On 4/30/08, SHTeacher wrote:
> Why is it so hard for teachers with Master degrees to get
a job in MI?
Ummm, its hard for ANY teacher to get a job in Michigan.
There are literally tens of thousands of certified teachers
who are unemployed, or underemployed (working in day care or
as an aide).
>
> I am currently going through a progam where I will be
> receiving Provisional certfication + a Master's degree.
> People are telling me that I should not have done that
> because many school districts will not higher a new
teacher with a Masters.
People tell me I should get hair implants and that I'll
never get a date being a bald guy. They're wrong, but yeah,
there are some women who won't date a bald guy.
Same thing. There are districts who won't hire a Master's
degree. Its about dollars. They have to pay you more and
most districts in MI are cutting back and trying to save
every dollar. There are, however, some administrators who
don't like having to hire a new teacher every couple of
years, because most of that 50 percent that quits teaching
are newbies with only a BA. Statistically, teachers with the
MA are more dedicated and invested in education and are more
likely to stay.
> It sends a message that teacher's should not strive for
> advanced degrees, only AFTER they have a job, if then.
Again, there's not 100 percent in education. Some
districts/admins might have this point of view, others might
not. There's no 100 percent certain way to get, or not get,
a job. What one person reading a resume loves, another will
hate.
> Now I see that
> they were right.
Why? Just because others who don't know say the same thing?
> What do I do now? Will I ever get a job?
No, you probably won't get a job in MI. That has nothing to
do with having a Master's degree and everything to do with
the fact that you're a teacher in the state of Michigan.
For every elementary education job in MI there are more than
a thousand applicants. That's not exaggeration. Most
regular ed jobs are like this. Even Special Ed, usually a
shortage field in most states, has dozens of applicants per
job.
What will you do now? You'll do what all the education
grads in MI do, with a BA or a MA. You'll wait tables or
become assistant manager of Foot Locker, if you can get
those jobs. You'll apply and apply with almost no hope of
getting a public school job. You may, just possibly, get a
job at a Charter or Private school, where you'll work long
hours, get treated badly, and make much less than you would
have at Foot Locker. You'll do it with a smile because
there are a hundred other would-be teachers who would take
your crappy Charter job if you don't want it, and your
bosses will know that and remind you of it every day!
If you ever do want to teach public, you'll have to make the
decision to move and pursue districts in another state.
> Does anyone know of MI districts who happily hire new
> teachers with a Master's?
There are no Michigan districts that will happily hire
anyone. They likely have a list of laid off teachers they
have to call back first. Then, if they don't have a lay-off
to call back, they'll try to shove more kids in an existing
classroom to keep from spending money they don't have on a
new teacher. Then, if there's no way around it, they'll
hire a new teacher, preferably half-time. They'll likely
have a list of people, either formal or informal, they know
or are related to that they'll hire before they look at any
applications from an unknown like yourself.
So, its not that you're a new teacher with a Master's degree
that won't get you hired. Its that you're a new teacher...
period.
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