Just curious as to what numbers people have heard this year
regarding how many applicants there are for positions. I
applied at a small district a month ago (1 opening) and
what told by the principal they had over 150 applications
so had a big task ahead of them!! My inner voice
screamed" "That's all...try 1,000!" I have also read the
posts about 13,800 applicants in troy....uggh...

So what numbers have you heard, or better yet been told by
administrators?

I don't mean to bring this up to discourage people from
seeking jobs or bring down morale. Personally this is my
fifth year looking for a full-time classroom teaching
Michigan job...I did a minimum wage position as an aide and
went out of state for a while as well. I'm plugging away
at resumes, and have applied to at least 300 Michigan
schools/districts so far this spring (not to mention poured
$$ into resume paper, printer ink, envelopes, postage,
driving to deliver them, and driving to a few interviews).
If I don't get a job I plan to go back to school and go
into a healthcare field, I can perhaps find a job to
actually support myself, since subbing is so poorly paid,
plus you only get about 8 months worth of pay and can't
file unemployment for the other months!

I bring this up because I'm shocked to hear so often from
recent graduates (some I've talked to on facebook, here and
on other boards) who had NO IDEA the job market was this
bad because university faculty just don't discuss it...I
know we weren't told much when I graduated in 2004 (my
student teaching building principal was the one who hit us
with the stone cold truth) and that was five years ago, its
soooo much worse now! And there has been vitually know
media/newspaper coverage of the problem. I'm sure many
students would (not all, but I know I would) have chosen a
different career path had they know the truth about
teaching in Michigan. I think the teacher "surplus" in our
state needs more attention so our college students can make
more informed decisions and not waste their money (as well
as that of Michigan taxpayers) when they won't be able to
find a job here in MI for years after they graduate.

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