Aspiring teachers find job market tougher than expected

Eduardo "Ned" Sayoc had been through many career changes. As he neared his 30s, he was wondering what he could do to make money, change lives and make his family proud.

A couple of years ago, he was living with friends who were teachers, and their stories motivated him to seek a master's in teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University. "I was told that science teachers and math teachers are always in demand, and jobs will find you," he said.

Unfortunately, the economy soured as the 32-year-old neared completion of his degree.

Now, more than a month after graduating with a master's in education with a concentration in biology, Sayoc is still hunting for a job.

Newly graduated teachers are facing a tougher job market this summer and competing for fewer jobs as school districts are laying off teachers and hiring fewer of them for the coming school year.

Local school officials report seeing about the same number of applicants for teaching positions as in years past, but they're hiring fewer people.

Hanover County schools typically hire about 200 teachers, said spokeswoman Dale Theakston. "This year, we anticipate approximately 50 new hires," she said.

The Richmond school system hired 245 teachers in 2008. This year, they're anticipating 87, said spokeswoman Felicia Cosby.

Chesterfield County schools are expected to hire about 170 teachers for the fall, not the usual 500, said Lyle Evans, assistant superintendent for human resources and facilities.

And in Henrico County, school officials expect to hire 250 to 300 teachers, down from a usual 500 to 550 hires in past years, said Philip R. Jepson, director of human resources for the Henrico schools. The Henrico school budget, unlike most other school budgets the region, grew slightly, and 15 job positions were added, Jepson said.

"The only thing I can assume is that we've seen fewer retirements," he said, explaining the need to hire fewer teachers. "We seem to see less movement from district to district. People seem to be, in this economy, hanging on to what's solid. I would think the job market for teachers this summer would be quite challenging, especially those without experience."

Jepson said he's received more requests for information from college graduates interested in becoming teachers.

Jacqueline T. McDonnough, an assistant professor at VCU's School of Education and director of the Center for Life Science Education, said she's seeing more career switchers moving to the teaching professions, and she's expecting a spike in enrollment for the science master's program. She attributes this to the weak economy.

"We're seeing folks who've been laid off from industries who are applying to the program," she said.

In Chesterfield this spring, 69 employees were laid off, including teachers, because of budget cuts. Evans said 29 have been recalled as positions for which they're qualified have become available.

The teachers he has to hire are mostly in math and the life sciences, he said.

"Those are the major shortage areas," he said.

Angela McAulay, who graduated with a master's in secondary education in science from VCU, didn't struggle to find a job as Sayoc has.

The 24-year-old has been hired to teach biology at Thomas Dale High School next year. She believes that a 16-week student teaching internship she did at Thomas Dale and her master's degree in science gave her an edge. As a Chesterfield native, she wanted to go back to the county, she said.

"I knew it was going to be tough, especially in Chesterfield," she said. "I absolutely feel fortunate to have gotten a job shortly after I graduated."

Robert C. Pianta, dean of the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, said that people do worry about the teaching profession, but more graduating seniors go into teaching than any other field, and growing demographics will offer employment opportunities.

"Given the fact that we need teachers to teach these kids, the future looks good and healthy," he said.

In May, 150 students graduated as teachers from U.Va., and the school usually places 100 percent of them in teaching jobs, Pianta said. But this summer they're seeing a delay as school systems postpone hiring and await how their budgets play out, he said.

"Graduates have to cast a wider net and applicants have to be less choosy and more flexible," he said. "We're confident that we'll hit 100 percent. It'll just happen a little later than we originally anticipated."

Sayoc, who graduated with McAulay from VCU, did student teaching in Henrico, and he believed he would get hired at a Henrico school, but it fell through, he said.

So he has spent the weeks after graduation looking for a job in local school districts because he doesn't want to move, he said. He's been living in an apartment in Richmond since 2000.

What he's found in his job search is that teachers with a biology-chemistry combination are in demand, but he only has a biology endorsement, he said. He's waiting for word on second job interview for a biology position in Henrico.

In the meantime, Sayoc has been mowing lawns, painting houses and doing other odd tasks while as he waits for a job that will impact people's lives.

"I'm still very hopeful of finding a job in the Richmond area."

Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or .