Great... the one chance I had for a job is now gone (Pittsburgh: 2014, chapel)

[PA_Native71]

Originally Posted by Raven1976

I had looked into the teacher academy residence in Pittsburgh to possibly get a teaching job next year. I had the info and application and all. They've announced that their program has been completely cut due to a steep budget.


I hate being stuck in NJ. I'm going to have to study another career again. Teaching is not going to get me anywhere anymore outside of NJ. It's either too corrupt or budget cuts everything.

I rural areas across the country they have a teacher shortage and they are paying teachers extra to stay past retirement, this has happened at my alumna and it happens all thru the Mid-west they are desperate for qualified teachers, if you really are serious Kansas will help you get your masters if you do not have it yet as long as you stay in the area for awhile and may not pay as much but some towns in the Midwest you may have only 7-15 students per class, so that is good because you will never see more than 20 so it will be easier to teach you will know the parents, and things can get done alot easier, the bureaucracy is probably the same everywhere but at least there you will know how to handle each kid because their parents will find out if you tell them or not and they are more strict, so that may be a consideration for you, to many teachers out of college thinks they are going to get a big paying job in a big town, but the reality of it is that it is sometimes go to a small town for a few years and try to get in the school you want later after you have a few years under your belt, you become more valuable but I can tell you this you can have a comfortable life as a teacher in a small town and make real lifelong friends as well from the community plus you will see the parents when you are out so the kids do behave more because they know they can not take the chance their parents will find out, because they will.
hope this helps, sometimes it is better to work somewhere else for awhile at least in a rural area, to get the time in and then look for a position where you want to be even NWPA is looking for qualified teachers in the rural areas, they are not going to hire just anybody.

[Sideblinded]

Raven,

I am confused a bit. The criteria to get accepted into the now defunct teachers academy was NO TEACHING DEGREE OR EXPERIENCE allowed. If you have an education degree you would have been disqualified.

May I ask the people who think teachers are overpaid what their opinion is of central office staff making 140-200k and got raises from Dr. Lane just before the cuts?

[Raven1976]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

Raven,

I am confused a bit. The criteria to get accepted into the now defunct teachers academy was NO TEACHING DEGREE OR EXPERIENCE allowed. If you have an education degree you would have been disqualified.

May I ask the people who think teachers are overpaid what their opinion is of central office staff making 140-200k and got raises from Dr. Lane just before the cuts?

Oh.. That's not what I was told. I was told I could just transfer my certification from NJ to PA.

I laugh when people think teachers are overpaid. I know plenty of people in the BOE of my town alone that make over 100k as well just sitting at a desk doing nothing. We're the ones that bust our butts dealing with the kids and dealing with parents. I just wonder now if I should look somewhere else now and forget Pittsburgh. It's a shame because I like Pittsburgh, but it's starting to seem hopeless in so many areas and don't know if it will get any better.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Raven1976

Oh.. That's not what I was told. I was told I could just transfer my certification from NJ to PA.

You can transfer your certificaton to PA.

Sideblinded was pointing out that the teaching academy you were applying for did NOT want people with degrees in education and did NOT want people with teaching experience. Apparently that teaching academy didn't want TEACHERS who had experience or education teaching because the academy was trying to do something different.

Originally Posted by Raven1976

I laugh when people think teachers are overpaid. I know plenty of people in the BOE of my town alone that make over 100k as well just sitting at a desk doing nothing. We're the ones that bust our butts dealing with the kids and dealing with parents.

Teachers in the Pittsburgh metro area do make near 100k before 10 years. AND Pittsburgh's cost of living is significantly lower than NJ. THAT'S why there's so much competition for teaching jobs here.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Again, market economics would require employers and employees to bargain to a mutually acceptable compensation, which is what happens now. You want "strong politicians" with no democratic accountability to set the price instead.

Welcome to Mother Russia.

They've got market salaries now. You want to replace them with centrally-planned compensation instead.

Again, I just find all this new-found love of central planning amusing.

It is being a bit disingenous to lump government negotiating with unions in the same arena with Private sector empoyers negotiating with employees. Last time I checked private unions do not give money to the same people they are negotiating with, further, public unions do not negotiate with those that have to foot the bill directly with their own money unlike their private counterparts.
Everyone acknowledges that PAT is in terrible financial shape because of terrible agreements made in the past with their union - were those also market salaries & pensions? Or is that somehow different.

Western PA has a large surplus of people with teaching degrees, in other segments of the private sector this would lead to salaries being pushed downward and benefits reduced until it reached a point where a lack of people wanting to teach drove the price back up, but in the public sector that idea is heresy.
I am sure you are familiar with the legal industry.... Western PA has a surplus of barred lawyers too, the result is that salaries in that profession have been driven down from what they were years ago, there are no union contracts in that industry & thus the market has dictated a salary decline & new law school grads will line up to take a job that would pay $25K. Its a crappy reality, but its still the market reality & it will continue until either the market for lawyers picks up or enough people decide on another profession that said surplus disappears.

[Raven1976]

Originally Posted by Hopes

You can transfer your certificaton to PA.

Sideblinded was pointing out that the teaching academy you were applying for did NOT want people with degrees in education and did NOT want people with teaching experience. Apparently that teaching academy didn't want TEACHERS who had experience or education teaching because the academy was trying to do something different.


Teachers in the Pittsburgh metro area do make near 100k before 10 years. AND Pittsburgh's cost of living is significantly lower than NJ. THAT'S why there's so much competition for teaching jobs here.

Well damn I have a master's degree and after 7 years I make 52k..nowhere near that.


I really think they need to stop these programs now then that want people with no experience or that do alternate route. There are more than enough teachers who have studied the traditional way to fill all these jobs instead of other people saturating the field that use a fast track program.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Raven1976

Well damn I have a master's degree and after 7 years I make 52k..nowhere near that.

I hope the $100K in 7 years is exaggerating, but not sure. Teachers in our region do make that kind of money, but it is usually after 15 or so years with a masters. Yes, NJ salaries cannot hang with our area in the teaching profession. You are really way under paid in comparison. Just go strike and all will be great.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Raven1976

I really think they need to stop these programs now then that want people with no experience or that do alternate route. There are more than enough teachers who have studied the traditional way to fill all these jobs instead of other people saturating the field that use a fast track program.

Since the education system is failing, many people believe the traditional way of teaching is the problem.

The best private schools in the country have many teachers who don't have degrees. They are respected people in their fields. And students from those private schools are more likely to attend Ivy League schools.

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I hope the $100K in 7 years is exaggerating, but not sure.

I didn't say in 7 years. I said by 10 years. Teachers in North Allegheny make near 100k in 10 years. There's another school district where they are at 80k by 8 years, can't remember which one. Teachers earn very good salaries here for a metro area with such a low cost of living.

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Yes, NJ salaries cannot hang with our area in the teaching profession. You are really way under paid in comparison.

That's right. NJ teacher's salaries don't compare to PA. If she wants a teaching job in elementary education, she'll have a better chance looking in NC, FL, AL or any of the other states that are desperate for teachers. The pay will probably be worse than what she makes now, but the cost of living with be extremely low.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I didn't say in 7 years. I said by 10 years. Teachers in North Allegheny make near 100k in 10 years. There's another school district where they are at 80k by 8 years, can't remember which one. Teachers earn very good salaries here for a metro area with such a low cost of living.

Are you sure teachers are really making close to 100K in around 10 years for a job that is less than 10 months a year and less than 8 hours a day, with a pensions that the president of the US would be happy with? You ARE exaggerating.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Are you sure teachers are really making close to 100K in around 10 years for a job that is less than 10 months a year and less than 8 hours a day, with a pensions that the president of the US would be happy with? You ARE exaggerating.

No, I'm not. I have friend who is a teacher at NA. That's what they were earning under a contract 6 years ago when she was trying to convince me to go get my certification. I've found published budget info for some local school districts in the past and have posted links here. Please tell me I don't need to go find the links AGAIN to prove something I've already proven in the past. NA is among the top paid school districts in the country. Many others in the metro area aren't far behind them but don't make the top national list.