Questions from a prospective applicant for a teaching position in a SA school district

[hansen24]

I read your post and had to share with you my personal experience so you will better understand how (and how not) to end up getting a teaching job as an ACP intern.

I was a nurse for about 10 years and then decided to pursue my dream of teaching. I completed my bachelors and then decided to do alt cert instead of student teaching so I could have the paid internship year. At the time, I was elementary education highly qualified only. As they will tell you, this is the toughest area to get a job in as an ACP candidate. Well, don't let anyone tell you that it's impossible...you can do it.

I subbed in the school district and had also worked as a paraprofessional aide for awhile as I completed my degree. I constantly got myself out there. I contacted everyone I knew who worked in elementary schools and I personally went to the schools with my resume. I also called and sent emails. You must be persistent. It was very out of my comfort zone, but it worked.

About 1 week before school started, a 4th grade teaching position came open in a school that I had visited a few times and subbed in and gave the secretary my resume. I had emailed and called on several occassions too so they wouldn't "forget about me if anything came open." The principal called me in for an interview and hired me the same day. I did my internship, worked in elementary ed for 2 years and now I'm a spec ed teacher. I purposefully did not add spec ed certification when I was initially looking for my internship because I really wanted to do gen ed elementary for at least 2 years before switching. My ultimate goal was spec ed, but I wanted a few years gen ed under my belt first.

It all worked out. If I had only submitted online applications and never gotten myself out there, I may never have gotten the job. This is the same story I've heard from so many people. If you are ACP, you can't just do all these online apps and sit back and wait. Get yourself out there. Be a sub, talk to everyone you know, take your resume around and meet people. As an ACP internship candidate, being in the right place at the right time is the best chance at a job!

You have an advantage I did not have...science teachers are much more in demand than elementary ed teachers. Go for it! Don't let anyone tell you not to. I love teaching and never regret my career change. As one teacher told me and it's so true, "Teaching is the hardest job you'll ever love." It is very demanding and stressful, but worth every minute. If you're in it for the right reasons (helping kids and making a difference for the future), you'll love it. Good luck to you!

By the way, I used Texas Teachers for my ACP. I would highly recommend their program.

[DowntownSA]

The University of the Incarnate Word has a lot of adjunct positions and also posts for several of the Catholic High Schools.
https://jobs.uiw.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1265489008604

St. Gerard HS is also in need of a Science Teacher
http://http://www.sacatholicschools.org/employment/Teacher_Opening_Handout.pdf (http://http//www.sacatholicschools.org/employment/Teacher_Opening_Handout.pdf - broken link)

I recommend that you contact the principal directly.

Good luck!

[DavidTheBruce]

Thank you everyone for your awesome suggestions so far! I will most definitely keep them all in mind. Please feel free to keep them coming. Any advice, suggestion, or personal experience is most appreciated!

[loves2read]

just understand that (from my perspective as retired teacher with two children who started out in education and only one remains) once you take a job teaching at a private school (church related or not) or charter school (especially) it becomes progressively more difficult to be hired into the public school systems--
where in general the pay is better and the benefits are better (which is not saying that much in some cases)...

PS my sister teaches at one of the catholic schools in SA--has a master's and gets paid pittance compared to public teacher with her experience...

and those two links did not work for me...

[Buffyfan]

Originally Posted by loves2read

just understand that (from my perspective as retired teacher with two children who started out in education and only one remains) once you take a job teaching at a private school (church related or not) or charter school (especially) it becomes progressively more difficult to be hired into the public school systems--

I wonder why is that?

[tejano2828]

1. DO NOT go the alternative certification route....schools do not like to pay students while they are teaching...at one district I heard one team member saying to another right before a JOb Fair where our school was gonna be at..."don't even look at the alternative certification applicants" just warning you... go the Student Teacher route.

2. Stay active in May, June, July with the job fairs, I think there's one in March at UTSA I would go to that one.
3. GO here frequently Texas Association of School Administrators - Home go into careers and search for Jobs....

It's a great website many don't know about it....

4. Get certified and visit every district's website in San Antonio...


GOod luck