Because the market is continually changing, you need to take an active role in your job search. Sometimes, when a state or region's economy is in a slump, districts cut back on services that were not absolutely necessary. When this happens, districts often help already employed staff members become recertified so they can work in a specialty for which there is greater need. This results in fewer new jobs for new teachers.
To make yourself more marketable, write down the activities, classes, and electives that you've taught in the past. Or, make a separate list of activities, classes, and electives that you are interested in teaching. Create a master list you can pitch during an interview.
Projected Trends
In its Occupational Outlook Handbook, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that growth is anticipated in the teaching field. The increase in the need for staff is projected from kindergarten through the secondary grades. Because some regions are instituting programs to improve early childhood education, such as offering full-day kindergarten and universal preschool, there will be many new jobs for preschool teachers; the expectation is that opportunities will be greater than the average for all occupations.
Student enrollment will drive the need for staff. Fast-growing states in the South and West—Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Georgia—will experience the largest enrollment increases and have the most job opening for teachers. Enrollments in the Midwest are expected to hold relatively steady, while those in the Northeast are expected to decline.
The job market for teachers varies widely among states and school districts. Some urban cities and rural areas have difficulty attracting enough teachers, so job prospects should continue to be better in these areas than in suburban districts. Teachers in some subjects—mathematics, science and bilingual education, foreign language, for example—seem to be in short supply. Qualified vocational teachers also are currently in demand in a variety of fields at both the middle school and secondary school levels. Areas that seem to be experiencing an oversupply of teachers, on the other hand, include general elementary education, physical education, and social studies. Teachers who are geographically mobile and who obtain licensure in more than one subject should have a distinct advantage in finding a job.
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