Are there alot of teaching jobs in Michigan, and if so, Where?
You know, Michigan is one of the absolute hardest states to find a job in. Much of the northeast has a surplus of qualified teachers and very, very few open positions to fill.
Why? It'sthe economy– as high-paying jobs leave the state, young people with families leave to areas with a stronger economies. As a result, there are fewer kids and the same number of schools. Schools need fewer teachers because there are fewer kids. You can thank NAFTA for all the job lossses.
The population in Michigan isn't growing much (if at all)…. the economy is dead…. and yet Michigan still has high-quality teacher colleges that pump out hundreds of candidates each year. Ack.
It's not just Michigan… similar teacher job markets exist in Upstate New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
If moving is a possibility for you, try places with stronger economies and booming populations like: Las Vegas, Arizona, Carolina, Colorado, and Florida.
If moving is not an ption for you, you can still get a job… you just have to work REALLY hard to market yourself. Schools still need SOME new teachers…. you have to make yourself stand out as one of the top 2% of candidates.
Suggestions:
1. After you've formally applied for a job through HR, send a copy of your resume and a letter of interest to the PRINCIPAL of the school you want to work at. HR offices typically forward 10-20% of the candidates to principals and ignore the other 80%. Since principals usually have direct control over hiring, you need the principal to know your name. Send the principal a copy of your resume so he/she can arrange an interview.
2. Teaching jobs advertised in newspapers and on the Internet typicaly have TONS of candidates applying. Best bet– call schools directly and ask if they'll be hiring in the near future. Most jobs aren't advertised heavily (because they already have lots of candidates). The jobs that ARE advertised heavily will have way too many qualified candidates — which decreases your changce of getting the job. So, use the phone book to find those unadvertised jobs.
3. Be sure your cover letter is so good they won't pass you up. Do something to make it stand out– color letterhead, bold faced key words, bulleted lists– something. Have a great introduction sentence that catches their interest. If you're not a great cover letter/resume designer, have it done professionally.
4. Practice common interview questions beforehand. Typically similar questions are asked at all teacher interviews. If you practice beforehand and think about what you'll say, the questions will seem routine and familiar.
Here's a link to an eBook about getting teaching jobs. It has advice for finding jobs, tips to polish your cover letter and resume, common teacher interview questions and answers, etc. Maybe the eBook can help you. It's at: http://www.iwantateachingjob.com
Best of luck to you in your job search!
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