NWR: Any teachers out there?

Panda8723

Teachers, I need your help.

I graduated in NY last May, but unexpectedly moved in July. I've been looking for a teaching job down here ever since, but to no avail. However, hiring season is rapidly approaching, and I need to make myself marketable and able to beat out the 2398723592735 other people applying for dwindling teaching jobs. My portfolio is geared towards NY (standards-wise). Should I change it to my new state? Any interview/resume/cover letter tips?

Thanks. Cross your fingers for my future.

sarahlovesiman

I'm in CA so I probably won't be much help.  I'm only just about to start applying for teaching jobs.  I'm really freaking out because if I don't get hired I will have to do unpaid student teaching.  A lot of the students in my program have already been teaching for awhile, so I'm planning on asking some of them how prepared for interviews and stuff.  You said you already graduated, but maybe if you still keep in touch with your former classmates, you could ask some of the ones who were lucky enough to get jobs.  Also, if you did your student teaching, maybe you could ask your master teacher for advice.  I think I would make the extra effort to gear your portfolio to your new state, so they can see that you have an understanding of what you'll be required to teach.  HTH, and good luck!

psichick

are the standards for ny and nj that different? if you're living in nj and will be for a while, yes change the wording of things to reflect where you live now. try asking your old program for help finding a job, many have placement programs.

mb2712

Yes, I do think that you should tailor your information towards NJ instead of NY if you plan on staying there and working there.  Most importantly, make yourself stand out.  Write a great cover letter, have a perfect resume... it's really hard to get that interview, so try to make yourself stand out at much at possible!

Panda8723

Thanks for the advice. I'll do a few touch-ups here and there and hope for some interviews!

Kristin789

This is a wild suggestion for you, and probably one you can't consider, but in Florida we are phasing in a pretty tight class reduction program to reduce the number of kids in each classroom.  You could move to Florida or one of the other states that are cutting class sizes in half. 

My DH teaches elementary school, and he tells me that the schools have already taken over all the small non-classroom spaces for teaching.  He has a split schedule and at one school he teaches in a big stairwell and in the other school he teaches in a room that was a storage closet last year.  The counties here are having to build extensions to existing schools and whole new schools with small classrooms.  So here in Florida and in other states too, the class size reduction laws are making the demand for teachers quite fierce.