Believe it or not, now is a great time to be a teacher. While many industries are laying off hundreds of thousands of workers and implementing “hiring freeze” policies, most schools are still hiring. A manufacturing company can simply close a factory, but that’s much more difficult for a school to do! True, some schools and districts have had to layoff teachers, and seem to be hiring fewer than they have in the past, but they are still posting jobs and making hires.
Here’s the tough news, though: even though jobs are out there, applications per job opening have soared, so each position is considerably more competitive. For example, 2 years ago, jobs posted in EdZapp attracted approximately 20 applications each on average; this Spring, that number nearly doubled to 38. These are averages, so in some cases (such as Elementary Education and Social Studies) the numbers were much higher. One very small school district in a rural region of Oregon attracted over 130 applicants for a middle school teaching position!
So how can you set yourself apart in such a competitive environment? Be proactive: contact schools directly and show that you’re interested, make sure you have your materials in early and complete, and include something in your application packet that really helps you “shine,” such as a work sample or philosophy statement.
EdZapp has research tools to help you link to school districts nationwide (go to “Find Jobs” -> “Research Districts” after Login, as well as document management services (EZ Docs) and “Zapps” to help you manage your application more efficiently and effectively in this tight market.
