Job Discussion Forums

jg · Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:08 am Post subject: California opportunities?

I am currently teaching in Chicago but I dread the winters here... I would like to move to California. I am not certain where, unfortunately good gigs in the US are so difficult (at times) to find that I must choose a place with opportunity first, then housing. It doesn't have to be a big city, but I just want some leads about places to look...

from Sacramento south, but not too far inland is my target. Thanks in advance.

wintersweet

Housing is so expensive in California. Areas like Sacramento are a little cheaper. Anywhere inland like that is cheaper, generally. I live in the SF Bay Area and all the ESL teachers I know work 3-5 jobs with a ton of commuting.

Pretty much all large/midsize cities out here seem to need ESL teachers. I'm sure the competition is pretty fierce, though. I would be surprised if anyone could name an area with a specific shortage of teachers. The places to look are the usual suspects--adult schools, community colleges (CA does have more CCs than many states do), state schools, etc. http://www.craigslist.org/ 's strength is in its original home, the greater SF Bay Area. You might poke around there for some ideas.

Brooks · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1369 Location: Sagamihara

send me a pm JG. I get word on openings in CA thanks to my grad school.

TheWanderer · Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Posts: 9 Location: Chicago

Actually, I think I might be interested as well, California seems so appealing to me. However, I won't be looking for jobs until 2006.

rogerejones · Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Posts: 23 Location: Los Angeles

To add my 2 cents to what's already been said: I am a newly-credentialed Adult Ed. teacher in Los Angeles, and have been looking for ESL jobs since last fall. They are few and far between. Thanks to budget cutbacks and Shwarzenegger's disdain toward education and teachers, competition is fierce for part-time ELS jobs. Also, keep in mind that there is a whole credentialing process to go through - both thru the CA State Dept. of Education and whatever school district governs the city of your choice. LAUSD in Los Angeles is particularly formidable, not to mention byzantine in its application procedures. If working for a public school district, you can expect to be asked to observe classes (on your own time) prior to being added to the school's substitute list. If you function well as a sub, you stand a chance of being hired for 10 hours a week.

Keep in mind that I am speaking as a resident of LA for 15 years. I live in Hollywood, and housing costs are skyrocketing. My goal is to get in a year of teaching if possible, then to head to Japan in 2006 to teach English. There is no such thing here as a full-time ESL teaching job. In LA, for example, you can't expect to work more than 10 hours a week (one class), at least for the first few years. If you want to teach at the Community College level, you are required to have an MA in TESOL or Applied Linguistics.

I'm just trying to paint a realistic picture, not to sound overly negative. But there it is, and you asked.

mikey · Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 5:15 am Post subject: Re: California opportunities?

Belmont

I was teaching ESL to adults here in Los Angeles but, as someone noted here on this thread, budget problems and low-enrollment forced the downsizing of my community adult school, so I lost my ESL job and began subbing. There wasn't enough work to survive, so I became a substitute teacher for LAUSD, elementary school ONLY! I've been at it a little over a month now and it's been tough, but also very rewarding. I'm finally getting known at a few good schools so I don't have to go to "the hood".

LAUSD has several schools that need bilingual (Spanish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, etc.) subs. There is plenty of day-to-day and long-term work at these schools, and at ALL schools in the district. I work every day. Pay is $162.00/day. After 100 days you qualify for medical insurance.

At present they are hiring people with a BA, CBEST passage, and the CLAD deal is waived or you "promise" to take the course by a certain time. They prefer fully-credentialed teachers, but since they need subs they'll allow just the above quals for the time being.

Subbing is a good way to make some $ while you're deciding your next career move.

Ladybug · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 68

What about if you have a CELTA? And how hard is it to take the CBEST? I'm looking to relocate to the L.A. area in 2007 and have experience teaching in Hong Kong and Korea so I'm hoping they'll let me in while I get the "proper" requirements (whether it's a teaching cert in America or a Masters') at night.

butterface · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 2 Location: Los Angeles

The CBEST is totally easy. If you go to Teachinla.com the have the requirements for subbing

Jizzo T. Clown · Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:47 pm Post subject:

My goodness there's a lot of red tape in CA!

Ladybug · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 68

NMB · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Posts: 84 Location: France

Does a Master's override the teacher credential requirement for the US public school systems?

Jizzo T. Clown · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:53 pm Post subject:

trickee2 · Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 9

No, it doesn't. Having a masters is great but you must be fully certified or go through an alternative certification program to work in a public school system in the US. And a lot of US schools won't sponsor a foreigner (if you are one). New laws require that teachers working in critical shortage areas (ESL, Math, Science, Bilingual) are deemed 'highly qualified' and that includs being a fully licensed teacher in that area along with some other stipulations.

trickee2 · Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 9

No, it doesn't. Having a masters is great but you must be fully certified or go through an alternative certification program to work in a public school system in the US. And a lot of US schools won't sponsor a foreigner (if you are one). New laws require that teachers working in critical shortage areas (ESL, Math, Science, Bilingual) are deemed 'highly qualified' and that includs being a fully licensed teacher in that area along with some other stipulations.