[tskav]

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I have been looking into moving to Vermont once we get out of school, and I was hoping to get some advice from anyone willing to give any.

We're both hoping to teach up there and we had seen that Vermont teachers are around the 22 best paid in the nation, but I was wondering if anyone had any info on what the environment in Vermont is like for teachers. Can we survive up there off of two teacher's salaries? How difficult is it to get a teaching position (both of us are hoping to teach at the high school level, History and Speech or Psychology respectively)?

We are absolutely in love with the NEK and are looking for very small, rural communities that are affordable for young newlyweds. We've looked into Woodstock and the surrounding communities quite a bit, but are there any other small towns like Woodstock that we should look into?

And this may seem silly, but do Vermonters have any perceptions of Texans? We're both desperate to leave this state and I don't want to move to Vermont and be seen as outsiders.

Thanks in advance!

[vter]

Woodstock and the NEK are totally different animals - Woodstock being an upscale tourist town and the NEK being very rural and "old Vermont".
Jobs-don't know what to tell you. There are only 60ish high schools in the entire state. You may check into Lyndon Institute and St. Johnsbury Academy in the NEK-these are excellent semi-private high schools.
Schoolspring.com is a good resource for teaching jobs.
Regarding Texans...I have a friend from Dallas and she is great! Doesn't matter where you are from - if you are nice people and try to assimilate to the local culture (NOT try to change it) then you'll be fine.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by tskav

Can we survive up there off of two teacher's salaries?

I know plenty of couples living in Vermont and both of them are teachers. They do fine. Vermont's cost of living is way higher than Texas's but I don't think they'd move.

Originally Posted by tskav

We are absolutely in love with the NEK and are looking for very small, rural communities that are affordable for young newlyweds. We've looked into Woodstock and the surrounding communities quite a bit, but are there any other small towns like Woodstock that we should look into?

In the NEK, you might check Lyndonville and Danville. Closer to Montpelier, look into Plainfield and Marshfield.

REALLY big difference between the NEK and Woodstock -- cost, culture, much more. Did you find Woodstock affordable for young newlyweds? Maybe some of the nearby towns.

Originally Posted by tskav

And this may seem silly, but do Vermonters have any perceptions of Texans? We're both desperate to leave this state and I don't want to move to Vermont and be seen as outsiders.

Much is made about how "flatlanders" are treated. Still, I've lived in Vermont since 1996 and never noticed that I was treated differently or as an outsider. I've got friends and colleagues I like and my neighbors are neighborly (except the ones who aren't particularly friendly to anyone). You know, the usual mix of folks.

If you have speech patterns people immediately recognize as being from somewhere else, I imagine you'll get comments. I doubt they'll be more than curious. It will be a conversation-starter so I can imagine that someone who doesn't yet know what else to talk about might bring up Texas frequently because it's something they remember. Just a thought.

[tskav]

Thanks so much for responding! We're still in the very, very early stages of looking into a move.

Good to hear that two teachers would do well in Vermont, I expected as much.

REALLY big difference between the NEK and Woodstock -- cost, culture, much more. Did you find Woodstock affordable for young newlyweds? Maybe some of the nearby towns.

Actually, we found Woodstock to be a bit out of our expected price range. Could you perhaps explain the difference to us between maybe Woodstock and the surrounding areas (which truth be told, we know very little about other than it looks absolutely beautiful!) and the NEK? I'm from a small town down here and we would really like something quiet and with a tight-nit small community.

We've been looking at St. Johnsbury, Lyndon, and Danville today and are in love with all three areas. Any info on these towns? Would these be good towns in Vermont to start a family?

Thanks again for the help!

We're both dying to get out of Texas and are really enjoying day dreaming about moving to Vermont. We're very jealous of the beauty yall get to enjoy (not to mention the weather! I can't believe its in the upper 60's/lower 70's out there. We're still having 95 degree days)

[looking4home]

I know that Texas gets some snow, but have you ever lived a full winter season in a place like Vermont? No matter how much people say "they love the snow/cold" or the changing seasons, having certain images in your mind, and the reality of living through a long, cold winter are two very different things.

[tskav]

No we've never lived any where with a full winter, so we figure it will probably take us four or five years to actually get used to it. The first few winters will probably be really rough, but we figure if we're ever going to escape Texas, we'll have to face a winter or two. We're up for the challenge!

[S_Phoenix]

I am originally a Mid-westerner who moved to Vermont. I haven't heard any viewpoints of Texans from people here, but they do refer to people from out west as flat-landers at times. It's a common word here. nothing offensive that I have heard, tho.

As far as teaching, there are a lot of teachers who live here quite well as far as I know, not necessarily a position to make you rich, but there is still a need, especially in the more remote areas from what I hear. My neighbor has a teaching degree and has been able to find work in teaching locally and doing okay with it. The northeast kingdom is beautiful and remote enough. Just remember the saying "you can't get there from here" -have plenty of maps before you go wandering the back-roads up there. But you will find beauty beyond dreams in Vermont, and some wonderful people and Volunteer-ism is part of the fabric of the people of the state. In some (if not all) schools here, there is a requirement that students must complete a number of volunteer hours in order to graduate high school.

There are also benefits of the Vermont community. There are a good number of people who are willing to barter for goods and services. This can be a wonderful benefit in the long run. Good luck!

[Logs and Dogs]

I wouldn’t let people scare you away with the whole “long cold winter” thing……….it isn’t all that bad. Is it long, yes, is it cold, sometimes, is it snowy, hopefully. If you don’t embrace the winter I would imagine it would be long cold and miserable. But if you enjoy outdoor winter activities, you’ll love it. We snowshoe, snowmobile and hunt all through winter and I look forward to Fall and winter more than summer. Sure I like summer, but I hate the heat……….bring on the wood stove.

If you are open minded about embracing winter………they go quickly and you’ll miss them when they are gone. That is the nice thing about seasons, when you get tired of one, another one comes along.

[S_Phoenix]

Yes, plan on investing in either your own truck with plow or a very good snowblower. You will get plenty of snow in the NEK.

[S_Phoenix]

And don't forget the saying here... Don't like the weather? ... wait five minutes.