Career Corner

Michelle --- being a teacher assistant, a substitute teacher, a long-term sub, a teacher's aide, etc. are all good alternatives to full-time teaching, if you can survive financially. Your academic achievements and volunteer experiences are excellent building blocks, but subbing, etc. places you directly in a public school classroom environment with 20-30 kids, other teachers, and administrators. So, the comparability to a full-time teaching position is very close. It is your job never to let someone make you feel like a second-class citizen. When you are serving in these alternative titles, the district depends upon your commitment and excellence just as much as if you were the full-time teacher. Try to meet the principal, the other teachers, the school secretary, and others who can remember you and your availability. Working only in one district allows you to deepen these contacts; however, it will limit your range of opportunities, so I would always suggest diversifying among at least 2 or 3 districts.

Posted by B.J. Bryant at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

To the reader who commented anonymously on the difficulty of getting administration positions. You are correct in many items you bring out in your posting. It''s so true that grades, GPAs, etc. etc. do not guarantee employment in education or in educational administration. It sounds like you were willing to make the changes in districts and positions in order to pursue what you wanted. Another comment made me think of what I used to say to education graduates at Ohio State when I worked there: "It's Who You Know" --- but in a positive, proactive way. No employer is going to hire someone he or she does not "know," so either they are going to know applicants ahead of time (through referrals, collegial acquaintances, social contacts) or they will get to know them during the interview process. So, approach #1 would be: get to know as many people in education as possible; join local or state associations; discreetly let people know that you would love to move on into a position in ___________. Then approach #2 would be: reflect, research and plan for outstanding interviewing.

Posted by B.J. Bryant at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I want to respond to the commenter who wrote that she is losing hope of ever landing an ed admin. postition. It's tough to hear the discouragement after your posting. However, I have a few ideas I'd like to run past you. First of all, is it absolutely necessary to stay in the same district? In most locations around the country, there are usually more than a dozen school systems within commuting distance from someone's home. Nationally, there is a strong need for school administrators, so opportunities may be nearby but not in your district. Also, some ed admin opportunities will not be listed as far-and-wide as teaching vacancies, so you need to get your network of friends "listening" for vacancies in nearby districts. Openings appear on the Agent K-12 website if you are willing to move further than commuting distance. One more idea—stay the five years until retirement for your benefits, and then take a new position in your state or another state! A retirement adventure! Many states now have the retire-rehire option, and I've seen many instances where individuals can retire from one location and move into a new position elsewhere. Does any of this help?

Posted by B.J. Bryant at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Welcome to the Career Corner! I'm BJ Bryant and as the Executive Director of the American Association for Employment in Education, it is exciting to be a partner with Agent K-12 to discuss the issues of careers in education and of employment in the teaching profession.

Our association has researched educator supply and demand for the past 30 years. In 2006, we continued to see a steady, positive increase in the demand for education candidates. Certainly, in fields like special education, math, and science, there are shortages of educators around the country. However, we know that there are great differences depending upon the teaching field and the region of the country. Even one state can have several different job markets within its boundaries. Yet, we all know that the job market comes down to the individual and to the school system. What are you seeing in your job market? BJ

Posted by B.J. Bryant at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)