Teaching in Seattle (Tukwila: apartments, teaching jobs, neighborhoods)

[kdpetersen]

My husband and I have been considering moving to Seattle from Chicago, and I just had a few questions about finding teaching jobs in Washington (Seattle, specifically).

If you've heard anything about the state of education in Illinois, you probably know the predicament that I've been in. In the four years since I graduated college, school districts have been constantly pink slipping (laying off) teachers. The teacher pension has also been a huge mess as well. Because of all of the problems with funding, I've been teaching PreK at a Park District.

So here are the questions...

1. Is it as hard to find a teaching job in Seattle as it is in Chicago? I've tried Googling this, and I haven't found anything yet (which makes me feel a bit more confident).
2. I've been working toward getting my ESL Endorsement in Chicago (I will probably end up getting my masters in ESL eventually). Is there a large ESL community in Seattle? And what neighborhoods would those schools be located in?
3. My husband and I would really prefer to go car-free, and just rely on biking and public transit. We're thinking either Fremont or Capitol Hill- does anyone know which area would be better to teach in? I do have experience teaching in the inner city of Chicago.
4. Finally, I'm going to have to get certified to teach in Washington. I'm thinking that I'll stop by at the ROE as soon as we move (or sooner, if I come to look at apartments before the move). Does anyone know what kind of work this will entail? I'm thinking that I'll initially try to sub or aid if the certification process won't be completed by September.

[duckieee]

OSPI is a great resource to look through as your questions arise.

1. I am currently working towards my degree in elementary education, and from what I call the 'pre/early-job hunt' I have observed that getting a job teaching in Seattle looks better than in other cities in other states that I have looked into. I don't know what Chicago is like so I can't compare the two, but like anywhere, it might not be a dream job.

2. I'm not entirely sure of the ESL population in Seattle, but there is one. Seattle's public schools are fairly diverse, as are a lot of the areas surrounding Seattle, and I know that the areas south of Seattle where I'm from have a need for it. I can't speak for Seattle Public Schools itself, but I know I've been in elementary classrooms in the south of Seattle area where around 5 students out of a class of 28 third graders spoke English as a first language. -- This was in Tukwila. Here is a link to the website of a school directory in the Seattle district. You can click on the attendance area, and then browse the school website to see if it has anything about ESL on it... I know I clicked on Beacon Hill Interational School, and the first paragraph is talking about ESL specialists in the school.
Here is a link to Washington State's Report Card, and I narrowed in on Seattle Public Schools, and you can see the transitional bilingual percentages by school through here as well as MSP (Measurement of Student Progress) results, and really any other statistical result that you care to know!

3. I feel like both Fremont and Capitol Hill would be good areas to teach in, maybe not necessarily for specifically utilizing ESL skills... If anybody else knows anything about that feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I have a friend who's son goes to Stevens Elementary on Capitol Hill and they absolutely love the school and its community. According to OSPI's report card, out of 380 students, 55 of them are transitional bilingual, and compared to another school -- MLK JR. Elementary, which has 149 transitional bilingual students out of 360 total students. Through that you should definitely be able to find areas.

4. Here is the link for stuff about certification in Washington.