Need to get out of this city

[IntotheWild]

I've worked just about every odd job I can work in order to avoid teaching. I've avoided it because of the anxiety of having to stand up in front of people. I taught in grad school and although I think the anxiety lessened over the time there, it never fully went away to where I was 100% comfortable.

 

But in the Fall, I'll be teaching college math as an adjunct. Even though there's the anxiety factor, teaching has always felt important and so I know I can stick with it. I just have to face my fear.

 

I have two options to get out of this city:

 

1) Get accepted to a MFA program for creative writing somewhere. This is my preferred option, but there are no guarantees here.

 

2) Teach long enough so that my experience will let me get a job somewhere else. In this case, I don't know how long is long enough. Is one year enough? Two years? More?

 

What I'd like to know, from other people's experience and intuition, is how long will I need to stay with this first teaching job before my experience will allow me to be employable elsewhere?

 

Thanks.

[orchidrose]

My general rule of thumb has always been to stay at any job for at least two years, barring any crises that necessitate leaving. That's long enough to look committed and leave with good references. It'd be nicer to stay longer, if you could.

 

What other kinds of positions would you want after teaching?

[IntotheWild]

My general rule of thumb has always been to stay at any job for at least two years, barring any crises that necessitate leaving. That's long enough to look committed and leave with good references. It'd be nicer to stay longer, if you could.

 

What other kinds of positions would you want after teaching?

 

I guess I was hoping one year would be enough, but two years I'm sure is a lot better.

 

The general idea was to get teaching experience so I could get a teaching job in another state. Right now my job history (in any field) is almost non-existant - just a bunch of unrelated short-term jobs. I have no established career.

 

I figure it'll be impossible to get a job in another state until I'm already living there. I don't think there are any teaching jobs that will fly a person out for an interview. So my plan is to save enough money to live on for a while and get enough experience in teaching so that when I move, I can job hunt with some decent level of success. If I were to just pack up and move right now, I don't think I'd be able to find a job... in anything.

[orchidrose]

What is your education level, and at what level will you be teaching - elementary, secondary, community college? Teaching is really tough right now; there are a glut of teachers in almost every subject (though I think you said you're in math, which is definitely more needed), so I think building up your resume as much as possible is your best bet.

 

And you're right, very few jobs, especially teaching jobs, will hire you from out of state.

[IntotheWild]

What is your education level, and at what level will you be teaching - elementary, secondary, community college? Teaching is really tough right now; there are a glut of teachers in almost every subject (though I think you said you're in math, which is definitely more needed), so I think building up your resume as much as possible is your best bet.

 

And you're right, very few jobs, especially teaching jobs, will hire you from out of state.

 

Yeah, adjunct math instructor at a local university. I think I could put down two more years in this city if I have to, but with any luck I can get into an MFA program and get out of here.

 

I've never really wanted a career, but having a stable job history definitely makes moving easier. I know I could just up and go and stay in a shelter somewhere if I really wanted to, but something about that seems overly indulgent to my desire to get out of here.

[turnera]

Have you looked into link removed?

 

It's an awesome organization that's all about learning to stand up in front of people and, well, be better than everyone else. And about gettin over your dislike for public speaking. They are all over the world.

 

Plus, the better speaker you are, even as a teacher, the more hireable and promotable you'll be.

[Hermes]

ITW:

 

Ever thought about private tuition? Over here it is called "giving grinds". And it is paid very well, despite the recessionary times. Usually, it means taking on a pupil privately, who is weak in a subject (maths for example) and bringing him or her up to scratch for the exams.

 

 

Just a thought.

 

H