Young teacher feeling discouraged
I’m a recent graduate who has been subbing for about two years now. I always get positive comments about my performance and have had several teachers request me to return as their regular substitute. Admin and I generally gel well and have a positive relationship.
I know I’m not a perfect teacher, but I’ve also never had my own full time position and feel I could begin to truly grow if given the chance in one. However the job market is so discouraging. I spend time researching districts and adjusting my resume to show I know their core values then inputting all of my information separately on frontline and other application sites only to get an email a few days later that they found a candidate that was a better match. I haven’t landed one in person interview.
I want so badly to keep going to land that first classroom, but it’s hard not to begin to feel it’s in vain. I don’t have insurance and am barely scraping by. On the other hand, I’m worried if I move to a role in another field for the upcoming year, I’ll become even less desirable to potential employers.
I know experience will always be an advantage but I just don’t see how I can get it if I can’t even land my first job.
Is it always this hard to start out? How long did you all take to land your first job? I’m in a desirable state with many teachers with more experience and more references moving and applying. Is it even worth it for me to keep trying or should I start pivoting? It’s just getting old messaging all my old and new references to confirm I could still use them every year just to have to do it all over again.