Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree
Posted by S.H.Teacher on 5/13/08

I definitely agree. These schools should be held accountable. If I
had been told I possibly would've majored in Spanish. I took 3 yrs in
high school & 1 year in college and aced each year. Now 6 years and
thousands of dollars later, people say that I probably won't be able
to land a job in my field even with a Masters degree.

On 5/13/08, amb wrote:
> My question is why aren't our higher ed systems preparing students
> for this? So many students go through college and aren't told by
> counselors, career services, etc. that getting a degree in Secondary
> SS or phys ed may not be the best choice. There are jobs out there
> but not many people are qualified... i.e. ESL, Spanish. I have a
> major in Spanish and got a job no problem. Granted, not everyone is
> cut out to teach ESL or Spanish, but those who could should be told
> earlier in college.
>
> On 4/30/08, Mark wrote:
>> On 4/30/08, S.HTeacher wrote:
>>> My husband won't leave Michigan though.
>>
>> Now thats what your university should have told you, that you'll
>> have to leave the state or work for peanuts at a Charter, if
>> you're lucky.
>>
>> Last year there were articles in the Free Press about 80 percent
>> of education grads having to leave the state to find work. It was
>> part of a series about higher education and where Michigan needs
>> more grads to attract business, and where its throwing away money
>> supporting schools that turn out grads that will either not get a
>> job, or have to move away. Education and
>> Journalism/Communications were the two big ones. Thousands of
>> would-be teachers and reporters and few jobs to be had anywhere in
>> Michigan.
>>
>> I really hope that the news gets around. I'm hearing more
>> non-teachers talk about the poor teacher job market now, but that
>> might be because almost all job markets in MI are bad. Education
>> degrees are becoming much like History, Psychology, or Philosophy
>> Bachelor degrees. I mean, there are some people who will always
>> study these fields, but they're almost useless. Education isn't
>> quite there because there ARE jobs in teaching, just way too few,
>> and there are practically no jobs for Philosophy BAs, other than
>> general jobs that require any degree.
>>
>> So 80 percent of the Ed grads last year didn't get jobs. Another
>> 10-15 percent got crappy jobs at Charters, Privates, and poor
>> districts that they really don't want. So, nearly all of last
>> year's grads will be in the job market, plus there are the 2008
>> grads coming up. Don't forget the 2006 grads... and the 2005,
>> 2004, and so on. Sure, some move out of state, but all in all,
>> this makes for a nearly impossible job market.
>>
>> I hate to sound so negative, but I've been through the mill. I
>> had to both get certified in Special Education and move to another
>> state (Illinois), which isn't a booming teacher job market itself,
>> but much better than MI (hard to get worse). Really, its harder
>> than going out for the space program. The applications, phone
>> calls, reference letters, copies, postage, saliva spent licking
>> envelopes, etc! Its exhausting and so terribly futile.
>>
>> I've been there, as have many others on this board. My advice is
>> to either convince your husband to move, or not put too much hope
>> in getting a teaching job and pursue other opportunities. Do not
>> expect to find a job in MI teaching. There are thousands who
won't.
>>
>> Good luck, I really hope you land a job, but you look at the odds
>> and you just gotta shake your head. Work the connections hard...
>> try to get pictures of a superintendent or a board member cheating
>> on their spouse. Really, thats what you need!
>>>
>>> On 4/30/08, markMI wrote:
>>>> 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.

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Teachers with a Master's Degree, 4/30/08, by SHTeacher.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 4/30/08, by markMI.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 4/30/08, by S.HTeacher.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 4/30/08, by SpecEd Teacher.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 4/30/08, by Missing MI.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 4/30/08, by Mark.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 5/13/08, by amb.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 5/13/08, by S.H.Teacher.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 5/13/08, by SpecEd Teacher.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 5/13/08, by S.H.Teacher.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 5/13/08, by amb.
• Re: Teachers with a Master's Degree, 5/13/08, by Mark.