Is there a teacher hiring freeze in MoCo?

[Anonymous]

I have heard yes and I have heard no, but I can't find any info on line.

TIA

[Anonymous]

No, they may say there is one but this is how this shell game works with the county. First there are tons of people retiring this year, secondly, there are tons of unfilled positions, third, anyone whose job is "eliminated" gets to interview for one of those frozen jobs and they get them, if the person who is laid off wants another job like the one they had, they can take one and the perosn who was in that one gets shifted due to senority.

So they eliminate the current postion but fill the vacant position that was frozen. Confused? no wonder the county is broke

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that explanation would leave anyone confused--periods are your friends.

1. Allocations are given out, which means some positions are cut (others increased). The student-teacher ratio went up again by one student for the coming year, so unless a school's enrollment increased to match the ratio, positions were trimmed. Those people, involuntary transfers, have the opportunity to interview for other positions that are open due to retirements, etc.
2. After all involuntary transfers have been placed, the field is open to other current employees looking to change schools, positions, or hours.
3. When that's finished, schools are free to interview other candidates to fill open positions. This window is fairly short--it covers the summer and into the very beginning of the school year.
4. After a certain date, usually September, all positions are frozen and become "vacancies." They can be filled by a qualified long-term sub, who will make something like $23 an hour and get no benefits.

If you have an MCPS ID, you can use mcpscareers.org to view vacant positions, although many of them are "vacant" in name only--the principal may have a candidate in mind, but technically must advertise the position. It IS a very confusing process, and not knowing your situation, it's hard to offer any advice. If you are looking for a position in MCPS, the best thing you can do is continually advocate for yourself and stay on top of the websites daily. MCPS Careers posts information about hiring freezes and windows, so if there is currently nothing up there, then technically there is no official freeze. Right now...

[Anonymous]

I haven't heard about them having a hiring freeze for teacher jobs. I have a friend there who was hired last year, but she was one of few. Best of luck though!

Paul =)

[Anonymous]

If you are interested in eventually working full-time for MCPS as a teacher, I first would attempt to get on their substitute teacher list this year. The will get you the MCPS ID poster #3 is referring to and give you a slight edge on vacancies next year. You will actually get to view each vacant position and apply to those that interest you. Otherwise, you apply under a generic "teacher" vacancy announcement, and an MCPS recruiter "invites" you to apply for vacancies at schools they believe would be a good match (and hopefully a principal in turn invites you for an interview). I would say most principals then interview at least 6-10 candidates who have been invited to apply.....

[Anonymous]

FYI, MCPS is currently only hiring substitutes who have MD teaching certificates.