I am wondering how hard it is these days to find a job as a middle or high school art teacher?

Where are you looking? I used to teach on Long Island, NY and it’s extremely competitive.

It’s competitive where I live, too. In SE, Wis.

I live in Oregon with the opportunity to teach in Eugene, Springfield, or even Portland. I am worried about going back to school to get my teaching degree and then not be able to find a job because of the economy and all of the cutbacks that schools have experienced.

@artyness My MIL makes a decent amount just in tutoring, even in this economy.

Can you begin submitting your resume, or have you? That way you’d already be in contact with perspectives and might be able to start networking to get your foot into a district you’d want to work in.

Do you know of any HS Art teachers that are nearing retirement at a school you’d want in at? That’s another angle to begin working.

I haven’t done anything with my resume yet, but that is a great idea. Your’e right, if I am in contact with schools before I graduate I will have a better chance of knowing when job openings occur and being in line for the next available job. I really want to work in the arts field and think teaching kids would be interesting. I’ve done some art instruction volunteering at my daughter’s elementary school and really liked it. Thanks for the advice!

@artyness I think it’s really the only way with as tight as things have become. You might want to offer to volunteer or student teach in a HS in your area to get your feet wet, too.

Yep, so that I experience other ages.
Have you heard if all levels of public school (elementary, middle and high school) are cutting out art, or is it just the elementary level mostly? I guess this would have a lot to do with the area of the country the school is, considering the schools are funded by the state.

Even if you know that teachers are retiring the position is not officially available until the end of the school year, possibly into the summer even though everyone knows that Mr or Mrs “X” is leaving. Especially since positions are being cut less teachers are being “needed” and they will just push more classes together with fewer teachers. Especially an art program where it is notorious for being “the first to go with budget cuts”.

@artyness In my area, they DO NOT cut art. But, I live in a “great” district. Some of the elementaries in the SE Wis area “share” an art teacher. But, none of the HS’s or mid’s do that as far as I know.

In my area – I live outside of Charlotte, NC – they are cutting a lot of the art programs. It’s very sad. I feel very strongly about art and music programs, for some students, it’s their best form of expression and opens their minds to other subjects. My daughter’s high school is not cutting any programs, but my son’s elementary school, now must share a teacher for art and a teacher for music, with another elementary school. To subsidize the loss of programs, they have brought in an outside group, but you must pay for their services. We send our son, but it is expensive. We decided to donate to the fund, so that a child from a family that might not be able to afford the program can go. Sad thing, there were 200 children on the list, 75 got either full or partial scholarships. I don’t know how many years we can pay for the extra class, but we will try to do so, again, next year.

Have you considered any other place to teach? An independent studio? Community programs?

I have not checked into any available teaching positions because I will be in college for the next 2–3 years obtaining my degrees to become a teacher.
I posted the question because I am torn between becoming an art teacher-which I love the thought of, and becoming a health care practioner. The health career has a better chance for future job security (I believe) and I have a family to help support, but the art teaching career is very important to what I believe to be important to the good of all communities-creative expression.

As a former teacher and with the probability of a future market in either career, I would side with the latter-health care.
How many schools are in your area? How many art teachers are there as opposed to other teachers? How many schools drop the arts before any other subject?
Healthcare is constantly in need, growing and not at all location specific. You can get a job in a a hospital in Hawaii or Maine. Per diem nurses are very well paid as opposed to substitute teachers. The credentials for teaching vary widely from state to state. NY “suburb” teachers Nassau/Suffolk counties are some of the best paid but demand is great as are requirements compared to other states. Teaching is a 15 hour day and you do not leave the work at the end of the day. There are countless staff meetings, follow up phone calls, discipline problems, lesson planning and meeting with parents. If you are an art teacher you will be constantly prepping, cutting, and pasting for students lessons and activities. It is thankless and fun for them but tedious for you. It has nothing to do with learning or education but simply babysitting. I have taught all grades from K-12. The little ones are fun but more babysitting. The big ones are challenging and EVEN MORE babysitting. And yes there are the gifted students but you are more just observing them. They are self motivated and the exception. Get some scrubs and find a good hospital. At the end of the day, you’ll feel tired, like you made a difference and you can get your check and leave.

How can being an art teacher not have anything to do with learning or education? Just babysitting as you put it. Every time that I volunteered at my daughter’s school for art, I prepared the lesson, taught it and walked around gathering input from the students about their opinions about the lesson. I am not going to say that every student learned something from the lesson, but most did. They learned about expressing their emotions, having an opinion, hand-eye coordination, new ways to define old concepts, and most important, independent decision making. There are few subjects in school where a child can feel empowered by their own unique vision of a lesson. This I believe is the cornerstone for independent thought and individuals with the self-cofidence to improve their lives and the lives of others as they become adults. I think there is more to an art teacher’s job than babysitting.

@artyness
Sounds like the idealism I once had.
Wait until you have to deal with administration. Offering a lesson or student teaching doesn’t compare to actually teaching. It’s all about the boss curriculum.

I don’t disagree with your feelings about administration, curriculum standards, and the 15 hour day…but I do disagree with your beliefs behind your definition of education. Without idealism the magic is lost along with the passion for your job.
Thanks for your time. I do appreciate your insight and your experience.

I suppose it depends on what area of the country you are located.