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Question by Brian: What can I do as a transition job while I’m looking for a teaching job in a new state, and where should I go?
I am currently a certified social studies teacher in Kansas, and am about to receive my Masters Degree in teaching social studies. I went straight into grad school when job prospects were not looking good, and now I am coming to the point that I have no fall backs if I cannot get a teaching job. My girlfriend and I are looking to go out of state to work, such as St. Louis, Chicago, or any of the big cities in Texas. She won’t be finished until the summer, but she will be graduating with a mental health counseling degree, so its important for us to end up in an area with a bigger population.

My question is, what would be a good city to go to, and what kind of job should I get while I’m searching for a teaching job? I don’t want to just pick up and go, and would like to have a job in mind, even paraeducating or subbing, but I know those don’t bring in a significant income. Any ideas?

Best answer:

Answer by George
Your girl friend has a much more open opportunity to seek a position in any big city where you may may move. For example, she will be able to work as a mental health counselor in diverse community settings designed to provide a variety of counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Their duties vary greatly, depending on their specialty, which is determined by the setting in which they work and the population they serve. Although the specific setting may have an implied scope of practice, counselors frequently are challenged with children, adolescents, adults, or families that have multiple issues, such as mental health disorders and addiction, disability and employment needs, school problems or career counseling needs, and trauma. Counselors must recognize these issues in order to provide their clients with appropriate counseling and support. She will be employable immendiately, but she also will have to be certified in the state just as you will.

Wherever you plan to go, call the school districts in the big cities, make an inquiry about the teaching position you would like to have. Social studies has a huge number of persons who want social studies teaching positions, but they have few openings However. you may have an advantage in your master’s degree. The other option for you would be to inquire of the school districts surrounding the big cities. You will have to do a lot of research on your own.

You could possibly use a private teacher employment agency, but those in the big city or the rural areas will be very costly because they would charge you a proportion of your salary forever as long as you work in the school districts where they provided you with a lead. I would not go in that direction at all if I were you in any of the cities where you end up.

If your girlfriend gets a job first, you could work as a substitute teacher. That would be more difficult with a special area of social studies. Since she won’t be ready to leave Kansas until the end of summer, you could go back to school yourself to get certification in Kansas as an elementary school teacher. There would be more positions available to you if you were certified as an elementary school teacher than a high school teacher.

And, remember you would have to gain certification in a different state or a different city However, some big city schools may provide the classes for you to be certified while you were employed as a high school social studies teacher. That is another posibility for you to think about.

Still another possibility for you is to look into working in a private high school. Again, you would have to search yourself for school social studies positions in private schools. But, they have a greater flexibility because they don’t have to consider being state certified. Good luck.

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Jane’s Addiction – Just Because – 96.5 The Buzz Beach Ball – Kansas City, KS – Aug 19, 2011 – Jane’s Addiction performance of “Just Because” at The Buzz (96.5) Beach Ball in the Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas on August 19, 2011.