Travelling America. Where to go?

[tanglewood77]

Hi. Recently quit my job. I'm English, 39, male, single and a qualified teacher. Thinking of selling my apartment and travelling America for a few months. Possibly even moving there permanently. Where should I go?

 

[Sean]

Your teaching qualifications will be worth fuck all in the Great Satan. Just so you know.

 

[Adre]

Hollywood, babyyyyy!

 

[Lancecastor]

Try the sugarmommy listings in hackensack.

 

[Debbie]

Come to Aotearoa

 

[Queersetti]

Hi. Recently quit my job. I'm English, 39, male, single and a qualified teacher. Thinking of selling my apartment and travelling America for a few months. Possibly even moving there permanently. Where should I go?

That's hard to answer without knowing more about your interests.

It's America, we've got some of everything, from tropics to tundra. We are the land of George Gershwin and Billy Ray Cyrus, of The Godfather and Duck Dynasty, of New Orleans cuisine and deep fried Snickers bars.

 

[sigh]

Your teaching qualifications will be worth fuck all in the Great Satan. Just so you know.

I suspect that might change from state to state. Are American teaching qualifications valid in England?

Not challenging you. I'm just curious how this works in either direction. Being in a university town, we've have a number of foreign-trained pharmacists on our staff over the years (have one right now, in fact). It wasn't easy for them to get licensed in our state, but not impossible. Mostly they had to pass the same boards as the rest of us. And if they didn't speak English from birth, they must pass a language exam of some sort too (though we have a doctor who was trained in China whose English was so bad when he first came that he'd hang up the phone on us when we couldn't understand him and write us a note and FAX it to us instead, so the toughness of that language exam is in question).

 

[tanglewood77]

Seems tough to transfer my qualifications but not impossible. But I guess the relocation process is tough for anyone so they know if you can be bothered to make the effort then you must be serious about moving there to work and live.

Think I want somewhere warm and where the English accent is well received!!

 

[Saint Peter]

There are too many of us.

Go back. Go while you still can.


God speed.

 

[sigh]

Seems tough to transfer my qualifications but not impossible. But I guess the relocation process is tough for anyone so they know if you can be bothered to make the effort then you must be serious about moving there to work and live.

Think I want somewhere warm and where the English accent is well received!!

Everybody in America wants to fuck somebody with an English accent. If that's what you mean by "well received", rest assured. Have you seen "A Fish Called Wanda". Remember how Jamie Lee Curtis responded to Keven Klein when he spoke in tongues? That's me responding to an English accent.

Seriously, if you're planning on moving here and working as a teacher, the licensing laws likely will change from state to state. Do your homework, teacher.

As for offering advice, I think Q said it best. We've a little of everything. It depends on what trips your trigger.

 

[tanglewood77]

Thinking of starting in San Diego then maybe a bit of whale watching up the coast. May move around. May stay put. Genuinely not got a clue what to do!!

 

[Sean]

I suspect that might change from state to state. Are American teaching qualifications valid in England?

Not challenging you. I'm just curious how this works in either direction. Being in a university town, we've have a number of foreign-trained pharmacists on our staff over the years (have one right now, in fact). It wasn't easy for them to get licensed in our state, but not impossible. Mostly they had to pass the same boards as the rest of us. And if they didn't speak English from birth, they must pass a language exam of some sort too (though we have a doctor who was trained in China whose English was so bad when he first came that he'd hang up the phone on us when we couldn't understand him and write us a note and FAX it to us instead, so the toughness of that language exam is in question).

A friend of mine in San Diego was a high school science teacher in Chicago. When she moved to CA her qualifications were useless. Dunno how it works over here, every UK teacher I ever worked with, apart from the odd language teacher, had UK quals.

 

[jomar]

Check in with NoJo, he did that trip.

Look up Route 66 while you're at it.

ETA: You mentioned San Diego...Pacific Coast Highway is outstanding.

 

[lovetoread]

Everybody in America wants to fuck somebody with an English accent.

Oh totally.

 

[sigh]

A friend of mine in San Diego was a high school science teacher in Chicago. When she moved to CA her qualifications were useless. Dunno how it works over here, every UK teacher I ever worked with, apart from the odd language teacher, had UK quals.

California is a special beast. My qualifications aren't worth squat there either. Most states accept the national pharmacy boards (NABPLEX), so qualifying for transfer of a license to another state only requires passing that state's law exam, but California uses their own board exams too, so you have to start from scratch.

I'm pretty sure I could pass their exams without studying (it's what I do every day, after all) so my expertise still has value (as should tanglewood's). It's just my qualifications that suck there.

 

[sigh]

Check in with NoJo, he did that trip.

Look up Route 66 while you're at it.

ETA: You mentioned San Diego...Pacific Coast Highway is outstanding.

The Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to North Carolina is pretty special too.

 

[Sean]

Check in with NoJo, he did that trip.

Look up Route 66 while you're at it.

ETA: You mentioned San Diego...Pacific Coast Highway is outstanding.

I used to love driving the PCH at night.

 

[sigh]

I used to love driving the PCH at night.

So true. But nighttime or day, it's a wonderful place to be. I love roads like that. I challenge myself to use the brake as little as possible. With a good car and a good road, it's like you're just floating along.

 

[stinson]

Head to Santa fe,nm. Great weather and awesome scenery plus you could sub part-time so you don't need a certificate

 

[bluebell]

Seriously, if you're planning on moving here and working as a teacher, the licensing laws likely will change from state to state. Do your homework, teacher.

Sigh is a smarty, and very correct.

Tanglewood, each state has a State Board of Education; each website should have the information you need for licensure/certification in that state. I am not completely familiar with how it works when people have teaching licenses from overseas but every state has its own protocol. Sometimes it's a couple of university courses and sometimes it's a test. Requirements may also change based on what grade level you want to teach and whether you are looking at public, private, or charter schools.

Your areas of specialization are called "endorsements" here, so if you teach English then you could have a Language Arts or Reading endorsement.

English as a Second Language and bilingual endorsements/education are very marketable right now. Many cities have BIL classrooms with children who speak Spanish, Polish, Mandarin, Russian, etc.

If you like warmth, you might want to consider Arizona. They just extended their reciprocity regulations to three years for satisfying out-of-state requirements: http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/reciprocity-updates/

I know that Cartwright School District 83 in Arizona is always looking to hire new teachers and their teacher recruiters are great, I think it's a nice district.

The Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas is also a huge district that looks to hire teachers regularly. That area is also warm and I hear it's very nice down there.

They're not California but if you ever head east of California, there are some suggestions for you. Best of luck!

 

[Queersetti]

I've been thinking it might be fun to drive the length of US1, from the Canadian border at Fort Kent all the way to Key West.

 

[sigh]

Head to Santa fe,nm. Great weather and awesome scenery plus you could sub part-time so you don't need a certificate

That's right. I forgot you can do that in Illinois too. I have a friend who does that and gets nearly full time hours, and can say no anytime they call. Probably works in other states as well.

 

[Saint Peter]

I hear Canada is very nice.

 

[jomar]

The Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to North Carolina is pretty special too.

It is! Then take 40 west...

I used to love driving the PCH at night.

Convertible is a great way to go.

You guys mentioned California licensing. CA probably has the strictest rules/highest standards across the board for any profession of all the states. The federal government tends to leave a lot to individual states and CA, being a popular destination, may have decided to try to keep as many quacks out as possible.

 

[Queersetti]

I hear Canada is very nice.

And Rick Blaine heard that he should go to Casablanca for the waters.