Anybody Here a Teacher?

[Anonymous]

I'm currently at GMU studying to become a secondary English teacher. Are there any teachers here? If so, what county do you work in? What was the hiring process like? Do you earn enough to be able to live comfortably near where you work, or do you have a longer commute for a cheaper cost of living?

Thanks for your help!

[Anonymous]

I'm not a teacher but my wife is and we went through the hiring process two years ago in Montgomery County. A few thoughts:

1. Don't corner yourself with "secondary english." Those jobs are few and far between and very competative. My wife was certified in both secondary english and elementary education and there were far more of the latter positions available in MC.

2. If you have a Masters Degree, you can expect to make about $50k to start in public school (a bit less in private). After deductions for health, dental, retirement, taxes, union dues, etc etc, you will be taking home little more then half of that. Not much to live on in this area.

3. The key to getting a job when you graduate is to strategically choose where to do your student teaching/internship (if you have that option). MCPS likes to hire its interns. Howard County, not so much (they tell you it may take several years of interviewing). Not sure about FCPS. Remember that you will be competing against folks with teaching experience. Also, navigating through the HR departments is a very frustrating experience so have lots of patience and be prepared to perhaps sub for a couple of years.k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm currently at GMU studying to become a secondary English teacher. Are there any teachers here? If so, what county do you work in? What was the hiring process like? Do you earn enough to be able to live comfortably near where you work, or do you have a longer commute for a cheaper cost of living?

Thanks for your help!

I am an ESOL teacher in a high school in FCPS. I was hired 10+ years ago, so I am not sure about the hiring process now. I do know that they try to fill positions with current teachers in the county first, and then go outside to hire. I live in Arlington and am only able to do so because my husband makes 3x what I make each year. At my high school (inside the Beltway), most teachers live further out in Fairfax, Loudon, Prince William, or even some in WV.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your help, PPs!

Anonymous wrote:

1. Don't corner yourself with "secondary english." Those jobs are few and far between and very competative. My wife was certified in both secondary english and elementary education and there were far more of the latter positions available in MC.

My plan, and this is very subject to change, is to get my Bachelor's in Secondary English, start working, and go to grad school part time to get my Master's in Special Education. My absolute ideal job would be to teach high school students with mild to moderate learning or emotional disabilities English/language arts, and possibly Social Studies if I can get certified in that easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for your help, PPs!

Anonymous wrote:

1. Don't corner yourself with "secondary english." Those jobs are few and far between and very competative. My wife was certified in both secondary english and elementary education and there were far more of the latter positions available in MC.

My plan, and this is very subject to change, is to get my Bachelor's in Secondary English, start working, and go to grad school part time to get my Master's in Special Education. My absolute ideal job would be to teach high school students with mild to moderate learning or emotional disabilities English/language arts, and possibly Social Studies if I can get certified in that easily.

My wife earned her Masters in Special Education and I think you will be better off taking a leave of absence and going full time than trying to do it part time. First, your first three years of teaching are going to suck-up all of your time; there will be no time for part-time classes. Second, if you get your degree from a top school, you will always be ahead of the pack. Principals like to have a graduate from a top school on their staff. Taking the time to go to U.Va. for her Masters has really paid off. What is great is that many of the top ten schools for special ed are state schools, so you could work in the state long enough to become a resident and then apply. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Not a teacher, but my mother is in FCPS (and has been for over 20 years). Definitely choose carefully for your student teaching placement. I'm not sure if other area school systems have tenure or not (FCPS doesn't) but choose one that doesn't as they're a lot more likely to be taking in more new hires. Most of the new teachers my mom works with either live with roommates or have significant parent/spousal help if they're living by themselves nearby.

Most of the teachers I know have gotten their Masters by doing PT programs at Mason, so I think it's definitely a legitimate option. Though most of them didn't do it during their first year teaching.

You can also try and become a substitute in your preferred system (I did it in FCPS and it was really easy!) or look at summer camp positions (in FCPS this is RecPac, not sure what it's called in other systems). These can be a great way to get your foot in the door.

[Anonymous]

Look into becoming a speech and language therapist. Does GMU offer the major? Much easier to find a job anywhere in the country in schools or hospitals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look into becoming a speech and language therapist. Does GMU offer the major? Much easier to find a job anywhere in the country in schools or hospitals.

It is true that speech-language pathologists have better job prospects than teachers, but the graduate program required to work as an SLP cannot be done part-time. With a Bachelor's in speech pathology you can only work as a speech pathology assistant. There are not many jobs available for assistants.

[Anonymous]

FCPS has a more user friendly hiring process than MCPS. You are allowed to directly contact schools that post openings in FCPS. At least nine years ago, with MCPS you had to wait for principles to contact you. The FCPS vacancy list becomes public sometime mid-summer. However, FCPS pays less than most counties these days.

Going the special ed route is a good way to make sure you get a job in any county as that is a critical shortage area. A lot of people do the GM cohort for their special ed degree while working FT.--Just realize that you will be working 10 hour days (without a grad school couse load) even after your first few years, as the workload for teachers continually increases. When I was single and childless, I was easily able to take four class a year while teaching, however that is certainly not the case anymore.

[Anonymous]

It wasn't until my 7th year of teaching that I could affort to move into my own tiny apartment without roommates. I didn't have college debt, but still could not have afforded to live in this area without roommates for several years.

[Anonymous]

On a related note, I'd love to know if anyone knows what the market is like for secondary English teachers taking an alternative teaching cert. route. I just graduated with a MA in English (from GU); taught high school for a few years overseas on a temporary certification through Canada (which obviously doesn't transfer), and am trying to figure out whether it is worth applying to some of the alternative teaching programs that seem to be out there. Loved teaching. Looking at schools in MC, PG, DC, or close-in Virginia schools. Any info most welcome!