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Teaching in Florida

Teaching in Florida

Old Aug 29th 2015, 5:06 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Also if coming to Iowa would be easier give it a try. It's hard to judge any state by a drive thru on the freeway. You could get established there and then move anywhere you desire in a year or two. You will definitely find a much lower cost of living which will make it easier just starting out.
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 5:18 pm
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
Amerlisa...are the teachers experienced or newly qualified? I presume it's easier to find work if you have several years experience.
Newly qualified and experienced. My friend only just had her first year of teaching last year (she was hired up immediately last summer after graduation) and this year has had three offers. Some of our administrators actually went back east to (I think Minnesota, might have been Michigan) recruiting teachers this past spring. We had a shortage of subs last year as well.
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 5:21 pm
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Round here they seem to prefer newly qualified teachers ...... because they are cheaper.

To the OP, I know you didn't come here looking for career advice, but if you can get your (insurance) employer to give you a job you may find better pay and career potential in working for the insurance company than in teaching. ......

Teaching here in many states is a horrible political football, usually over either budget concerns or over performance of the worst performing schools. Part of the issue, as it affects teachers, is that while teachers, as in the UK, are employed and paid by the school district/ county, teachers are also assigned to schools at the whim of the school district (this may not be true in all states). A few years ago in Charlotte, NC, the new director of the school district had the bright idea of trying to improve the performance of the worst schools, of which there are (still ) many, by reassigning all the best teachers to the worst schools! IIRC within two years 30% of the entire teaching staff of the entire school system had quit! Apparently the only person who didn't see this coming was the director of the school district. A couple of years later the director of the school district also resigned, before he was fired, because his plan to improve poor school performance (i) had not worked, at all, and (ii) had resulted in experienced teachers being replaced with less experienced or poor performing teachers desperate for a job.
I've never heard of teachers being hired through districts and assigned to schools willy nilly. A teacher applies through the district but usually for a school that has a specific opening.
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 8:10 pm
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by AmerLisa
...... A teacher applies through the district but usually for a school that has a specific opening.
What you say is, in practice usually works, but there is the option that the school district has to reassign teachers. I know that is how it works in VA and NC, I doubt it is unique to those to states.
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 9:03 pm
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by Pulaski
What you say is, in practice usually works, but there is the option that the school district has to reassign teachers. I know that is how it works in VA and NC, I doubt it is unique to those to states.
I'm highly doubtful. And I would hope that those districts would be more respectful of their teachers....
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 9:27 pm
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by AmerLisa
..... I would hope that those districts would be more respectful of their teachers....
What have you been smoking?

Honestly, while I have the greatest respect and admiration for those who choose a career as a school teacher (my mother is a retired high school teacher), I would notrecommend teaching in the public school system in America as a career choice.
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 10:24 pm
  #37  
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by Pulaski
What have you been smoking?

Honestly, while I have the greatest respect and admiration for those who choose a career as a school teacher (my mother is a retired high school teacher), I would notrecommend teaching in the public school system in America as a career choice.
I'm too am surprised anyone would want to go into teaching in the US, I've not seen much of the system but what I have beggars belief. Florida, the only state in the union that pays for students who want to take AP classes, finds that it's districts don't actually have enough money to support staff who need to keep their AP certification up to date. The nearest place for my wife to do hers this summer was Austin, Texas where she met scores of teachers from other states whose districts actually encourage their staff to go and get approval and pay their expenses - my missus had to find the costs of transport and accommodation and the district would still only paid for one day of what should have been 3 days of workshops specific to her subjects. She said it was quite an eye-opener finding out just how poorly Florida rates education compared to those in many of the other states.

A county less than forty miles from Tampa has recently cancelled all it's department chairs posts and is encouraging most of them to reapply. My wife (who happens to be one) was told 'she'd be first in line if a youngster doesn't apply for her old post'. She's told them they can stick their reapplication because she's fed up with all the politics.
All this because the unions (of which she's not a member) kicked up a stink last year when the district halved the pittance that masquerades as an incentive to be a chair and now the county want to weed out union members from all Department chair positions.
(This is the same District whose board have managed to wrongly spend/not document $6.4million and can't physically trace $3million nor find a load of relevant emails that have mysteriously disappeared - there is an external investigation!!).
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 10:56 pm
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by Pulaski
What have you been smoking?

Honestly, while I have the greatest respect and admiration for those who choose a career as a school teacher (my mother is a retired high school teacher), I would notrecommend teaching in the public school system in America as a career choice.
I didn't say I recommended it, did I? Where did I say that?

I do know that there are people who enjoy teaching AND do a good job at it. I think they should be commended and respected, it's a hard job.
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Old Aug 29th 2015, 11:38 pm
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by AmerLisa
I didn't say I recommended it, did I? Where did I say that? .....
I was only suggesting that your "hope" was wildly unrealistic.
Originally Posted by zzrmark
..... A county less than forty miles from Tampa has recently cancelled all it's department chairs posts and is encouraging most of them to reapply. My wife (who happens to be one) was told 'she'd be first in line if a youngster doesn't apply for her old post'. She's told them they can stick their reapplication because she's fed up with all the politics.
All this because the unions (of which she's not a member) kicked up a stink last year when the district halved the pittance that masquerades as an incentive to be a chair and now the county want to weed out union members from all Department chair positions.
(This is the same District whose board have managed to wrongly spend/not document $6.4million and can't physically trace $3million nor find a load of relevant emails that have mysteriously disappeared - there is an external investigation!!). .....
I wish I was surprised. The education system across much of America is an embarrassment.

Last edited by Pulaski; Aug 29th 2015 at 11:42 pm.
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Old Aug 30th 2015, 1:41 am
  #40  
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by Pulaski
I only know NC, but it looks about right. The problem is the relatively high cost of some things even in a low cost state. If your gross income is $3,000/mth, even in a low cost state housing is going to take about $1,000 (you could pay less, but it would be poor housing in a poor part of town), and medical insurance/ out of pocket costs probably $400, utilities probably $250, food and supplies, minumum $800, cell phones and cable $200, car/car payments $250, petrol $200 (you will drive a lot more than in the UK.) ..... Oh, and now we've already spent more than your gross income. And there's still taxes to pay, clothes to buy, car tax and repairs, daycare for your son, if your husband works, ...... So making the move to the US is going to be critically dependent on what job your husband can get.

Back to daycare for your son - $400/ mth in someone's home, (would be $1,000+ in a custom facility with professional staff). If you're both working, you'll need another car $250, another $100 for petrol (you drive together on weekends), clothing for all of you $300/mth (that won't go far), car repairs and service, two cars, $100/mth (assuming nothing major goes wrong). That's $4,250 if I added it up right, and personally I think most of those numbers are on the low side. And there's no budget there for holidays or travel back to the UK.

ETA I forgot car insurance: think $150/mth, at least to start with.

Your husband is going to need to pull in $36k minimum just to balance the budget. ..... $72k for a couple is going to net around $56-$58k, or just under $5k/mth.
You also need to account for retirement, and union dues.

Round my way daycare is $200 p/week p/child in someone's house ...if you can find anywhere with availability.
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Old Aug 30th 2015, 3:27 am
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by username.exe
You also need to account for retirement, and union dues. .....
There are probably a number of things I forgot/ didn't include. .... Renters insurance, furniture, mowing/ gardening, and I am sure some other things.
..... Round my way daycare is $200 p/week p/child in someone's house ...if you can find anywhere with availability.
Yeah, I know it is a lot more in most of the big cities, and consistent with your numbers, about twice what it is round here (NC) seems to be the going rate in the major cities of the NE and West Coast.
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Old Aug 30th 2015, 4:29 am
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by Pulaski
I was only suggesting that your "hope" was wildly unrealistic.

I wish I was surprised. The education system across much of America is an embarrassment.
Yet somehow kids are still being educated.....
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Old Aug 30th 2015, 4:32 am
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by AmerLisa
Yet somehow kids are still being educated.....
Many are, but many are being sadly short-changed by the system. They deserve better.
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Old Aug 30th 2015, 6:12 am
  #44  
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

When we moved here we paid $875 for a 2 bed condo in a great area in Dunedin. That included lawn & pool maintence, water and basic cable. Electricity was $90 per month...Internet/phone $90. We got prepay cellphones $60 per month. Health benefits come through my husbands work. $40 co pay to see a doctor! Well baby visits for the kids are free in ours and most benefit packages...that covers all the babies immunization a etc. my son was born in the UK but my daughter was born here....that was around $5000 out of pocket...even with benefits. Our car was the biggest expense $330 a month. My husband cycled to work so we were lucky to only have to run one car so I can't comment on gas prices. Car insurance was $80 per month. I stayed at home with my kids but I know the daycare rates are $180 for non potty trained kids and $150 for potty trained. Bright beginnings daycare seems to be the fave in this area. Most of the day cares have waiting lists but there are tons of in home daycares so you might have to start of with one of them. I find food here more expensive than where we were in the UK. I spend $150-$200 per week to feed my family of 4. If you can find a teaching job with benefits you could probably make it in this area. There are a lot of fun and free things to do and a large community of young families. Finding the job is probably going to be the hardest part!

Last edited by indigogirl1976; Aug 30th 2015 at 6:15 am.
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Old Aug 30th 2015, 11:34 am
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Default Re: Teaching in Florida

Originally Posted by indigogirl1976
When we moved here we paid $875 for a 2 bed condo in a great area in Dunedin. .....
How long ago was this?
..... Our car was the biggest expense $330 a month. My husband cycled to work so we were lucky to only have to run one car so I can't comment on gas prices. Car insurance was $80 per month. ......
Seems very low. I suspect coverage levels are "state minimums", which are woefully inadequate in many states
..... I stayed at home with my kids but I know the daycare rates are $180 for non potty trained kids and $150 for potty trained. .....
Per week?
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