Looking to move to, and teach in, Seattle (Bellevue, Kent: student loans, home)

[KMcCro]

Hey Everyone,

I'm currently a grad student, completing my secondary education certification in PA. I'm looking into moving next year, I don't want to get stuck in my home area, and Seattle has always appealed to me. I'd love to know if anyone of you can fill me in on what school districts would most likely be hiring, which ones are preferable for a new teacher, and perhaps even what part of the city is best to live in for a reasonable price. I know I am asking a lot, but I figure why not try and get as much as I can from the people who know the most. Thanks.

[aa85]

It is hard, but not impossible, to find a job in Seattle. Seattle Public Schools has a chronic budget problem (long story) and Seattle has a relatively small proportion of children compared tp other major US cities. Most families in the area live in suburbs. In the surrounding school districts (Shoreline, Lake Washington, Northshore, Bellevue, Merer Island, Renton, Highline), the school-aged population simply isn't growing very fast. Faster growing school districts (Issaquah, Kent, Auburn are three that come to mind as possibly hiring more extensively) are located in suburbs further from Seattle - you wouldn't want to commute from Seattle to one of those districts.

English and history teachers are a dime a dozen - I know or know of many un/under-employed teachers in those subjects. Not so much for science and math, or for special education, but jobs are not plentiful in any specialization.

All school districts in Washington state recieved a 1.9% reduction in state aid for teacher salaries this year, which, depending on the district, may result in a 1.9% reduction in teacher salaries. If you have a Masters degree, you can expect to start in the low 40s in most districts, but that is not real great in the Seattle area, especially if you have a lot of student loans. Top base salaries (after ~15 years of experience) are typically in the high 60s, last time I checked.