Can't find a teaching job. Any suggestions?

With the school year quickly approaching, you may want to get on the substitute teacher lists at your local schools. You may not be subbing in a class that fits your certification, but at least the administration will get to know you. You may even come across a long term substitute position for a teacher out on maternity leave or on sabbatical.

ESL teachers should be in-demand in most areas, especially in Texas. English/Language Arts jobs are much more difficult to find because there are more certified teachers competing for the jobs.

Your background is impressive... You sound like the type of candidate that schools should be very excited about. 100 jobs and you haven't heard anything? Texas is a competitive state, but you should have had at least a couple of interviews...

A few thoughts---

1. After you've applied to a district, walk your resume into the principal and introduce yourself. Principals are more likely to interview people they've met.

2. Have a close (and honest) friend or family member go over your cover letter and resume with you. Together, look it over for any mistakes or type-ohs.... and ask your friend for advice on rewording any parts of your resume or cover letter that seem vague or confusing.

3. Don't apply only to jobs that are adveristed or in the paper. Oftentimes, these jobs are the hardest to get because there are so many applicants. Look for the job openings that are NOT advertised heavily. Use the phonebook-- call up every district in your area to see if any are hiring teachers with your credentials. If you can find a job opening that was not advertised, then your chances of landing the job will be better.

4. I don't know what experience you have outside of college... but if you lack classroom experience, you might want to try subbing for a year or so. THis will help you "get you foot in the door".... it's a good way to set a positive impression and set yourself up for a job next year.

There's a good eBook about getting teaching jobs. It covers finding jobs, applying, teacher interview tips, common interview questions and answers, teaching portfolios, resumes, cover letters, etc, etc. Maybe the book can help you. It can be downloaded at: http://www.iwantateachingjob.com/

Good luck to you.... and don't lose hope just yet. I was hired for my first teaching job about a week before school started. So, it IS possible to land a job at the last minute.

I understand your reluctance to substitute. Two years ago this time of year I was going through the same thing. I realized that I had to substitute to at least make money. Then a week before school started I got three interviews. I also got a full time position. Where I teach it is very competitive. I don't understand why no one is calling you back, considering your extensive experience. Maybe, you should have someone look over your resume and reapply. Also, are you avoiding certain "high needs" districts. I work in a district that's considered "high needs" and it definitely has its perks.

You said you applied to 100 schools, if not one of them called u for an interview I would assume it might be your resume. You should have someone look it over.

In the meantime, I know you DO NOT want to hear it but you might have to go to substitute teaching and maybe do private tutoring on teh side. I mean you can make money being a private tutor. Check your local districts because I know you can make over one hundred dollars a day being a subsitute and in some cases even receive benefits. Don't worry about benefits there are programs out there that offer people health insurance for much cheaper. You will be fine.

Teaching is a great profession. Finding a job stinks.

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What do you want to teach? Russian? Very hard to find a job.

English? Very easy in other states. If you are willing to relocate, you'll have no problems in finding a job. Check with school districts in some other states. Many states allow you to teach for at least a year without being certified (you have this time to get certified.) There's a huge shortage of teachers in many places (Alaska is one of them.)

There is a huge public misconception that teaching jobs are easy to find...nothing can be further from the truth.

The reality is baby boomers are not retiring in the great numbers that were expected (who can blame them...life is just too expensive) and many people are switching careers to become teachers (who can blame them...it is a great job!)

Unfortunately, this means that there are more teachers looking for fewer available positions...

In fact, in certain areas of the country there can be as many as 500-1000 teachers applying for a single open position.

This means you must do EVERYTHING you can to separate yourself from the competition...

I strongly suggest you read the articles on this site: http://www.teacherinterviewtips.com/teacher_interv...

They are filled with tips to help give you an edge on the competition.

Good luck!

Substitute. Go to your nearest school and talk to the assistant principal. Let them get to know you. Give them a phone number they can reach you at any time. After a week, if you don't hear from them, go back and ask to do service learning.

In the meantime, you can do the following:

1) Go to the school board and tell them your situation.

2) Bring your resume to private schools or churches.

3) Tutor at the library, in your home or in the home of others.

4) Ask people you work for to give you signed character recommendation letters and their support.

If you have a clean record and you are an ethical person, you will soon find what you seek. Good luck!

Some California Schools are still hiring, but your chances are slim. You might have better luck with SAT prep companies (Elite, Kaplan) or private educational institutes (Sylvan) but competition for those jobs will be fierce. If you don't have tenure, which contributed to the budget crisis, then your teaching prospect is dim.

Contact the Texas prison system. Maybe they have some teaching positions. Many prisons hire English teachers for literacy programs behind bars. The pay is usually a bit higher than a regular teacher, but you have to work year round.

you said you had applied for a job at a public do you mean the elementary school if soI think they are looking for american citizen to teach at a elemetary school some school will hire teacher from over seas. it realy depend. I heard a lot of filipnos are applying to be a teacher over seas all over the world My suggestion you cn probably go with a junior college or at a vocational school for teching english at a non profit organization that will hire teacher from over seas or I wonder if it possible to have your own business to tech english might bea good start. if youhave any more question feel free t email me at bayareaman1972@yahoo.com