Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Hi all :-) My husband has been offered a job from his company to work in America, it is in North Virginia near Reston/Herdon. It's such a fantastic opportunity we are seriously considering moving from the UK over there. I'm currently a secondary school science teacher in the UK and would ideally like to stay within the teaching profession but understand there are many hoops to jump through. I'm after some advice from anyone who has managed to successfully make the move and carry on teaching. We are going to visit in the next week to see what the area etc are like to help us with our decision. If anyone can recommend places we should consider to live apart from Reston and Herndon, then please let me know. Thanks in advance, Kay:)

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Hello...welcome to BE.

Do you know what type of visa he will be using to work in the US? The type of visa will determine whether you will be able to work or not.

I know many areas in the US are laying off teachers due to the current economy. Don't know about North Virginia...maybe someone will be along who lives in the area.

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Thank you for the prompt reply and welcome! It is an L1 visa which means as his wife I will receive an L2 visa. Fingers crossed for North Viriginia keeping their teachers!

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Yes it does! :thumbup:

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Teacher certification is handled by the individual states. So Google <teacher certification virginia> and possibly the surrounding states and/or DC if you'll be close to the border.

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

I live in DC but bike around Northern VA at the weekends. Reston and Herndon are not particularly inspiring in my view, but if you go a bit further North or West it gets fairly rural quite quickly. Some nice countryside around Middleburg.

Leesburg is OK and Vienna may be an option, but keep in mind that major roads around this area are nearly always busy and public transport is limited.

I wouldn't also discount living in DC and commuting out - since you'll be going against the flow of traffic. Depends on what lifestyle you're seeking.

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

As a L2, you'd need to get a EAD, which is usually good for a year at a time, sometimes can be for 2 years, either way, costs add up.

Check out the state requirements for getting certified to teach in the state.

Realistically these days, unless it's a science or maths, you'll struggle to find a job that'll let you work towards certification as there are just so many out of work teachers with experience teaching the local curriculum that are certified and have a lot of qualifications such as masters etc.

Good luck though!

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Reston is an entirely planned community. There are so many schools for so many people, so many parks, so many stores, etc. Can be a bit 'Disneyland' but the comparison is Herndon, which was "throw as much chaos as you can in every square foot of land and see what happens", which also helps explain why property values in Reston are much higher than Herndon next door.

Some of the schools in Northern Virginia are amongst the top schools in the entire country. The magnet school for science and math is consistently ranked #1 nationwide, and they send dozens to the Ivy Leagues and top universities (many sons and daughters of the engineers in Northern Virginia).

McLean is another area closer to DC from Reston. Big monster houses at equally large prices. North Arlington is a bit more reasonable than McLean though an older suburb. You could also look inside Washington DC in the NW area like Palisades which is quite a nice residential area of DC (though very pricey). Search realtor.com for zip code 20016 for a look at that neighborhood. Or use this site which has better maps:

http://franklymls.com/

It all depends on your budget for housing and tolerance for commuting. If you hate the commute, live in Reston and drive < 5 minutes. If you can stand a 30 minute commute you can look at other areas. Do you have a housing budget just yet?

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

As already stated, each individual state is different. In TX you'd need a teaching cert. specific to Texas and most teachers have a masters degree.
FYI substitute teaching in TX only pays $10 per hour :(

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm a science teacher so hopefully that will go for me Bob! I've emailed a few schools in the areas and had a few replies giving me advice. I have not heard of any of the school you have suggested penguinsix, thank you very much i'll look into them. We are going to rent as we are not selling our home in the UK. Our budget can be flexible on housing. I literally want something that will mean i'm not sat around bored so I don't mind substitute wages, however, would like something more permanent. We are visiting the areas next week so hopefully I will get a feel for which area suits us both best :-)

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

I`m a teacher, living in Falls Church, next to Arlington, soon heading back to the UK. I havent worked since being here so am as much use as a chocolate fireguard but I`ve been told that the independent schools are a good bet.
As an example, this is the one nearest us.

http://www.congressionalschools.org/page.aspx?pid=239

As in the UK they have more discretion over who they employ.
Good luck!

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Thomas Jefferson Math and Science is the top magnet school. I think they're launching their own satellite soon (a small Cubesat called TJ Cubesat).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...and_Technology

As mentioned Reston is planned out. There is a 'Reston Town Center' that has a few shops in more of an outdoor pedestrian mall, but most of the area will require a car. Clarendon, closer into DC, is more a 'hip' hangout with many bars and restaurants and things to see. Across the bridge (i.e. traffic) is an area called Bethesda, again a city with a bit of an urban core (but the drive would suck on certain days).

Basically you have DC proper (relatively urbanized, except for the NW corner) and then what we call "inside the Beltway" suburbs which are 1960-70s area suburbs, some of which have taken on a bit of an urban feel (like Clarendon and Bethesda). Outside the Beltway, toward Reston, is known as the Dulles Toll Road, filled with high tech companies. Eventually there will be a subway train down the Toll Road (you'll see the construction on your visit).

There is a British International School in the District itself, if that might be an option.

Good luck.

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

Take a look at this website:

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching/index.shtml

The menu is on the right of the page.

Re: Finding a teaching job in Virginia
 

I'be been looking for a thread like this! I'm currently in th US (arrived on tuesday) on an L2, I'm a teacher too but I've heard that NYC had laid of so many teachers its going to be impossible to get a job here. :( Good luck on your move/job search :)