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Hello everyone. I am a recent (2 weeks) elementary education graduate of Indiana State University and I have always been infatuated with the New England area. I have really been looking into the Providence area and will soon apply to the Cranston, Providence, Pawtucket schools. I was just wondering what is your opinion of the Providence area.
Hi there,
well i have lived in RI since i was 5 and am currently a teacher in my 15th year in a providence suburb. it depends on what you are looking for?? dont be fooled by the pictures of historic church steeples and new england farms....providence is urban...and with it you will be faced with some decent urban issues....i visited pawtucket and providence schools as a visiting presenter several times prior to my current full time job. all the areas you mentioned are cities and have an urban poplulation.
all that said, teaching can be wonderful and fulfilling...however if you read about gist at all in RI (google her) there are many changes underway here....personally i am looking to get out of the profession in 5 to 1o years. i work 10 to 12 hr days, have a huge amount of stress and responsibility that i dont mind if i were compensated for it. there is a reason we enjoy 12 weeks off per year. it is because most teachers will tell you that we are drained and exhausted at teh end of the day...most teachers work second jobs, our biggest joke/complaint is that we all fantasize about a job where we can go to the bathroom when we want....you dont realize what a wonderful priviledge that is unless you are a teacher...i wont complain about my 20 min lunch that is always interupted by either students or my 10 min walk to the bathrooms!!!!
that said best of luck!!! mold young minds! just take some yoga or meditation classes adn take care of yourself!!!
and ps New England IS one of the most beauiful places in the world.....try some suburban areas also....the best schools systems arent always the best places to work (east greenwich, north kingstown, barrington, portsmouth) because i have friends who work in some of those towns and the stress is higher due to parent involvement and more pressure from administration.....
Thanks for the reply, but I have spent a year in inner-city schools and I do not want to be anywhere else. The urban schools of RI/MA/CT have leaped out at me. I am coming from the north central section of Indiana and have spent much time in Indianapolis. I am just wanting to get away for now and see some place new. May I ask what suburb if you don't mind. How is the cost of living in the area? Are there apartments readily available in the city? Please do not act as if I do not know of the challenges of teaching. Of course I have not spent as much time as you in a classroom, but I believe a year and a half of teaching without getting paid is a good prerequisite of knowing what it takes to be a teacher, let alone in an inner-city school.
Hello everyone. I am a recent (2 weeks) elementary education graduate of Indiana State University and I have always been infatuated with the New England area. I have really been looking into the Providence area and will soon apply to the Cranston, Providence, Pawtucket schools. I was just wondering what is your opinion of the Providence area.
The cost of living in RI is very high, taxes are awful, average home price right now is in the $225,000 range. In that range, property taxes will be in the $3,000 to $4,000 month rangwe. Average rent for a safe quiet apartment would be in the $1200/mo. range with or w/o utilities. Any lower may not be desireable areas. Auto insurance is very high, as are motor vehicle taxes which are up to each city/town. Population is very dense in RI if you are within 10 mile radius of the City of Providence. Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket are high crime, and you should call the police dept. first for information on any neighborhood you are contemplating. Check the local newspaper also for up to date information on demographics. www.projo.com
Rhode Island is losing population, not gaining. You are getting good advice/opinions.
The cost of living in RI is very high, taxes are awful, average home price right now is in the $225,000 range. In that range, property taxes will be in the $3,000 to $4,000 month rangwe.
Rhode Island is losing population, not gaining.
The 2010 census shows that RI has gained population. It has probably gained even more than have been counted since many people chose to not answer the census for various reasons.
Housing prices are relative. Average means very little. Depends on your requirements for neighborhoods and requirements in a house. To me, a high priced house is over 500k. Many, many, modest houses in ring cities and in Providence are under 200K now. $3-4K a year (not a month!) in taxes is not always a lot when you consider that we have no county or city tax levels like many other states.
I think it is wonderful that you are willing to commit to an urban teaching experience. You are certainly needed- whether you can find a job without much experience is another issue. Multiple language skills would certainly be an asset. I would suggest you personally visit principals at various schools.
Mailing a resume will get you nowhere.
i am not trying to act in any way...just giving my opinion and trying to help....wow it s funny how easily someone can get offended....you cant see my face or hear my tone, it was a friendly reply.
i wanted to save the world when i was just out of school...i knew in my heart i would ONLY work in an inner city school....while getting my masters i changed my mind....i wont go into why,. it wasnt for me...
i can only offer my humble opinion...and hopefully you take what you can use and simply discard the rest. in my opinion, teaching is hard enough...add low budgets, impoverished conditions, non cooperative and non supportive parents and administration...i think you d have to be a saint...and well you could be....it simply wasnt for me...that doesnt mean i think what i do is better or worse or anything in between.
i dont want to reveal where i work, no. sorry. cost of living in ri is high but your salary will be higher as well. it s more expensive to live in providence than a suburb....depends on what suburb. you can live in pawtucket, cranston, or even parts of providence very inexpensively....but you wont be in what i would consider to be a safe neighborhood. you could live in an adorable 2 bedroom across from the water in other parts of ri for around $700-$1000. most school teachers work 2 to 3 jobs early in their career.....you have to put in 9 or 10 years in most districts to be able to afford to quit those extra jobs. i still have a few part time jobs to help out....
the most beautiful parts of RI, imo, are east bay, east greenwich, north kingston, little compton, newport, portsmouth...one of the most inexpensive places in the state to live,and also one of the most adorable is warren...part of east bay...
all that said, set an intention and i m sure you ll do just fine. i would recommend living somewhere on the pawtucket/east side of providence line...near the blvd....hope street area is nice....there are so many gorgeous parts ...enjoy...it really is beautiful here, you wont regret the move.
best of luck!!!
Last edited by artist616; 01-03-2011 at 05:45 PM..
Reason: forgot to add!
all that IS true...however there are still many many advantages...my best friend had an adorable 2 bedroom in bristol with a waterview...very good neighborhood and extremely safe...those are out there, yes you have to look for them....you have to spend some time here to know what you want and seek out some good areas....i would stay clear of living in pawtucket, cranston, downtown providence, johnston, and expecially north providence....stay near the coastal towns if you can...there is a more relaxed mentality and you can still find deals on apartments owned by old timers who maticulously take care of their property.....
as they probably told you in college, teaching is the ONE profession where you are more desirable a candidate with less experience. this is true because cities and townships are perpetually suffering budget crises and your pay scale is bottom step.
The 2010 census shows that RI has gained population. It has probably gained even more than have been counted since many people chose to not answer the census for various reasons.
Housing prices are relative. Average means very little. Depends on your requirements for neighborhoods and requirements in a house. To me, a high priced house is over 500k. Many, many, modest houses in ring cities and in Providence are under 200K now. $3-4K a year (not a month!) in taxes is not always a lot when you consider that we have no county or city tax levels like many other states.
I think it is wonderful that you are willing to commit to an urban teaching experience. You are certainly needed- whether you can find a job without much experience is another issue. Multiple language skills would certainly be an asset. I would suggest you personally visit principals at various schools.
Mailing a resume will get you nowhere.
Pardon the yearly error in property taxes. $3Kto $4K is average yearly property taxes in the$225K home price range. Everyone in RI would agree and excuse the error. If you believe that $500K is a lot of money, then you are in the minority in RI. The $225,000 is "average" or "median" price range. RI'ers are having a difficult time making ends meet in RI with the high cost of living. Corruption is rampant in RI and anyone can read about it weekly in the Providence Journal. How many of your elected officials were thrown in jail last year? The year before? RI had NO population gain, it had a loss of population, the facts are available for anyone interested enough in researching them.
60 years of living and working in RI qualifies me to state an honest opinion. It is a shame what RI has become; maybe Linc Chafee can give you guys a leg up; but I doubt it ... his elitism will doom him.
Cheerleading about RI can be commendable on aesthetics issues for certain towns where half million dollar homes abound, but average people need to know the true facts if they are going to make a life altering decision to uproot and relocate to the 2nd worst State in the Union (Vermont being first) for high cost of living. It will be a very long time before RI recovers.
I'm still shocked to find out that my quiet residential neighborhood in Western Cranston is actually a hotbed of crime.
Guess I just didn't notice!
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