TheApple

Interior design! 

I'd finally write that book.

To coin an earlier phrase "Been there done that!"

More poweer to all who may come behind me!

 Dear Jill,

I watch a lot of  "Law and Order", so I guess I could become a lawyer (or a criminal.) But seriously, if I got laid off, well, I have a friend in Yemen who's trying to get me to go over there to teach:

"You'd love it here. It's a kinder, friendlier version of Saudi: grateful students, fascinating history, rugged, raw, wild stuff. The embassy attack may certainly put a damper on foreign aid and foreign tourists, which Yemen desperately needs.'

but my wife wouldn't be too thrilled if I were to do that.. Still, it IS a "fall-back" position.

i am a teacher who was laid off last year.  I had gotten my first teaching job last year at 30 years old and due to budgets was laid off.  I only had one backup plan and that was preschool which I am doing now.  There are just no jobs out there for someone with so little experience like me and jobs period.  I sent out over 50 resume's this past summer and didn't even get acknowledged.  So I went to work in a head start program and miss my fifth grade classroom.  This wasn't what I planned when I went to college and graduate school.

I agree with "the more experience and degrees you have the less likely you are to get a job".  I have a master's degree and 13 years teaching experience.  My contract was not renew after 2 years of working for a school where as if I was to have worked for three years they would have had to have given me tenure and then not been able to get rid of me.  I cost more to employ.  I can substitute, even for teachers who were hired for postions I interviewed for but I can not seem to get hired for.  I am not given any reasons other than there are many applicants.  In my heart I know it is because of how much it would cost to hire me over a new teacher. 

What do I do because I can't get a job in an elementary school?, I substitute for those same schools that will not hire me because I was told once that I must need to get to know the people in the school so they will hire me.  I even substitute for my daughters day care where I am told they are very sorry for needing me, and that they understand that with all my experience and education and certification that they can not pay me what I am worth.  I did manage to get one class at the University to teach but that does not pay enough to keep the kids in day care and food on the table.  I can not take the kids out of day care because then I would not be able to substitute and I would loose their spot if I was to get a job.  I love their day care, they are safe there. I do not know what else I could do because I am by myself at night, my husband teaches nights and I do not have a babysitter. 

Getting laid off is very difficult. However, it's really important to think about what you can do next...until you get a job as a teacher. When my wife was laid off (during the down turn of the 1970s she sold Tupperware. Think about your hobbies, interests, and people skills. Look for ways to get a job using one or more of them. Start your own business...online. That's one way to go.

joelheffner says ...

Getting laid off isn't nice.

What would you do to earn money if you were laid off from teaching? Do you have a 2nd job or skill you could fall back on?

Getting laid off probably ranks up there with a death in the family and divorce. It can be very difficult to deal with. Knowing why you got laid off is probably a positive step to getting another job. Classroom management is the thing that every administrator is looking for. The last thing that they want is to have a teacher who can't manage classrooms. If you can do some self-evaluation and come up with the reasons for your problems, you'll be on the right path. For example, some teachers have problems because they want to be liked, instead of respected. They try to be "nice" and end up getting taken advantage of. Others try to be too innovative and don't "cover" the required stuff adequately. Whatever the problem may have been...try to analyze it and know how to combat it. You might be asked about it in an interview and should be ready to admit a previous problem and offer ways you will avoid it in the future. 

Another problem that exists is geography. If you live in an area with a relatively small school system, there are going to be many fewer opportunities than say in a place like NYC where there are more than a thousand schools. If you don't want to or can't move and teaching jobs are scarce, it might be a good idea to look for other areas of employment. Think in terms of what you'd like to do, find out what the training that is needed might be...and go for it.

Good luck.

P.S. It may sound silly, but attitude is important. I'd strongly suggest that you create a name other than struggling man. Think about the better days that will come. 

struggling_man says ...

Hello, Joel, everyone!

Like Hunnap..., I've been laid off-contract. MY contract was not renewed due to a negative eval for lacking classroom mgmt. I'm trying to remediate my classroom mgmt skills and get rehired in my county, but so far to no avail. I've resolved to work harder, organize my home office/desk. I'm thinking I need to create my own website with lessons and other stuff to highlight my talents. I'm hoping Obama getting in will get free up Fed money for my state so the hiring freeze is lifted and I can get hired as a correctional teacher. Unemployment has run out and the toll free number says, "Due to the high volume of calls, we can not take your call at this time." Ugh! Getting hired in a county where the principals have a good ole boyu network is problematic when overcoming non-renewal of contract. If not tutuoring or working as an EA, I'll scrounge for temp work or look elsewhere. Sometimes, I think I picked the wrong profession. Oh well.