New Teacher- Best places to teach in Texas..? (Dallas, San Antonio: find a job, school districts)

[scrutan]

I am going to be graduating college this coming May and am looking to relocate to Texas. I am originally from the Galveston area but moved to NJ in elementary school. My significant other and I were looking into the Dallas area, since he will be working near there...

I'm unsure about what school districts I should be looking into. I will be a certified to teach Elementary Education and Special Education K-5.

Can anyone give me some advice?

[crbcrbrgv]

First year teachers are going to struggle to find a job in any mid to major city in Texas. Scour regional sites for job opportunities. I'm not trying to discourage you from coming here, but it will be very tough. Texas is no longer the "come here and step into teaching" state any more.

[getmeoutofhere]

You're going to find it extremely difficult to find a job, especially as an elementary teacher. There are hundreds of applicants for every position.

[cowtown2]

I have been teaching for 10 years in Texas and did not have a problem at all finding a first year job, you just can't be choosy. You will probably have to do your time in an inner school, or a school that is low performing. I started out teaching my first three years in a low performing school. I also had many friends who choose smaller school district with lower pay. The jobs are there, just go to job fairs that the districts offer and get your name out there. Remember you can't be picky with your first job. Good luck!

[loves2read]

I have been teaching for 10 years in Texas and did not have a problem at all finding a first year job...
there you go--
10 yrs ago the teaching market was vastly different than now--
10 yrs ago there were more districts building new schools for the growth taking place in this area/state
10 yrs ago the US had very strong economy with good tax revenues coming into school districts
10 yrs ago the push for ALT certification has not put large numbers of those teaching prospects into competition with regular education grads...

I am sure there were many first-year teachers who had no problem finding jobs IF they were willing to reduce their sites to smaller districts in the country, or ones like Dallas ISD or FTW or other districts that were classified as "inner-city"...

but even 10 yrs ago (or 20)--getting hired by one of the top-rated districts in THIS part of TX was difficult.
It depended on what your field was and who you knew--because teaching in this area has ALWAYS been about the personal connection...and many districts are fairly incestuous--with children, nephews/nieces, daughters/sons-in-law, cousins of those working in the district or those who know people who do much more likely to get an interview and hired

unless the person has really good credentials in a needed area...
people give interviews to applicants they have recommended to them way more often than people who are cold-calling with resumes...
it WAS that way 10 yrs ago and it is STILL that way now...

not saying that YOU can't get a job--but you need to be prepared for the challenge you face

run a search for TEACHING JOBS on this forum and any other in TX and read the posts from people in same situation

[heybert1]

How about a math teacher for high school? Any possibilities? I have 10 years experience and looking to move to Austin or San Antonio.

[getmeoutofhere]

Originally Posted by heybert1

How about a math teacher for high school? Any possibilities? I have 10 years experience and looking to move to Austin or San Antonio.

Still going to have issues, though you will probably have more success than history or English.

[tryphena1]

I'm a first year teacher who went through a fairly well respected ACP program. Our ACP is partnered with several districts in the Austin area and generally is extremely successful getting the great majority in the program hired. Unfortunately, jobs were really scarce this year. I was able to secure one in a small town quite a distance away from Austin. Many folks in my cohort weren't so lucky. I have friends who are experienced teachers who have been searching for jobs for months.

Elementary is particularly competitive if you aren't bilingual. Luckily your SPED certification should help you out.

HS Math positions in Austin area are out there, although it's still competitive.

Seriously, even the "inner city" schools aren't hiring like they usually are. AISD has been in and out of soft hiring freezes for the past couple years now.

My best advice-- be flexible, apply all over, and go where the jobs are. That's what I had to do. If you say, "I want to live in _____," you're really going to limit your chances at finding a job.