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Jobs for Civilian Wives
- Thread starter BIGBLUEBIRD
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A friend of mine (pilot's wife) is a physical therapist. She has not had any trouble getting jobs in her field. In San Diego, when we were there at the FRS for a year, she worked at a hospital, and in Jax, she is still there now after 2 1/2 years, she has worked at a rehab center. The only thing she had to keep on top of was her state license, making sure she was ready for the test when she moved to a new state each time.
Good luck!!
Regarding teaching contracts, you can quit your job any time you want, what the contract prohibits you from doing is quitting one district for the sole purpose of going to another (like before school starts, you take a 3rd grade job, when you really wanted Kindergarten, and then the week of school starting a Kinder job in a neighboring district comes up and you leave one job to take the other). I had no problem leaving my teaching job in Jacksonville in December (on excellent terms) and I am free to accept a new teaching contract in Corpus if I choose to. I actually told my administration before school even started that I would not finish the year (at the time, I didn't know exactly when I was leaving) and they said they wanted me to start the year anyhow (glad I did, since I ended up staying through December). If you get moved as a result of our spouse's job, or you decide teaching isn't for you, or you want a job in a different industry, it is not a problem to leave your job. The contract is really more of what you are entitled to on the job per the union negotiations. It's not like you are signing your life over or anything.
Also, National Board Certification is not a license to teach in every state. It's more like a master's degree, most (not all) states and/or districts give you extra money for having it (and many will help you get it- it costs about $2500 to go through the process) but you still MUST have a state teaching certificate to teach in the given state. In addition, to go through the National Board certification process, you need to be teaching a class for an entire year, as it is a yearlong (and sometimes 2 years if you don't pass all the parts of it, many don't) process. I was going to do it this year, but since I found out we were leaving, I couldn't do it.
Also, Nicole, just wanted to say that if teaching is something you do want to pursue-take the classes and get the state certificate if you can. Because having one state certificate will get you one in almost every state. I graduated college and got my original teaching certificate/license in Tennessee (never taught there, except student teaching), which got me a temporary certificate in California (then I took a test and got a regular certificate the first year), which got me a Florida certificate that I have now, which I am using to get a Texas certificate. So, it is worth it if you can do that. An emergency certificate that lasts only one year is only good for the one year, and after that if you don't do anything to turn it into a standard certificate you will have to start out all over when you move. Let me know if you have any questions!
Good luck!!
Regarding teaching contracts, you can quit your job any time you want, what the contract prohibits you from doing is quitting one district for the sole purpose of going to another (like before school starts, you take a 3rd grade job, when you really wanted Kindergarten, and then the week of school starting a Kinder job in a neighboring district comes up and you leave one job to take the other). I had no problem leaving my teaching job in Jacksonville in December (on excellent terms) and I am free to accept a new teaching contract in Corpus if I choose to. I actually told my administration before school even started that I would not finish the year (at the time, I didn't know exactly when I was leaving) and they said they wanted me to start the year anyhow (glad I did, since I ended up staying through December). If you get moved as a result of our spouse's job, or you decide teaching isn't for you, or you want a job in a different industry, it is not a problem to leave your job. The contract is really more of what you are entitled to on the job per the union negotiations. It's not like you are signing your life over or anything.
Also, National Board Certification is not a license to teach in every state. It's more like a master's degree, most (not all) states and/or districts give you extra money for having it (and many will help you get it- it costs about $2500 to go through the process) but you still MUST have a state teaching certificate to teach in the given state. In addition, to go through the National Board certification process, you need to be teaching a class for an entire year, as it is a yearlong (and sometimes 2 years if you don't pass all the parts of it, many don't) process. I was going to do it this year, but since I found out we were leaving, I couldn't do it.
Also, Nicole, just wanted to say that if teaching is something you do want to pursue-take the classes and get the state certificate if you can. Because having one state certificate will get you one in almost every state. I graduated college and got my original teaching certificate/license in Tennessee (never taught there, except student teaching), which got me a temporary certificate in California (then I took a test and got a regular certificate the first year), which got me a Florida certificate that I have now, which I am using to get a Texas certificate. So, it is worth it if you can do that. An emergency certificate that lasts only one year is only good for the one year, and after that if you don't do anything to turn it into a standard certificate you will have to start out all over when you move. Let me know if you have any questions!
BigBlueBird
If you are interested in joining the Navy also, they have a get program for Physician Assistants. This is an OIS program. You must have a college degree and be accepted by an acredited PA program. Most programs last 2 years after which you would owe the Navy 3 more. The Navy would pay you as an E-3 (i think) while in school and after school a JGLui. My husband has been pro reced for NFO, and I am trying to find schools around P'cola. Hope this helps.
If you are interested in joining the Navy also, they have a get program for Physician Assistants. This is an OIS program. You must have a college degree and be accepted by an acredited PA program. Most programs last 2 years after which you would owe the Navy 3 more. The Navy would pay you as an E-3 (i think) while in school and after school a JGLui. My husband has been pro reced for NFO, and I am trying to find schools around P'cola. Hope this helps.
jessicaann613
Registered User
Hey ladies! I am in school right now getting my bachelors degree in EC(early childhood)-4 grade. My b/f is about to go to OCS this summer in Quantico and then come back and finish his last year of school and he will graduate in Dec 2004. I will not graduate until Dec 2005, and then I plan on meeting him wherever he is stationed for flight school. He keeps explaining what his plans are to me, but I still do not understand the process. He will go to basic school in Quantico for 6 months after he graduates? And then he goes straight to flight school or is there a little down-time in between? Where will he go to flight school? Pensacola? I hope if he goes to Pensacola I will not encounter the same problems with finding a teaching position!!! Also, should I apply for a Florida or Virginia certificate a year before I go? How long does the certificate last before you need to renew it, or does it last forever? Thanks for the help!
-Clueless
-Clueless
Jessica Ann,
What I have done in all the states I have taught in (California, Florida, and now Texas) was, a few months before I got there, applied for my certificate. When I graduated from college with my teaching degree and certificate, was used that certificate (it was a TN license) to get a one-year temporary certificate in California. Most states have what is called "reciprocity" which means they will give you a 1 or 2 year temporary certificate (based on your out of state certficiate) during which time you will have to take some tests to get your standard state certificate. If your SO is going to be in Pensacola, you will be using your TX certificate to get the FL temporary certificate. You can find all the information on the state dept. of education website. However, there isn't much you can do until you have graduated and have the transcripts to show you attended an approved education program. But my best advice is to do what is necessary to get your TX certificate (which I am sure you will if you are an elem ed major) upon graduation. That will get you a temporary certificate in FL, and you may or may not want to pursue a regular FL certificate depending on how long you will be there.It might sound confusing but it really isn't. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them for you!
What I have done in all the states I have taught in (California, Florida, and now Texas) was, a few months before I got there, applied for my certificate. When I graduated from college with my teaching degree and certificate, was used that certificate (it was a TN license) to get a one-year temporary certificate in California. Most states have what is called "reciprocity" which means they will give you a 1 or 2 year temporary certificate (based on your out of state certficiate) during which time you will have to take some tests to get your standard state certificate. If your SO is going to be in Pensacola, you will be using your TX certificate to get the FL temporary certificate. You can find all the information on the state dept. of education website. However, there isn't much you can do until you have graduated and have the transcripts to show you attended an approved education program. But my best advice is to do what is necessary to get your TX certificate (which I am sure you will if you are an elem ed major) upon graduation. That will get you a temporary certificate in FL, and you may or may not want to pursue a regular FL certificate depending on how long you will be there.It might sound confusing but it really isn't. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them for you!
jessicaann613
Registered User
NFOwofe- Thanks for your reply! You have helped me understand the process a lot better! Thanks for the help!
Jessica
Jessica
Here's a couple of websites for prospective Florida teachers. These are the best Dept. of Education websites that I have seen for any state. There's a lot of info here.
http://www.fldoe.org/
http://www.teachinflorida.com/
http://www.fldoe.org/
http://www.teachinflorida.com/
Jessica Ann,
Just wanted to let you know that information around here in Pensacola changes daily. When I first called the Escambia School District Office here, they told me I would HAVE to get Florida certified in order to teach here, that they would not except a Texas certificate(which is not true for everyone). Then they told me that I could get my FL certificate while teaching here.
So, I was planning on doing that when I got hired. The school will usually pay for it, and you take classes at night or on weekends. But when I got here, they were under a hiring freeze and they told me I would have to get certified all on my own and pay for it.
That wouldn't have been too bad, but it didn't make sense to me to spend the extra money and time if we were only going to be here until about November. And with them under a hiring freeze until June...they wouldn't be much time teaching in the fall.
So I call back this past week to see about the hiring freeze and they told me that they just need my Texas Certificate number and they can check on their computers to see if it is "to a high enough standard" and they can hire me if it is. They would then issue me a temporary certificate, like Ann said. And the TX cert I have is the highest you can get in Texas (like all normal, 4 year teachers get), so I should have no problem. (BUT they still can't hire me because they are under the hiring freeze til June.) But I did everything straightened out.
What you can do now is to go to the districts' webpages for the school districts you are interested in teaching in. You can fill out an application online for most schools now. However, the apps only last a year or two, so I wouldn't fill out the Florida one yet. Anyways, you can do all that and contact the Human Resources people at the school district you are interested in and that way you will know what they require. The only problem I had was that I was told 3 different things. So just make sure that the information you get is valid. Have them check your certificate when you get it with their state's standards. (They can't check mine until my fingerprinting card arrives to the Texas Education Agency! I have been waiting since December! They are picky about this whole new fingerprinting stuff!)
For the applications to the school districts, you have to list references, so make sure you keep names of every co-op teacher you have worked with and names of your University Supervisors. Ask them for an address, phone number, and e-mail where you can contact them in the future. You'd be surprised what you forget! Anyways, you should have all that for your resume anyways, but I just wanted to let you know.
Where are you at school Jessica Ann? I graduated from Texas A&M so I was curious. Anyways, if I can help, I would be glad to. Let me know if you have anymore questions and I will try to answer!
-Nicole
Just wanted to let you know that information around here in Pensacola changes daily. When I first called the Escambia School District Office here, they told me I would HAVE to get Florida certified in order to teach here, that they would not except a Texas certificate(which is not true for everyone). Then they told me that I could get my FL certificate while teaching here.
So, I was planning on doing that when I got hired. The school will usually pay for it, and you take classes at night or on weekends. But when I got here, they were under a hiring freeze and they told me I would have to get certified all on my own and pay for it.
So I call back this past week to see about the hiring freeze and they told me that they just need my Texas Certificate number and they can check on their computers to see if it is "to a high enough standard" and they can hire me if it is. They would then issue me a temporary certificate, like Ann said. And the TX cert I have is the highest you can get in Texas (like all normal, 4 year teachers get), so I should have no problem. (BUT they still can't hire me because they are under the hiring freeze til June.) But I did everything straightened out.
What you can do now is to go to the districts' webpages for the school districts you are interested in teaching in. You can fill out an application online for most schools now. However, the apps only last a year or two, so I wouldn't fill out the Florida one yet. Anyways, you can do all that and contact the Human Resources people at the school district you are interested in and that way you will know what they require. The only problem I had was that I was told 3 different things. So just make sure that the information you get is valid. Have them check your certificate when you get it with their state's standards. (They can't check mine until my fingerprinting card arrives to the Texas Education Agency! I have been waiting since December! They are picky about this whole new fingerprinting stuff!)
For the applications to the school districts, you have to list references, so make sure you keep names of every co-op teacher you have worked with and names of your University Supervisors. Ask them for an address, phone number, and e-mail where you can contact them in the future. You'd be surprised what you forget! Anyways, you should have all that for your resume anyways, but I just wanted to let you know.
Where are you at school Jessica Ann? I graduated from Texas A&M so I was curious. Anyways, if I can help, I would be glad to. Let me know if you have anymore questions and I will try to answer!
-Nicole
Nicole,
You shouldn't need to be hired to get a temporary certificate in Florida. All you need to do is go through the state dept. of education, using your TX certificate and your college transcripts, and that should get you a 1-2 year temporary certificate in Florida, which you can then use to get a job. Just wanted to point out that it doesn't have to be job first in order to get your certificate. I have always gotten the temporary certificate first in the states I have taught in (CA, FL, TX) and then gotten a job. That way, when districts ask, you tell them you have an out of state cert., and have already applied for your FL cert. and are waiting. I haven't had any questions asked about that response in any state I have taught in.
You shouldn't need to be hired to get a temporary certificate in Florida. All you need to do is go through the state dept. of education, using your TX certificate and your college transcripts, and that should get you a 1-2 year temporary certificate in Florida, which you can then use to get a job. Just wanted to point out that it doesn't have to be job first in order to get your certificate. I have always gotten the temporary certificate first in the states I have taught in (CA, FL, TX) and then gotten a job. That way, when districts ask, you tell them you have an out of state cert., and have already applied for your FL cert. and are waiting. I haven't had any questions asked about that response in any state I have taught in.
jessicaann613
Registered User
Dop03- Thanks for the help!! I go to Texas A&M down here in Corpus Christi... I saved all your posts to that I can refer back to them later when I need to get all that stuff ready! Thanks again!
Jessica
Jessica
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