Getting a teaching job in Gillette/other questions (Laramie: for sale, real estate)

[shelby_36]

Hi, My husband is returning today from an interview in Gillette(coal industry) He is seriously considering the offer.I am a born and raised East coast gal. Grew up in the country up north, long snowy winters. Now live in WV shorter snowy winters.
A couple questions. Personally I am a well established teacher here. (K-6 multi subject) I've looked at the State dept of ed site and see I have to jump through alot of hoops to teach in WY. Praxis II. US and WY constitution test as well as other typical transfer stuff. Is this going to be as complicated as it sounds? Do you have to sub first? The interview people told my husband I should have no problem getting a job immediately but I worry they just told him that to make him more comfortable. This is my biggest worry. Housing prices are much higher there and I worry if it takes a while for me to get work. We will probably wait till the semester break in Jan to move totally (he'llgo sooner)
Oh, also, Here they don't do much hiring during the school year. They like people to stay put if at all possible and use long term subs till the end of the year. Does Gillette follow this practice?


Any other insight people can give us about what might shock us when we get there?

We know the winters are long, cold, and windy. That you have to stay in town in the winter for the most part(Do they do alot of snow days at school or do you always go even in high snow and cold temp) Is it mostly a cold issue in the winter or do you get lots of snow? one or two big storms or snow all the time? I read somewhere 77 inches??????
My husband warned me that there are no green mountains or foliage, which will be an adjustment for both of us. We do worry about what we will do to keep busy. We are excited about all the day trips we can take, but worried about keeping busy during the week and in the winter.

Oh One more question. Are there any colleges in Gillete that offer 4 year degrees? In engineering? We have a son that is a Sophmore Engineering student and we don't know if he can transfer there or if we;ll have to find someone here to keep him till he finishes his degree.

Sorry for all the questions.

[WyoNewk]

Others can better answer your questions about being hired as a teacher, etc. From what I've heard, the hoops aren't that difficult. My wife was a teacher's assistant for 12 years before moving here ten years ago. She got a job immediately but wasn't thrilled with the district and gave up on it after being laid off once. It's changed a lot since then, however. Teachers here were among the lowest paid in the country; now they're among the highest paid.

Housing prices are currently the lowest they've been in a few years, and there are more to pick from than ever. It'll probably be even more so in January. The house next door to me is currently for sale, and I understand the seller is open to a lease with option to buy. That's a little unusual in city subdivisions -- probably a sign of the times.

Winters are cold and long, but there's no reason to stay in town. I'm getting a little long in the tooth and appreciate a warm house now days, but in my younger years we were gone nearly every weekend -- skiing, ball games, shopping, etc. Roads are normally open and in good condition. We were Denver Broncos season ticket holders and attended all the home games (350 miles to Denver), and if we weren't at ball games we were usually skiing.

I don't think we normally get THAT much snow. We'll usually get a handful of snow "storms" each year -- 2 to 5 with snow accumulations over 5 inches. And the snow doesn't last long. Believe it or not, our higher, dryer elevation means the snow melts pretty quickly -- or just evaporates. The biggest problem is the wind. Roads can blow closed with 5 inches of snow. But the city, county and state highway departments take pretty good care of our roads. They may be closed for a few hours, but generally they don't stay closed for long.

Mountains and foliage aren't that far away. We're only an hour away from the Bighorn Mountains to the west. They're real mountains with peaks beyond 13,000. Lots of green there. Or we're an hour west of the Black Hills. Lots of green there too. Generally, it's probably as green here as, say, California. Our prairies are usually green for a couple months. My yard is green mid-April - October as long as I water it a little.

The local junior college doesn't offer anything in the way of 4-year-engineering degrees. The University of Wyoming (Laramie) has an excellent engineering college as does Rapid City (South Dakota School of Mines & Technology).

[shelby_36]

Thanks for the info. Here in WV teachers are paid next to nothing. I think we are 47th or 48th in the country. So any bump up would be a raise. My husband is not really getting raise just a better job, so losing my income in an area that is more expensive with a much bigger house payment would be a big stress. ( we have a very nice 3 br split level home in a great neighborhood and we'll be lucky if we get 100,000 for it)

We have talked to some local real estate agents are confident we will find a home in the area. It'll just be more expensive that what we were hoping to find. Homes in the price range (or higher) we are in now are modular and or trailers type homes which I don't want.

I think the weather is my biggest disappointment. I really like to be warm. I grew up in 9 month winters waist deep in snow but still I'm getting to the age where its not fun anymore, its an inconvenience. I'm looking at the bright side that maybe there I can find to love the winter again. Maybe I can get an annual cruise to the tropics from hubby in the deal.
Do they keep roads fairly clear IN town during snow or do they have the drifting problem in town as well?

I keep trying to tell my kids (accurately) I hope. That Gillette will be drabber than the surrounding areas. We'll work and go to school in town and we'll have plenty of weekend trip for the fair weather months.

Our plan is to invest in a nicer home so when we are inside all winter we are comfortable. Here in WV we are cramped in the home we are in and we would kill each other if we were like this for more than a day or two, Here someone is always off somewhere so its not an issue.

The university will be an issue for my son I think. How far is Laramie? He is living at home for the cost purposes. If he comes with us (hes considering staying here till he finishes his degree) He'll be back to room and board.
Thanks - I hope the lady who teaches in Gillette sees this post. I'd love to talk to her.

[WyoNewk]

It's important to find a home you like in a neighborhood you like. If you fail in that you'll never be happy in a new town; if you succeed you'll probably like the whole area. It makes a HUGE difference, and I've seen it time and again. I can usually predict if someone will enjoy Gillette from their address. Interest rates are low. Find a home nicer than the one you now have or you will not be happy with the move.

The city snow crews do a very good job of keeping the main streets passable; side/residential streets are another story. When strong winds whip fresh snow around, it's impossible to keep the streets clear. The good news is that blizzard conditions are fairly rare and don't usually last long. We look forward to them -- a day off. We might get a day or two off during the winter, but sometimes we have to wait a few years. Schools will close more often due to country bus routes. The mines don't like to close for bad weather. That's still a little surprising to me, as safety-minded as they seem to be, but it's always been the case.

Laramie is 250 miles or so from Gillette. Rapid City is about half that. Don't discount SD School of Mines. It's long been rated as one of the best in the country.

[shelby_36]

Do any of the border states do instate tuition for border residents?Are there any 4 year school closer to Gillette in one of the border states (NE)

[lj1983]

SD Tech is going to be the closest school. roughly 2 hours. Several of the interns I worked with this summer traveled to and from Rapid city for weekends. anything in Nebraska is gonna be much farther.


I just graduated from Virginia Tech with my engineering degree...so i know those WV mountains. really, going into the black hills or up around bear mountains feels amazingly like being back in the appalachians. I was reallly surprised how much it felt like back east.

one thing we've found...is that hiking takes alittle more effort to find established trails. we did alot of hiking throughout the appalachians (VA, WV, and my parent's house in NC by the smoky mtn national park) and its taken alittle more effort/research to find decent hiking trails.