<p>@mom - You’re right about most teaching jobs starting low. But I can’t think of a job with less risk, and with a more predictable solid trajectory with great benefits.</p>
<p>For many of us, our careers are crazy zig-zags of boom/bust/risk/reward/fail/surprise - highs and lows. There’s a lot to be said for a stable well-paid professional career at 3/4 year, and low stress (comparatively).</p>
<p>I think teaching is a great career choice. In my neck of the woods, teachers have their choice of great school districts, reasonably low cost of living, and earnings above the median of the district taxpayers. We’ve got happy teachers here - all around the area.</p>
<p>This is my sixth year navigating the financial aid maze. I think it is highly complex and complicated. It doesn’t help that there are all sorts of rumors out there that are partially true – and when you run them down you find there is some twist so that the goodies don’t apply to your life. </p>
<p>I like the book “How to pay for college without going broke” by Khany or Chany. It has been helpful. I am also a big believer of keeping a log of who we talk to so I can get back to the individual who is helpful and avoid the ones who are not. </p>
<p>The online world is also challenging – some for profit colleges are total money pits – but our state is starting the Governor’s Washington Academy (something like that) and it sounds respectable and much more affordable – particularly for anyone who has to work full time. </p>
<p>Again, there are colleges like New College (Florida) and Evergreen State (WA) that are accredited colleges but who are also very accomodating of scoring other life experiences for college credit. Don’t forget, “My Cousin Vinny” got his law degree at night school and he was no dummy! Good luck. I hope you can forge a path that works well.</p>
<p>*Yes, but are any of those districts HIRING? Let alone brand new teachers? *</p>
<p>The districts in my area hire every year. Fresh, young, energetic teachers. But they don’t go door-to-door, asking whether any certified teachers live there. I believe they expect candidates to actually send in a letter and resume, or something like that.</p>
<p>At this point, I think you’re ■■■■■■■■ me, and I won’t respond again. Your last post simply isn’t credible; no way could you be this HELPLESS in real life.</p>
<p>but are any of those districts HIRING? Let alone brand new teachers?
Perhaps they do what our district will be doing.
Underestimate enrollment in the spring enough to result in RIFs at every school, then in the fall when the students show up, express surprise & relief at the Teachforawhile candidates with their 5 week certificates.</p>
<p>IDK what the situation is in Michigan. But in Illinois, tenured teachers are being RIFed because the state’s financial mess is affecting school districts (especially poorer school districts) drastically. Our (small, poor, rural) school district last year eliminated the consumer science program; a teacher with over 20 years of experience was let go. This year we cut two special ed positions; teachers with 10 and 4 years got the ax. A neighboring district cut their art program in half; a teacher two years from retirement was cut to half time.</p>
<p>In our district (starting pay, ~$28K, top end ~$65K) a spot for a middle school science position recently culled over 60 applicants. They hired a brand new college grad because that’s who they could get the cheapest. The superintendent told me that they had some really well-qualified experienced applicants that had been laid off elsewhere and that they would have loved to hire but could not because of the budget.</p>
<p>For someone to go through college and take on massive debt on the assumption they’re going to be able to pay off that debt with what they can earn through teaching is, simply put, fantasy.</p>
<p>Teaching jobs in Michigan pay pretty well, IMO. A new grad with a bachelors degree makes about what I make … with better benefits & fewer work days. I often have to work evenings and weekends for no pay as part of my job. I do not have the opportunity to earn what a teacher <em>can</em> earn down the road. Districts are still hiring.</p>
<p>Being a teacher won’t help you earn $250,000 … but then, MOST jobs in Michigan will not pay that much. If a teacher goes into administration, she can earn a lot of money. My H is an engineer with a masters. He chooses not to go into management (he likes being an engineer) — therefore, he will not earn what he could earn if he accepted the opportunities he has had to be in management. Same with teachers … they could earn more if they wanted to go into management.</p>
<p>All in all, being a teacher isn’t all that bad (except for some students … and their parents).</p>
<p>Chiming for New York - our teachers start at $45K here; after 10 years with no master’s they make $67K, and after 22 years you get to $88K. If you get a master’s, at 10 years you are making $72K and at 22 years, you’re at $97K. Administrative positions pay nicely here too. And I know the CoL is high in NYC, but $45K is enough to live quite comfortably for a single new college grad (I know because I live on a grad stipend that’s $15K less and I’m quite comfortable), and $67K is certainly enough to raise a family on especially if you have a dual-income family. We also have the NYC Teaching Fellows program, which is somewhat similar to Teach For America but exclusive to NYC public schools.</p>
<p>With that said, I’m not sure that disregarding a large debt load because of income-based repayment or public service loan forgiveness is a good idea - especially if you’ve never done the career. The average teacher stays a teacher for 3 years before moving to something else, and that’s not totally accounted for by programs like Teach for America. It’s difficult, not simply because of the children and their parents but because everyone - from high-paid administrators to superintendents to state legislatures - seems to be working against teachers at the moment. In some states you don’t have the freedom to design your own curriculum, but you have to teach a state-designed one that’s created to help students pass a test and not much more. And as several posters have stated, in some markets even critical area teachers (math and science) are having trouble getting hired.</p>
<p>It seems the only teachers that are in consistent need are bilingual ones - Spanish especially, but Philadelphia is advertising for teachers who speak Vietnamese and Khmer as well. New York especially looks for, aside from Spanish, Chinese and Haitian-Creole. Most urban areas appreciate and desperately need bilingual teachers, and each urban area has their own enclaves although virtually all want Spanish speakers. So think about learning another language to boost your chances (and to serve some underserved kids - I’m pretty sure bilingual education is a critical need area that TEACH grants and other service-cancelable loans cover).</p>
<p>Also see if your state has service-cancelable loans. My home state, GA, has these kinds of loans for allied health professionals and teachers in certain subjects. If you teach that subject in a high-need area (usually urban or rural) for a certain number of years, the loan converts into a grant and you don’t have to pay it back.</p>