<p>S graduated in May, middle school math teacher - yeah graduation! He has been sending quite a few applications through our state’s (Ohio) online system - he can upload all his attachable items, resume, letters of recommendation, etc to this system and then just click and submit whatever the particular job requires without having to do each individual - cool right?</p>
<p>He is currently feeling frustrated - feels like he clicks “send” and has no idea if anything is being received, looked at, etc. Ha - interesting to hear a young guy say, “I hate that this is all online - I’d rather hand someone an application in person!”. Anyway, I realize that schools are just wrapping up the current school year and they all probably have different methods of interviewing for replacement positions. He initiated a talk with me yesterday regarding his frustration and I tried to offer some support and of course some recommendations.</p>
<p>I suggested he could contact the admin or HR department of each school system he applied to and just say “I have submitted an application throught the Ohio online system for an open position at your school. Can you provide any information regarding when you will be starting the interviewing process for positions?” or “Can you confirm that you have received my application” - or something like that. Appropriate or inappropriate??? Clearly he should not be contacting them weekly, but I thought one call would not be inappropriate and might “earmark” his name in someone’s mind.</p>
<p>Without being overly zealous, what else might you suggest for keeping on top of prospective opportunities??? As someone who has hired people before in non-profit situations, I would not be offended by a call from a perspective applicant. </p>
<p>When does the school year end? If it hasn’t ended yet or has just ended, it’s likely that his info was missed or ignored because principals are so focused on getting through the end of the school year and finals around this time. I think following up after the end of the school year would be a good move</p>
<p>I am in another rust belt state looking for a high school teaching job. I have a lot of teacher friends here, and they all tell me that the hiring process doesn’t even start until school ends. School systems here will determine staffing needs in mid-June and start interviewing in late June and early July (for a school that starts in late August). I have had several teachers laughingly tell me that they didn’t get their first job until mid-October.</p>
<p>AT least here, the info isn’t missed or ignored - it’s just on the back burner until the school year is over.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the personal touch - I’m guessing it depends on the district. I attended a seminar once led by the HR department of a well-known school district here. When someone asked the speaker your question, he said one phone call MIGHT be okay, but no more than one. Otherwise, he was not a fan of calling the hiring office - his attitude was more like “leave us alone.” Rude, perhaps, but he could afford to be; competition up here for teaching jobs is fierce, and there are lots of qualified applicants from which to choose.</p>
<p>I agree, it’s frustrating. It feels like a lot of “hurry up and wait.”</p>
<p>What advice has he received about this from his supervising teacher for his student teaching experience, the placement office at his college/department, and his own old HS teachers/principal/etc.? He knows people who know this process well. Encourage him to use those resources.</p>
<p>And while he is waiting and chewing his nails, encourage him to check out the Adult Ed programs where he lives. The GED program might just like to have an additional trained math educator on their staff for the summer.</p>
<p>He has been in contact with his college professors - their answer is basically every school does things differently. Some want to wrap up interviews and staff in June before they go on “break”, some wait it out till later in the summer (and time gets away). </p>
<p>Its just a different situation from many jobs where the opening is now and they want to fill it NOW to start, NOW! :)</p>
<p>All the school districts end at different times around here, and with the awful winter we had and many having to make up several snow days, some schools may be in session another week or so. Many local schools wrapped up last week. </p>
<p>I don’t know the particular situation in your area but I do know that many school districts do not wait until school is over to do their hiring for next year. Our process is different here in Ontario, where all the hiring for next year has already been completed, with interviews occurring last month. Class building is currently being done. However, I do have nieces and nephews, and sons/daughters of friends who teach in various areas of the U.S. and several of those districts have already done their hiring. </p>
<p>All that to say, I don’t think that sending an email to inquire is the wrong thing to do. :)</p>
<p>Five years ago my daughter was in his position, and ended up being a sub for two years, and then a disastrous year with a brand new charter school that failed, so she spent three school years and four summers applying for jobs. Many, many school districts never contacted her at all after receiving her application. Others waited until they had actually hired a teacher until they notified the other applicants, even after those applicants had been interviewed (just in case choices #1 and 2 declined the offer). </p>
<p>She did contact the schools that she was especially interested in, by phone call or email, and politely asked if they needed anything to complete her application. It turned out that some of them DID need further information, and she was interviewed by several of those schools.</p>
<p>Hopefully math teachers are in higher demand these days. My kid often learned that she was just one of hundreds of applications for every position. Best of luck to your son.</p>
<p>My D is a new teacher in NYC. We have an online hiring system here which she signed up with. Nothing. Then an amazing poster here on CC gave me the list of open positions to apply for directly. So we faxed letters and resumes to every job she was qualified for. The floodgates opened and she had more than a dozen interviews, several offers and got a position she loves. But I want to make clear that she was lucky because most graduates we know, even in high need fields, aren’t getting jobs. When my D interviewed, every single principal (not most, not many EVERY ONE) said that they hired people who faxed the material because it was so much easier to have paper materialize in their hands than do go through the online process. I would strongly urge your son to do the same if applying directly is allowed. Make it easy and make himself stand out.</p>
<p>zoosermom,
Do you know what the source of that list is? Is it something that one could compile themselves using available information,or do you have to work at the right place to have access? </p>
<p>No, it’s a list prepared by the DOE. It is accessible to employees, but some kind DOE employees have been known to disseminate it to applicants. Are you looking in NYC or know someone who is? The open positions only apply to some specialty areas like special ed, math, science.</p>
<p>First of all, nice to see you @zoosermom , I haven’t in a while!</p>
<p>I’m thinking I saw that post that was directed to you with a website link a while back - was it something with “spring” in it??? </p>
<p>Interesting thought about faxing material - or perhaps following up with a hard copy copy of the cover letter he sent email. Here in Ohio (well, at his college anyway) they were encouraged to use the online Ohio site/database - but perhaps taking another step hardcopy is a good idea???</p>
<p>I think I found what I was remembering - maybe @ETPR suggested it???</p>
<p>Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the online system here, too, but principals (like most people) want things to be easier, so if a resume appears in their hands without having to make much effort, that person is going to move to the head of the line.</p>
<p>Man, I wish we could fax stuff directly to the principals here. I was told (in no uncertain terms) that hard-copy resumes would be discarded. YMMV</p>
<p>He hasn’t had trouble FINDING positions - he says he has applied for 25 or so in less than a month. It’s just unsatisfying feeling from cyberspace that you click “submit” and wonder if the right person actually receives it/sees it…</p>
<p>Teacher who did interviews here. All applications were submitted online. ALL. These online applications were then screened, and first interviews set up for a large number. Second interviews were determined and those invited back. Final round of three or four taught a lesson, if school was in session.</p>
<p>Often you will see job openings appear about now for the upcoming year. Some districts do not interview until their budgets have been approved. </p>
<p>Our state has an online clearing house of available positions. In addition, (as your son has done ) one can look for employment on each school district website. </p>
<p>Any chance he has some connections in either his own school district, or where he did his student teaching?</p>
<p>I think this is the process in my state, too. I was also told to keep in touch with any connections - friends who are teachers, student teaching supervisors, etc - because a lot of districts like to hire those who student taught in their system. </p>
<p>It IS slow and a little frustrating, though.</p>
<p>That info is helpful @Thumper, thanks - tidbits like “some districts don’t interview until budgets are approved” make sense are helpful to know.</p>
<p>He did his student teaching through a special program in Chicago Public Schools (out of state for us) which was an amazing experience. He may consider applying there but it is not a priority choice just because it’s farther away than he was hoping to go, the affordability, etc. He actually is interested in an urban setting though so that may help him in-state. </p>
<p>You know, he was val of his public high school here. He remembers shaking the hand of an admin person from the district who told him then “come see me when you’re finished and I’ll give you a job” (because he had decided at that time to go into teaching). I told him there would be nothing wrong with sending that guy a letter and saying “I graduated val at “blank” school in 2010 and you encouraged me to come back to the district when I was ready to teach…” - ask for a brief time to talk with him or just send a resume along to this guy. Nothing too pushy, but a show of interest. </p>
<p>I think you will hear that from about everyone who is a recent graduate. All our (short) life. we have been used to what I’d call instant gratification. Even the college application process comes with fixed deadlines and prompt responses at the determined dates. Finding employment is a different ballgame and is often (if not always) frustrating, and this especially since “computers” have taken over the selection process. I remember having a conversation with a person on a hiring committee in a department I had worked previously. The person asked me why I had not applied for the position as it suited me very well. The reality is that I had applied and my “file” never made it to the right place. Asked to resubmit everything, the result was identical. A blind and deaf computer or a clueless “reader” was seemingly deciding the fate of the applicants. I received an offer, but the experience did show how haphazard the process truly is. </p>
<p>My only suggestion is to keep working and throw all available resources at it. If nothing happens, try changind the presentations of the CL and resume. Try changing the objective and … rinse and repeat ad nauseam. </p>
<p>There are simply no shortcuts and the life of recent graduates is hardly rosy. Patience is required in healthy doses!</p>
<p>Our school district interviews across the summer, but often doesn’t hire until the bitter end of August. Many times, teachers are being hired as school begins – that’s not unusual at all. I would not email with nagging questions about reminders. I might send a handwritten note asking if there’s “any additional materials needed” but otherwise accept that things just move slowly and individually. We have 17 schools and while applications go through a central system, the interviews themselves are set up by each building so it can vary widely. Welcome to education :)</p>
<p>Happy to report back that S was offered a teaching position Friday! </p>
<p>In a post above I posted this:
“You know, he was val of his public high school here. He remembers shaking the hand of an admin person from the district who told him then “come see me when you’re finished and I’ll give you a job” (because he had decided at that time to go into teaching). I told him there would be nothing wrong with sending that guy a letter and saying “I graduated val at “blank” school in 2010 and you encouraged me to come back to the district when I was ready to teach…” - ask for a brief time to talk with him or just send a resume along to this guy. Nothing too pushy, but a show of interest.”</p>
<p>He finally decided to do this a couple of weeks ago. He emailed the admin person and received an email back within hours (11:30pm) saying he remembered him and would see what he could do. At 1:30am - 2 hours later, he had an email from the district superintendent saying thanks for contacting them and that HR should be in contact. (do these people ever sleep?! Emails at 1:30 in the morning!!?). Within 24 hours he had an email to set up an interview. Had the interview, was told there were no specific open jobs but would he be interested in subbing. He said while he preferred a full time position he wouldn’t say no to subbing but would continue looking. Friday they called and offered him a 7-9 grade math position in a new school venture being led by this new(er) superintendent. </p>
<p>He’s waiting for info on coming into sign the contract. Hoping it happens soon so he can seal the deal. Since then he cancelled another interview, had that principal call him to be sure he wasn’t available and had another call this morning from another district. Both of these would have been 2-3 hours from here in unfamiliar place so would have been a bear to make the move within a couple of weeks. SOOO grateful for the local position to come through!</p>
<p>I guess many schools DO have to do a lot of shuffling at the last minute - most of our schools start mid-late August!</p>