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Any tips on finding a teaching job?

Ry4Cy

Ry4Cy

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2010
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Ankeny
My wife graduated from college 3 years ago. She majored in K-6 and minored in K-8 math. She has been looking for a full time job anywhere within 45 minutes of Ankeny and hasn't had any success. She subbed for the first couple years hoping that would get her foot in the door and make connections.

This last year with the addition of our son it made short term financial sense for her to work at a day care because he would be half price to go there. Looking back we think that was probably a bad move.

Anyway she has applied to every full time job she could find. She has had teachers and principals that she knows review her resume and cover letter. Still she is having no success. Then to top this all off we know people who have just graduated from college and have already got a full time position.

I know this board is full of teachers so I figured it would be a great place to ask for some advice. Anybody have any advice to help us/her find a full time teaching job?
 
Outside of using http://teachiowa.gov/, I don't have much in the way for advice for El. Ed. Only thing I can really think of to set her apart would be to get a K-8 reading endorsement. There are usually a lot of districts looking for Title I reading teachers.

And if she hasn't filled out the application forms and submitted everything to Teach Iowa already, she should do that. There are headhunters that scour people in the database and send individual emails for positions that she would be qualified for.
 
Not a teacher so my advise may not help, but if I were her, I'd stand outside of elementary schools asking little boys and girls to help her to the bathroom. I think that should draw attention to her.
 
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Job market is tight but there still are openings - especially considering that she would be a cheap hire. Can you narrow down the issue? Is she getting any interviews?
 
While not in Ankeny, I saw a story on the Kansas City news this morning stating that schools in rural areas are having trouble finding teachers. I would assume this would be the same for rural parts of Iowa.

Also, it can be frustrating seeing other people being successful in your same field. I graduated with a degree in Finance in 2010. Getting a job at that time was hard, especially in Finance. I still don't have a job in that field, all the while, I see others getting jobs in finance right out of college. Even during my time getting an MBA, I was applying for financial related jobs, but was still not getting any hits. To this day, I am 29, I have pretty much given up on seeking a career in finance and am focused on moving up in a company to managerial/leadership positions. A couple months ago, there was a guy who son was graduating with a degree in chem. engineering or something like that having problems getting a job, while other classmates were getting several offers. It can be frustrating and depressing. Not sure what the point of me saying this is, other than it happens to other people too.
 
My wife was an associate for a couple years before landing a full-time teaching job. It seems like you'd be on the right track with making those connections via subbing.
 
We are always hiring in southern Iowa but are more than 45 minutes from Ankeny. We appear to be the training grounds for young teachers and then they leave when they can get a job back in Des Moines.
 
I will also add, in general, it is easier to get a job when you actually talk to someone than it is online. I suspect why one reason those in college are getting offers ahead of your wife is due to job fairs and the network that the university brings that are available to students. I got my current job by going to the university job fair during my MBA. I got more interviews by doing that than I did in the previous 3 years since I graduated from my undergrad.
 
Ry4Cy said:
My wife graduated from college 3 years ago. She majored in K-6 and minored in K-8 math. She has been looking for a full time job anywhere within 45 minutes of Ankeny and hasn't had any success. She subbed for the first couple years hoping that would get her foot in the door and make connections.

This last year with the addition of our son it made short term financial sense for her to work at a day care because he would be half price to go there. Looking back we think that was probably a bad move.

Anyway she has applied to every full time job she could find. She has had teachers and principals that she knows review her resume and cover letter. Still she is having no success. Then to top this all off we know people who have just graduated from college and have already got a full time position.

I know this board is full of teachers so I figured it would be a great place to ask for some advice. Anybody have any advice to help us/her find a full time teaching job?
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My wife suggested getting recommendation letters from Principals she's subbed for. The strongest recommendations she can get. Stuff from school will not be seen as relevant when applying for full time positions.

She'd suggest subbing again or trying an associate position.
 
My wife is a teacher, exec in the teacher's union, and most of my friends are teachers or administrators. I'd be happy to give you my or their two-cents on the issue.

Is she only looking in certain districts? Where did she student-teach? Are you willing to move? What is the minimum income you are looking for for this job? Would she work in a very poor district? Would she go back and get certificutes in reading or ESL?
 
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I'm just assuming K-6 is more difficult to get a job than high school? My retired high school math teacher brothers have had people begging them to un-retire due to difficulty in finding high school math teachers. Or I suppose maybe it is the math part?
 
carvers4math said:
I'm just assuming K-6 is more difficult to get a job than high school? My retired high school math teacher brothers have had people begging them to un-retire due to difficulty in finding high school math teachers. Or I suppose maybe it is the math part?
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Probably location and secondary. Secondary education market is much more open (well, except for PE and Social Studies), and rural areas struggle a lot to find specialized teachers.
 
cloneswereall said:
Probably location and secondary. Secondary education market is much more open (well, except for PE and Social Studies), and rural areas struggle a lot to find specialized teachers.
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Yea, they are both close enough to work in DM metro if they wanted. One keeps getting recruited by DMAAC to teach math but the pay is terrible, he makes more subbing when he wants to.
 
From I've seen, a 45 minute radius around Des moines is probably the most saturated teachers market in the state. Lots of jobs outside of that area though.
 
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What is with the new emphasis on reading certificates?

I would say that you need to look at areas that have little growth. Ankeny has had a ton of growth and people moving in. Getting jobs and interviews anymore is about A. Experience B. Who you know C. Conformity. They just want people who aren't going to make waves.
 
carvers4math said:
Yea, they are both close enough to work in DM metro if they wanted. One keeps getting recruited by DMAAC to teach math but the pay is terrible, he makes more subbing when he wants to.
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That's what it is, then. There aren't a lot of teachers that have the necessary credentials to teach the college credit courses that tend to be dual enrollment. It's something weird like you need 12 graduate credit hours past a BA in that specialization field to teach it (for example: 12 post-BA credits in writing instruction to teach College Writing).
 
ArgentCy said:
What is with the new emphasis on reading certificates?

I would say that you need to look at areas that have little growth. Ankeny has had a ton of growth and people moving in. Getting jobs and interviews anymore is about A. Experience B. Who you know C. Conformity. They just want people who aren't going to make waves.
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Says the guy who thinks Public Education should be replaced by You Tube.
 
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ArgentCy said:
What is with the new emphasis on reading certificates?

I would say that you need to look at areas that have little growth. Ankeny has had a ton of growth and people moving in. Getting jobs and interviews anymore is about A. Experience B. Who you know C. Conformity. They just want people who aren't going to make waves.
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And teachers who don't get drunk in class or have sex with their students.
 
Sorry I asked a general question. One would not expect a dearth of reading K-6 teachers. Seems like a basic subject. I tried not to bring my views into the discussion.
 
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