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Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Sarah A
Posted by Ronda on 7/17/08

On 7/17/08, Sarah A wrote:
> I often hear people saying that to get your foot in the door you
> need to sub here first. To be frank, I did not go to school and
> get my Master's degree to be a substitute. I realize that there
> is a lot of competition for jobs here in the Huntsville area.
> That's not necessarily a bad thing. That means that the students
> here should be getting instruction from the best of the best!
> That's awesome!

Sarah, you can have a Master's but you will need to prove yourself
to a perspective principal. In order to do that, subbing is one
route. Once you get your "foot in the door", the principal can
assess you and the staff get to know your talents or lack thereof.
I am sure you would prefer not to sub, but that is a good way to
show off your talents. Many people have a Master's and have little
or no experience. I prefer to have a teacher with some good
experience. An unwillingness to do what it takes to acquire a job
through whatever means is necessary will not net one a job. A
Master's is not the only consideration. As a principal myself, I
look for much more than that. And this is not the only area that
subbing is recommended. If you get on the regular chatboard you
will see that many, principals/teachers recommend subbing. If that
is not what you are willing to do, you may have to settle for
something different. One thing you may want to do is chat with Jan
on the regular board. She trains teachers and has some excellent
tips for acquiring a teaching job and much, much more. She is a
gold mine of information!

> I just think that saying that the job outlook for teachers is
> good in this area is misleading. If you have to sub to be
> considered for a position then maybe this isn't the best town for
> a teaching career. I don't know about you all but I can't afford
> to sub for a year for $50 a day.
> I got offered a job at a private school for $10 an hour. Again, I
> can't afford to work for pay like that. If you can, that's
> great!I just think that people moving to the area should know
> that finding a position is difficult and if you are forced to sub
> you may not be able to feed your family! I don't want anyone to
> go through the difficulty that I have!

I am sorry you are having such a tough time finding something but
you may need to compromise a bit. I think the one who is hurting
in this situation is you, therefore, you can't afford not to take a
job if the ultimate goal is to work in the system. If you
negotiate your salary in a good private school, you may be able to
make about $15.00 an hour or so but if you have little experience,
you probably won't be able to get that much. One thing I would
recommend is starting at a good private school. It has been my
experience that teachers who work at a local private school with a
good reputation and put that on their resume often are able to move
into the system after a year or two. I know that this has happened
in many cases with people who have come into the area. Also,
getting experience by whatever means you can will help. Keep in
mind that there are many people from this area that are Certified,
Highly Qualified teachers and they are seeking jobs just as you
are. Good Luck on your job search and though I know you don't feel
you went to school to get your Master's just to sub for low pay,
you are not doing it just to sub for low pay, you are doing it to
obtain a permanent teaching job. It is a means to an end. Just not
the one you want. I do understand that and you will get what you
want eventually. We all had to start somewhere and we all had to
work our way up. If I hear of anything that you might be
interested in I will try to chat with you on this board. What
grades do you teach? Can you share a little about yourself. I will
put my email up so you can email me should you decide to. Much luck
to you in your job pursuits. Ronda

>
>
>
> On 7/12/08, Ronda. wrote:
>
>> Wendy, Huntsville is a very nice city - not too large and
>> not too small. The people here are very friendly overall.
>> I am glad you are excited about coming! People are always
>> coming here and then deciding to stay because they fall in
>> love with the area! The city is constantly growing as
>> people move here. Sometimes we would like to send a few
>> of them back! LOL! Let me see if I can remember your
>> questions. I think the sub pay is low. It seems to me it
>> is about $60.00 a day. I don't know many subs so I am not
>> sure but the last time I heard the pay was low. Private
>> school pay is sometimes comparable to city school pay but
>> so much depends on the size of the school. Randolph school
>> here is a good option and we have a nice Catholic High
>> School and Grace Luthern is another good school. The
>> salaries in this schools should be pretty comparable to
>> city school salary. It can be difficult to get into the
>> city and county school system but there are some ways to
>> assist you in doing it. One of course is to sub, another
>> is to work for a good private school with a good reputation
>> first and then move into the system. I teach at a private
>> school and also work as principal/administrator. I love my
>> job! It is a tiny private school, however, and does not pay
>> enormously well. I work because of the love of the children
>> and the work itself. You can't get wealthy in the school
>> system! LOL My school isn't hiring now but I don't know
>> what will happen once school commences. We are a very
>> close knit group and we are very good friends. I will talk
>> with you more if we email each other. I hope you find
>> something you will enjoy! There are many areas you can
>> consider so I feel you will find something. I interviewed
>> last year and before I could call teachers back, they had
>> already found jobs so I am not sure what the other poster
>> was talking about but I do know you have to be willing to
>> work into the system and sometimes that means taking a
>> lower paying job in the private sector and then working
>> into the system however, I do know teachers who have moved
>> here and gotten a job in the system immediately. Take care
>> and let me hear from you. You can click on my email and
>> email me if you want. Ronda
>>
>>
>>
>>

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Posts on this thread, including this one


• Alabama Teacher's Test ??, 7/03/08, by Wendy Oliver.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ??, 7/04/08, by 1st grade teacher.
• Re: oops! let's try that again, 7/04/08, by 1st grade teacher.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ??, 7/04/08, by Wendy Oliver.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ??, 7/04/08, by 1st grade teacher.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ??, 7/04/08, by Wendy Oliver.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/08/08, by Ronda, a native Huntsvillian.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/08/08, by Ronda, a native Huntsvillian.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/10/08, by Wendy Oliver.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/11/08, by Sarah A..
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/12/08, by Ronda..
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/13/08, by Wendy Oliver.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/17/08, by Sarah A.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Sarah A, 7/17/08, by Ronda.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Sarah A, 7/17/08, by Sarah.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/19/08, by Wendy Oliver.
• Re: Alabama Teacher's Test ?? To: Wendy, 7/19/08, by Wendy, I emailed you! Ronda.