Navigating Your Job Search

When you begin your job search you should be in the mind-frame that although you are an experienced teacher, as with any hiring process, there needs to be a determination of mutual fit.  The elimination of  forced placement policies has increased the chances that you, the principal and ultimately, the students all have your needs met. 

Staffing a school is a balance between matching the knowledge, skills, and talents of an individual to the needs of the school. When pursuing schools, you should take into account your level of flexibility, personal needs, and the school's environment and culture.  

Marketing Yourself in a Competitive Job Market 

Keep in mind that you are competing with other talented NYCDOE teachers, such as yourself, in your license area.  It's a competitive landscape, even internally, and you owe it to yourself to market yourself towards principals' and schools' needs.

We also strongly encourage you to review current philosophies and advances in pedagogy.  This will increase your confidence when meeting with principals and other hiring reps.  Regardless of how many years of teaching experience in the classroom, we strongly recommend you utilize the Teacher Development Toolkit for self-assessments and self-paced tutorials. It is a great way to confirm your marketability during your job search while continuously self-evaluating content knowledge in your specialty. This is best practice in any industry, whether conducting an internal or external job search.

One of the best ways to make yourself competitive is to participate in an online professional development workshop. THSC's professional development and efforts are in line with the "Professional Learning Standards." 

Flexibility in a Competitive Job Market 

With almost 1,700 programs and schools within the NYCDOE, the possibilities are endless.  That being said, we recommend you consider the schools that need great teachers like you the most. Should you limit yourself to your current district, borough or school type, you could be missing out on a school that is a great mutual fit.  Consider: 

To assist you in making an informed decision, we recommend you begin your Internet-based research by looking at the following websites:

NYC Department of Education - Review accountability reports and other valuable information on public schools at http://schools.nyc.gov/schoolsearch Inside Schools - Review independent insight into NYC public schools at http://www.insideschools.org