Realistically, I am in the minority of teachers in that I enjoy hunting and fishing. The Assistant Sup in charge of Human Resources wanted me to notify highly professional teachers that we can use more talented people in the FNSBSD.

He specifically wanted me to try to attract:
1) SPED teachers,
2) Occupational Therapists
3) Speech Pathologists
4) Physical Therapists
5) School Psychologists

Classroom teachers
especially highly qualified in Mathematics and Science.

There will also be several expected openings in PE/Health education.

CTE teachers are also sought after.

The job fair will be held March 26, 2011
8AM-5PM

You can go through the process to register at the SD Website:
www.k12northstar.org/human-resources/current-job-openings

email: [email protected]
phone:907-452-2000 ext 380.


Why would I try to recruit highly qualified teachers off of this site?

I would like to get as many 24 hour campfire people in Fairbanks as possible and I believe that we have a better grasp on living and how students should grow than the antigun commies found elsewhere. They have a good wage here and will pay up to 5000 for moving expenses.

So if you like to hunt and fish and want to look at moving to AK- then here it is.


Sincerely,
Thomas

Hope you get some interest. Times sure have changed. When I was in school, going on 30 years ago, most of my male teachers were hunters. Deer season opened on the Monday following Thanksgiving. The first two days were a school holiday, as no one, staff or student, would have shown up! It was a great time and place to grow up.

Jeff

Good on you Thomas

I can't think of a better place in the world to be for a teacher than Alaska. Some teachers in my area really get after the hunting/fishing.

I just brought the idea up to the wife...and looks like it's too far from her parents. Why didn't I get to Alaska before I got married???? On the plus side, teaching in the midwest gets me on a lot of my students family farms!

My fiance' is all for it.( Shes teaching now) I graduate next May with my Elementary Ed degree, so lets just hope she doesn't change her mind when that rolls around. haha

Thomas is promoting North Star Borough, the Fairbanks area, so urban. And it is a good place as the populated sections of Alaska go.

And, hopefully without taking anything away from what he is doing, but also exposing more rural districts as well which also have some very good options for outdoors-teachers, here's a link to many other districts also.

http://www.eed.state.ak.us/DOE_Rolodex/QInternet_1.cfm

There are challenges in either setting, and some really good and interesting life options.

Thanks for bring this up, Thomas. It's hiring season now in many districts.

At the end of April I will be a certified secondary social studies teacher. The job prospects here in Pennsylvania are not looking too good right now. I have been strongly considering moving to a different part of the country for work. But I'm not totally sure how to find a job in a place like Alaska. Any advice?

http://notes4.state.ak.us/wa/postapps.nsf/JobsByDept?OpenView

http://alexsys.labor.state.ak.us/

you can start here, many of the jobs require you to be a resident but not all of them do.

Go towards the Bush. Once you get into looking at specific districts- then Klik or I can help steer you towards goods sites and away from Bush Hell. There are places out there where people are unfriendly, water is terrible, expenses are very high and the hunting and fishing sucks. I taught in several different bush districts before I made the transition to town because of my child and my ailing father. Your interest on a hunting and fishing site is a good start. Administrators often try to sell the outdoors opportunities but beware.

There is presently a surplus of Social Studies people in FNSBSD pool. However, if you have a certain particular set of skills-like being a very qualified coach(Basketball, Football, Wrestling) then you might jump above a long line of long term subs and other people in the applicant pool.

Sincerely,
Thomas

Well to be honest I'm don't which specific regions would be good. I havent really thought of exactly where I want to go. Since there are few jobs available in this area, I have thought about the Western U.S. or Alaska. But not sure exactly where I would like, or where to start looking. I dont have a game plan yet.

Haha yea there always is a surplus of Social Studies teachers. What do you teach?

How would a History teacher with a Master's Degree and university teaching experience fit into the scheme of things?

I teach history and economics. I can tell you that I have taught every thing from elementary PE to Pre-Calculus in the Bush. Many social studies teachers take Praxis tests in different subjects and get in anyways.

The skill-set thing is important. They really like having people who have proven expertise in student activities. Things like Acca-Decca or being a competitive girls basketball coach can mean more for your chances of getting hired than your specific endorsement. There is a movement in Alaska towards correspondence programs and many teachers work that way too.

I can tell you that our enrollment is climbing with many people looking and finding work in the gold mining operations that are expanding.

Sincerely,
Thomas

Frustrated? Seriously, it would depend a lot on the individual's personality - and I think that's true regardless the ed and experience background. Lots of unique things about life in Alaska. Bush is the easier place to get a start, but not necessarily to get started.

No your not the only one. Many of us live/teach in the bush because the hunting and fishing is soooo good. Bag um and tag um!

I moved up here from Michigan in 2009 to teach. I brought my fiance with me. We got married in Kenai last June and she now has a great job too! We love it.

I am rather certain I love it more than she does . But, she has a lot of good friends and hobbies.

Her love for AK can best be explained by the associative property of addition.

ex. (Jesse + AK)+ Jamie = Love
(Jesse + Jamie) + AK = Love
(Jamie + AK) + Jesse = Love

The retirement systems for teachers up here is not the greatest. (defined contibution 401K, no Soc. Security)

The pay compared with the cost of living here compared to the midwest isn't great either, but not terrible. In 2009 when I did all of figures it was about 10k short per year compared to the cost of living.

AK is sweet though, lots of groceries walking and swimming around. Its beautful place and a person certainly won't starve to death.

Shame. I have a degree in Elementary Ed but not in a position where I could relocate that far away right now.

Good opportunity though.

You forgot to mention the biggest bonus of being a teacher in Alaska, you get the best part of the year off! That has to beat any sort of retirement program

As far as University teaching experience, Fairbanks would be a good local to consider as you have an excellent university, and the K-12 options.

In Southeast Oklahoma 75% of teachers (male( hunt and/or fish.

They why do the majority of HS kids not know social studies attributes?

Well, give me a couple of years....

I am an employed electrician right now, but sometime in the near future I would like to get out of the trade and start teaching. I have a History BA, and am planning on getting my teaching endorsement in math/ science.

My wife has a teaching degree in art education. Her desire is to work with special needs kids.

One of the things I have discovered as an electrician is that I am also a good teacher. I never saw it myself, but several apprentices apparently appreciated what I had to pass along.

I don't want to teach to make a lot of money, just to make a difference.

Most kids out there do not have any positive male influences at all, let alone conservative guys who love to hunt and fish.

I recently retired from a research position and contemplated doing some teaching to boost income for some hunts or toys. Tying myself down for one extra moment in Sept, Oct, and Nov though was an absolutely horrid thought.

Looking at student behavior though, I could handle grade schoolers or college students. Nothing in between.

Man I hope there will be opportunities like this in about 3 or 4 years. Im about to graduate this May with a Bachelor's degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders(Speech Pathology) and will be applying to Graduate schools soon to get started on my Master's Degree. My girlfriend(who will one day be my wife) has a couple years left in college in order to get her Teaching degree to become a P.E./Health teacher! We have talked about going to Alaska for a few years once we are done with school and looking for work up there for a few years. This sounds like just what we are looking for!

I find high school the easiest to teach. I find that the kids and administration are easy and great to work with. It is loony liberal coworkers that can dampen my otherwise wonderful existence. I believe that we really don't have the discipline problems that are found in other places.
There are some rough places both urban and rural and you should ask somebody who is a teacher so you don't end up getting shot at.

Speech Paths are in such demand that they will pay you above the regular scale.

I would teach for 40 years if they gave me August, September and October for break. Summer is great but I could fill the entire fall with trips.

Sincerely,
Thomas

I would love to relocate up there,,,,but 2 kids and the wife and a good teaching position here have pretty much trapped me,,, K-5 is where it's at though. Perhaps I could come up and teach a few years after retirement here,,, be another 15 though

If only I was younger and single again.

But what are teachers paid in the States? Have always heard it's relatively low compared to Australia. As a 9 year teacher, current salary is $72k, rising to $81k when I hit the ceiling in 2 years as an 11 year teacher.
Cheers...
Con

You'd better stay in Australia...

Ok.... How is the hunting where your at? I thought we were paid well in the bush but... man your making good scratch!

I have an uncle who loves to hunt and fish, but is no friend of gun owners even though he owns a couple just for hunting. He'll vote democrat everytime no matter what. A brother-in-law is the same way.

I make 71K with MA + 16 years of experience. Teachers who have extra-duty contracts are making more. Contract negotiations with School District are going on right now and it sounds good.

My BIL makes 81K with MA + 15+ National Board Certification.
Fairbanks has a very low rate of teacher co-pay of health insurance.

Walt, Fishing is better than hunting for teachers. We start a bit too early. But we make more money than they do in the Basin.
COL has been determined to be less than Anchorage when you figure real estate or rent.

At my school, I do earn brownie points by suggesting the proper hunts to different teachers and administrators. One of the red shirt technical workers got 6th in the World Cup shoot and runs a black rifle gun shop after hours. There are many teachers who do hunt. I just wish that there were more.

I can get down to my areas in about 6 hours but I could also hunt locally. We start school on Aug 11. However, my Principal signed off on my labor day goat hunt which will give me nine days of fun and adventure in goat and sheep country.

Teachers who really are interested should contact the links above. The job fair has been completed. I hope we got a couple of people who like hunting.

Sincerely,
Thomas