Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I too have an education degree. BS in elementary education. I have found it difficult to find good paying work as well. I currently work a retail job I hate, but have been looking for something else. Education degrees are a dime a dozen these days. If you want a job that pays anything, get in line with the rest of us and keep looking.
Meanwhile, I would just take any job you can and learn from it. If you're a substitute teacher, have you thought about bartending or waiting tables at night? I am considering that myself.
I just don't have the "personality" companies look for when they decide to hire people to deal with other people. It's maddening to me, really. I'm a nice person if you take the time to get to know me, but I have trouble convincing you within thirty seconds! Why should that be a big deal, though, if I can perform the job quickly and correctly? Why does work sometimes have to resemble a social club?
I'm a straight A student in the master's program for Education, and I've only been able to find work as a substitute teacher! I've gone to several interviews and failed the interview questions miserably, because the questions were actually geared toward people who actually have classroom teaching experience. I feel lost in the classroom, but I tell myself it is because I haven't worked there. Everything I've been trained and taught to do I do well. Substitute teaching, though, the only paying job that has been offered to me, is killing my enthusiasm for the whole profession. I'm so tired of failing. Why can't I do anything right?
Although I've been able to go to school and make good grades, I haven't been able to hold down a job, any job. I was fired from my position as a food service worker before I started college; I was unable to find anything in work-study, even though plenty of people were hiring, and now, even with almost a master's degree, I struggle to find a job that will actually pay anything. What on earth am I doing wrong? Why is it so hard for me to find work? To put this into perspective, I know someone who has no college education and an okay personality but suffers from bi-polar disorder, and she has an easier time finding paying work than I do. What is wrong? I didn't do all of this work to sit around unemployed my entire life. I have dreams and aspirations, too. Why can't I find a path toward fulfilling them?
I think I've said in some of your previous posts, that you need to ask a trusted friend what exactly the problem is. Somehow you are not coming across to other people the way you intend to. We cannot really judge because we can't see or hear you, or see you in action. As far as teaching interview questions, there are none that cannot be answered with the experience you have. Perhaps you had a bad teacher prep program, but that does not mean you cannot start reading and researching on your own. The best information comes from keeping up to date in the field anyway. What education research have you read recently on your own? Are you familiar with the reading and math instructional approaches in your school district? Have you attended any professional development offered through the school?
Just as at test, how about you try to answer an interview question here. Try: How do you teaching writing? OR Tell me about a time you had a conflict and how you handled it OR What is your approach to behavior management in the classroom?
Earlier you said you had a MED and now it's a masters in ESOL...those are two different things so which is it?
ESOL in case some do not know is English as a second language. This differs from a MED.
If you want to become a principle or superintendent you pretty much need a MED. Contrary to what was some said earlier no a masters doesn't make you more expensive as many states require a masters just as many school districts do. ESOL on the other hand mostly targets urban areas and overseas.
If you want to go overseas and teach English I'd say you are easily qualified by your background. See ESLcafe.com
If you want to teach a subject frankly it depends in terms of what you want. I don't know how your state does it but in Mass we have various tests depending on grade level and subject usually separated into primary and secondary. Naturally there's more specific subject in secondary. Early education is very hard to get into as is special education because there are more tests to take. There's two basics for everyone to take in addition to the subject. The trends I tend to see is subjects end up being combined. So you might see English and Social studies or you might see Math and maybe even gym class. But more importantly it generally assumed that you majored in the subjects that you are teaching. So if you are a math major you teach math, if you are history major you teach history etc. Majoring in education does not specifically teach the subject matter. So if you have a MED I don't specifically see how you can teach biology because then that would just reduce it to reading the teacher textbooks and frankly anyone can do that. Knowing how to teach is fine but frankly I personally believe that the ability to teach these days is made much easier with technologies. If you do not know the subject it can be much harder when more specific questions are answered.
It is like the old business issue of if you run a guitar store and want to hire help.
do you hire a salesman and teach him about guitars
or
do you hire someone that knows guitars and teach him to be a salesman?
Earlier you said you had a MED and now it's a masters in ESOL...those are two different things so which is it?
ESOL in case some do not know is English as a second language. This differs from a MED.
If you want to become a principle or superintendent you pretty much need a MED. Contrary to what was some said earlier no a masters doesn't make you more expensive as many states require a masters just as many school districts do. ESOL on the other hand mostly targets urban areas and overseas.
If you want to go overseas and teach English I'd say you are easily qualified by your background. See ESLcafe.com
If you want to teach a subject frankly it depends in terms of what you want. I don't know how your state does it but in Mass we have various tests depending on grade level and subject usually separated into primary and secondary. Naturally there's more specific subject in secondary. Early education is very hard to get into as is special education because there are more tests to take. There's two basics for everyone to take in addition to the subject. The trends I tend to see is subjects end up being combined. So you might see English and Social studies or you might see Math and maybe even gym class. But more importantly it generally assumed that you majored in the subjects that you are teaching. So if you are a math major you teach math, if you are history major you teach history etc. Majoring in education does not specifically teach the subject matter. So if you have a MED I don't specifically see how you can teach biology because then that would just reduce it to reading the teacher textbooks and frankly anyone can do that. Knowing how to teach is fine but frankly I personally believe that the ability to teach these days is made much easier with technologies. If you do not know the subject it can be much harder when more specific questions are answered.
It is like the old business issue of if you run a guitar store and want to hire help.
do you hire a salesman and teach him about guitars
or
do you hire someone that knows guitars and teach him to be a salesman?
Maybe look towards urban areas or higher ed.
Once again spreading ****, I see.
Yes, a Master's make teachers more expensive.
Yes, most school systems shy away from hiring first year teachers with them if there are candidates without them.
Yes, most states require a Master's to continue teaching after the expiration of the original certification.
Yes, you continue to give bad advice. I knew you'd be here spreading it, too.
MEd in ESOL/TESL/TESOL certainly exists. But how did you get in without the experience? I don't understand why you are pursuing graduate studies as a teacher when you aren't succeeding in the basics. What is your goal? Adult learners require even more personality and motivation. They will simply drop your course if they aren't connecting! My degree is in ESL for adults. It is the last subject for those struggling with those issues.
Unfortunately in a people-oriented job like teaching if you come across as not being able to communicate well or be engaging it's probably not going to fare well for you.
In fields where people tend to be more activity focused as opposed to interaction focused, like engineering, there seems to be more flexibility with having no social skills.
I think many people wind up with degrees or even stuck in a field that they really, at the core of it, have no aptitude for or simply no interest in. It sounds like you have the interest but maybe not the core skills that are needed for that kind of role.
If you are going to stick with trying to break into the teaching field, I would suggest honing your social skills. The best way I can think of to do it would be to join something like Toastmasters.
There is a guy I've crossed paths with who has been a substitute teacher for years. He has ample education but can't land a full time teaching or similar job. He can't figure out why.
Without really knowing the guy, I could tell right off the bat why not. The guy just seems weird. He looks kind of weird, his personality is weird, he's just weird all the way around. He could be the most competent person in the world but if you give off the vibe that you have some sort of mental disability or look like a suspect in a molestation case you probably aren't going to get hired. It's a sad fact. And it is very, very likely that no one is ever going to tell the guy that he just seems really weird because who is going to tell someone that to their face? How could they even fix it?
Another thing I thought about: many small private schools can't afford to hire experienced teachers, or pay anything close to what a public school would pay so they don't have a lot of options. Some will take people with a bachelors only.
While it may not be ideal, and you may need to survive on Spaghetti-Os for a couple of a years, but that would be a way to get your foot in the door to teach and then have a legitimate teaching position on your resume beyond just substitute or student teaching.
I think I've said in some of your previous posts, that you need to ask a trusted friend what exactly the problem is. Somehow you are not coming across to other people the way you intend to. We cannot really judge because we can't see or hear you, or see you in action. As far as teaching interview questions, there are none that cannot be answered with the experience you have. Perhaps you had a bad teacher prep program, but that does not mean you cannot start reading and researching on your own. The best information comes from keeping up to date in the field anyway. What education research have you read recently on your own? Are you familiar with the reading and math instructional approaches in your school district? Have you attended any professional development offered through the school?
Just as at test, how about you try to answer an interview question here. Try: How do you teaching writing? OR Tell me about a time you had a conflict and how you handled it OR What is your approach to behavior management in the classroom?
THIS. You said you didn't even bring this up with the counselor, when in fact your lack of social skills and people skills is your BIGGEST problem.
I've been tutoring kids at my church and in order to be successful as a teacher, you need to have the drive and personality to meet their needs. I was told that I interact very well with children.
If you don't have that drive and passion, then teaching isn't for you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why should that be a big deal, though, if I can perform the job quickly and correctly? Why does work sometimes have to resemble a social club?
