<p>I have found something even worse than watching my kid wait for the college acceptances in April. It is watching her wait for a job offer! Graduated summa as a teacher, and we all know where that is going now. The old Catch 22, you need experience to land a job and can’t get any experience until you land a job. She’s nearly given up on that and is looking for an office job. Right now she’s waiting to hear back from her interview on Tuesday.Gosh, does MY stomach hurt!</p>
<p>This is a terrible time for new teachers, as there are so many layoffs. It must be so disappointing for your daughter to have to consider non-teaching jobs, after she’s worked so hard. I hope that the job she is waiting to hear about comes through. If not, and no other teaching positions turn up, would she be interested in doing something like tutoring, maybe through one of the companies that tutor for SATs and other exams, or he ones that provide enrichment (eSCORE, Kaplan, etc.)? At least she would be getting some relevant experience.</p>
<p>My daughter is starting an MAT program in the fall, and she is really pumped. I am not concerned about her though, because she is also entering a two year student teaching program with an afflilated K-8 school where she was one of about 8 students accepted.
She has had a lot of experience working with kids, especially in the past four yrs after graduation where she ran an after/before school program with a science focus in several schools ( at the same time) & already turned down a job offer from where she went to elementary school.( highly acclaimed private)</p>
<p>It seems rather late in the year to be hiring, but I know that is how many districts operate. However, some districts hire in the spring & our own district found itself shuffling through the applicants who hadn’t already found jobs when they made their offers in early fall.</p>
<p>Good luck to all that are waiting.
:)</p>
<p>Being a substitute is often a way that new teachers get hired, it worked for both my nieces recently. It doesn’t pay all that much but you can register with a number of schools and once they know they can depend on you it can become a full time job almost. It also will allow for them to sample her ability and dedication so that when an opening occurs she could be one of the first that they think of.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Same around here (CA). Lots of teachers working as subs to get a district to know them. My friend does hiring for a di strict and she just hired teacher’s aides. The aides get eight dollars an hour part time. She had credentialed teachers applying. They told her they just wanted to get in a classroom, even if it was as an aide.</p>
<p>Tell your D not to give up just yet. My friend received her MAT and had a lot of experience teaching/tutoring/working with kids in 2008. She spent ALL summer looking and interviewing around NJ and FL. Just ONE day before (luckily she was in the state), a school in FL called her up and asked her to start teaching English for the year. She had to work quite hard the first few months to make up lesson plans and get her teaching career going. She said this sort of things does happen quite often once the administration figures out how many teachers they need and how much money they have to spent for the year, and they really do work on the kind of stuff, including scheduling, right up to the last minute. (Heck, I remember that either in my junior or senior year, I didn’t even find out my schedule until THE day of first day even though some of my friends already got theirs in the mail, and I wasn’t the only one with an unfinished schedule).</p>
<p>Hang in there!</p>
<p>Have her apply as a sub in your local school district. She’ll gain experience and get her foot in the door. If she’s a good sub, they’ll use her often. If she’s a great sub, they’ll take a closer look at her resume if a position opens up and she expresses interest in working full time in the district. </p>
<p>I know this is going to sound a little crazy, but it’s what I’ve observed when working for a district. When subbing, get to know which teachers have power in the building. Look for the teachers that are building representatives in the Union. Look for those that hold a position in the Union–(President, VP, etc.). Unfortunately, it’s very political in districts. Get to know them and when subbing for those teachers, put in extra effort. </p>
<p>Also, when subbing, make a positive impression on the students. The younger students do go home and tell their parents about positive experiences in the classroom. Remember that students have parents who are on the School Board and are active in the PTA. If these parents consistently hear positive things from their kids about one specific substitute teacher, it can only help during the hiring process.</p>