Teacher looking to move from Texas to Va. (Charlottesville, Shenandoah: transfer, school districts)

[ckjl33]

Hey everyone!
First time posting on here though I've been a long time reader. Was hoping to get some advice on the difficulty of getting a teaching job in Va. ( for my husband actually). We're looking to move at the end of this school year. We would prefer the Charlottesville area( I have family in Ruckersville and lived in Charlottesville years ago and loved it) but are open to any areas within an hour of there. My husband is on his tenth year of teaching here( he's certified generalist 4-8) and is truly a wonderful teacher, has won numerous awards, and has great references. He's taught both inner city and suburban schools and would be open to any. Hes been offered every teaching job hes ever interviewed for. However he's never tried to to get a job outside of Texas and I'm not taking anything for granted.
So my question is does anyone know how hard it would be to get a job from out of state(particularly in Charlottesville or the valley area)? Is it a tough market? Would he have to have his Va liscense before applying or could he get it later? Does anyone have any personnel experience teaching in the areas mentioned or any other recommendations on areas to look into? Thank you so much for any help or advice you can give!!

[Flamingo13]

There is a Charlottesville thread, have you read that?

[ckjl33]

Yes I have . However since I was asking about teaching in the whole of Va. And looking for suggestions beyond Charlottesville I thought I'd post in the Va. Forum.

[bobamike]

Depending on how desperate the district is, he could get his VA license later. His Texas one may transfer. Mine from NY did. I don't know the Charlottesville area, but up here in the Shenandoah Valley and Northern VA we need teachers.

[VA Yankee]

Here's a link for the Virginia Department of Education Licensure VDOE :: Licensure. This will provide the information you need to obtain a Virginia teaching license as well as links to all the school districts in the state. Here's specific information for those holding an out of state license. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching...te_license.pdf

[Watchful]

Personal experience.....dear wife did not have any trouble securing the VA license but breaking into the local districts to get a job has been a challenge. She substituted our first year, and secured a teaching assistant job the second. She has had a number of interviews that have gone well, but not been able to snare a teaching job.

She has elementary special ed certification which is supposedly an "in demand" specialty. Hopefully your mileage WILL vary! Good luck!

[tgbwc]

In in a Northern VA district and we still have plenty of openings. We started off the year in my building with a substitute in a 5th grade position. They are still looking to hire. I had to be out for part of a day and two of the substitutes I called were filling in for schools who still needed to hire. I asked what the issue is and was told there just aren't enough applicants or they aren't quality applicants.

I just looked and there are currently 36 classroom positions posted in grades 1-6. I'm not sure what would be required for him to teach middle school (7-8), but there are openings there too.

[ckjl33]

Thanks so much for your feedback. I have definitely considered northern VA. I'm a little worried about the cost of living. I'll have to research those districts more though. Thanks again!

[johnnybgood1999]

What is a generalists 4-8 certification? Is that similar to an elementary ed endorsement? I ask because the middle school teachers in my district generally specialize and have an endorsement in the subject they teach, while elementary teachers have a broad elementary education endorsement.

I'm in central Virginia and teaching positions are opening up quite a bit. My district is small and still has an open position or two. I started teaching sped 3 years ago and got my first job a little over a week after applying.