Need your honest opinion...

As some of you may know, I was accepted to interview for the Teaching Fellows position to become a NYC teacher. I've been reading posts on this board for quite some time, and with all this talk that a lot of teachers are being excessed and with the economy and all these budget cuts going on, I'll be honest, I'm hesitant to pursue this major career change. I am debating whether or not I should stay put, or go on, interview and possible go on to teach. This is what I really want to do but I also want to make a smart decision about my future. I was planning on scouting out my own school but now this is looking more and more impossible.

Your thoughts on this are greatly appreciated! And of course if you don't want to post something please FM me.

Thank you!

Re: Need your honest opinion...

Sylvia-That is such a tough call! I *heard* they are still taking fellows but possibly putting a freeze on hiring people who are not in that program.

I know that NYC is definetely scaling back and will be cutting jobs along with other programs

Re: Need your honest opinion...

Yeah, its tough...I'm planning on going through the interview and then seeing how things are by the summer when I would be required to make my ultimate decision.

Re: Need your honest opinion...

I think these economic issues are hurting every profession out there.

Relatively speaking, I think teachers are more safe than MANY other professions. Yes, some may lose jobs, but I don't think it's enough to warrant second guessing yourself.

Go into teaching because you have a passion to do it. Don't shy away from it because of the time right now. This profession needs dedicated people to do the job. If you really want to do it, I say go for it.

Re: Need your honest opinion...

i hear what you're saying. my DH is in his second year of Fellows and is already worried about excessing. his mentor told him once he gets his certification to try and get out of the DOE because things don't look good.

if it was me, i would probably still go for it though. it's tough out there and just because you're a fellow, you sitll have to find your own job.

Re: Need your honest opinion...

i don't know anything about the city, but LI districts cry excessing just about every year. it definitely does happen because it happened to me 6 years ago.

last year my district told all the leave replacements and permanent subs that there would be no jobs. so people who had been there 2 years but not on tenure track thought they would be losing their jobs. it was very sad. but then wouldn't you know it, as things usually happen, they not only rehired the permanent subs but i believe even hired other people!!

so my point is, go through it if it's what you want to do. there will always be teaching jobs, just not always exactly where you might want it.

Re: Need your honest opinion...

Posted by browneyedgirl

i don't know anything about the city, but LI districts cry excessing just about every year. it definitely does happen because it happened to me 6 years ago.

last year my district told all the leave replacements and permanent subs that there would be no jobs. so people who had been there 2 years but not on tenure track thought they would be losing their jobs. it was very sad. but then wouldn't you know it, as things usually happen, they not only rehired the permanent subs but i believe even hired other people!!

so my point is, go through it if it's what you want to do. there will always be teaching jobs, just not always exactly where you might want it.