My first district that I taught at was horrible. I had to coach all the sports, be in charge of everything, and I was robbed of a few stipends at the end. Please do not make my mistake.
Do Your Research
By this I mean actually reach out to teachers that work at the district you are interested in. They can give you first hand knowledge. I would either find a mutual friend, or find someone on LinkedIn, or directly email someone from another school, but within the same district.
Ask them what they like about their district, what they don’t like. If they know about the school you’re applying to. I know if someone reached out to me on LinkedIn, I’d be more than happy to share what I know. Make sure they teach the same grade and subject though. Because I know of other schools within my grade and subject, and I would gladly tell potential candidates what schools not to apply to. Most veteran teachers are willing to help out.
Look At Pay
Pay and benefits are posted publicly online. Some districts are still living in an outdated world, and have not raised their pay. Also be careful of a district that promises a lot of stipends, because there is a lot of fine print that comes with those stipends.
Also, by talking with teachers already in the district, they will be able to tell you what other types of pay are included. My district has given us a retention bonus of $1,000 and this past Christmas, they gave us another bonus of $1,000. I guess you could also Google the district in their local news, and find out this information as well, now that I think about it.
Either way, check the district you’re interested in for pay and benefits. Also, if you have any health conditions, make sure to check what type of health insurance they use, this might help as well.
Please feel free to respond to this post. I truly wish you the best in your endeavors.
Cheers!
-E
1st Year Texas Teachers 