Monday, May 11, 2009

Job Hunt

As some of you may have heard we are about to begin an adventure. We are on a nationwide job hunt for a full-time band/music teaching job for Jon. His district has made crazy cuts for the fall and he will only be part time, giving us a 40% pay cut. While we are grateful for the fact that yes, he does still have a job, which is more than many can say, sadly we can not live on what his new salary would be...which means it job hunt time. One major problem we are running into is that many full-time openings we have found pay less than what he would make here working part-time.

I'm sure that some of you may be thinking that I (Michelle) going back to work could help the problem. We have thought of this. However, I have been removed from the classroom now for over 2 years and I left my last job mid-school year (major taboo). In order for my certificate to stay current I would have to start taking grad classes, which we obviously can't afford. I also have no where near the earning potential that Jon has. He has 5 years experience and almost a master's degree (he'll finish it this summer). Jon can actually make more money part-time than I could full-time as essentially a first year teacher. The only thing I have going for me is that I have a more diversified certificate being able to teach K-8 self-contained or 6-8 language arts or science. However, the cost of daycare would negate nearly one of our whole salaries so it still leaves us in the same spot as we started.

So, while i know my readership is rather low...if any of you out in cyber-land know of any jobs that my wonderfully talented hubby is qualified for, if you wouldn't mind sending the info our way that would be great. Thanks!

7 comments:

mechan said...

If you had to go back to work I offer great rates on child care . We are in the same boat We will know by the end of June if Scott will have a job after december

jbrimhall said...

I will keep my eyes and ears open. AZ is also having major job cuts so I am not sure if we have anything yet but I will definitely let you know. I think that you are making a wise decision to stay home with your children -- you can never get those precious moments back in your life. Have you thought about teaching music lessons from your home? You both are so talented and if I lived close, I would love the oppurtunity to learn from you both.

InWeighOverMyHead said...

Starting pay in Texas is around $45 and they DON'T cut music. :)
You can check Plano, Irving, Dallas are ones that I can think of on the top of my head. Eric works for Irving if he needs a reference.

Michelle said...

Thanks for the info Lisa. We have been very discouraged by TX schools when we see salaries for Jon's experience and education level in the mid $30s. We will certainly check out those specific districts.

Thanks for the offer Melissa. If worst comes to worst we will have to talk. I REALLY don't want to work despite all the other factors.

Jen, we'd love to come to AZ. In fact Jon and I both joked that it's time to call Yuma (5 years ago they were pretty desperate and disappointed that we found other employment).

NatalieHemingway said...

How about tutoring Michelle? I think you could get like after hours work at maybe Sylvan learning center. I think Tia used to do that. ??

Michelle said...

We hadn't thought of that. The key however would be finding time that would work with Jon's schedule. Unfortunately, along with the pay cut he will actually be working harder/longer. It sounds silly I know, but he is paid based on how many classes he teaches during the day (which will be 3). But he still has to do marching band and the musical, and various other after school things as well which he gets paid separately for but no where near a fair amount, in my opinion.
We are hoping if nothing else pans out that he will at least teach his 3 classes all in a row and be able to be home more so I can go flip burgers at Mickey D's or something for a few hours a day (but I don't even think they are hiring at the moment either).

Unknown said...

Wanted to second TX...I taught in Birdville ISD and made $50K my first year teaching (it's $45K, but I had $5K bilingual stipend)...they are north of Ft. Worth...so still in the Dallas Area...Irving is also a good district. Northwest ISD (also north of Ft. Worth) pays just a bit more than Birdville ISD, but is more rural. Keller ISD is around the same pay as well...my brother goes to the ward in Keller and he says it's great! Oh, if you like Houston area more, Conroe ISD had decent pay when I was checking a few years back. We bought our 4 bed/2 bath house in North Ft. Worth area for around $110...so it was great pay for cheap living. Oh, Irving ISD offers the best health benefits from what I remember. If you have any questions, you can email me at ecagle@gmail.com...I no longer am in TX, but have friends there!