundits projecting their views about things they've heard about their local NYC, NJ, and DC schools onto the entire country, teachers with a Professional Service Contract in Florida are subject to immediate dismissal for misconduct and incompetence. It's in the Florida Statutes.


Teacher tenure Florida: Merit pay bill in Florida would end tenure even for teachers who were "in the pipeline" toward eligibility. - Orlando Sentinel

I know this story says "if." The bill was signed.
Wow thank you for linking a source, there has been much confusion regarding this. Just tonight I had dinner with some teachers who were under the impression that teachers in the pipeline were okay, guess not. How come this kind of stuff doesn't have educators marching on Tally, oh wait your point about 1982...
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