For those who are Special Ed Teachers...

MMCH

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 8:02 pm

Would you recommend your field now?

I am currently a limidue Kodesh teacher and have been pushing off getting a masters in Sp.Ed since my oldest was born (4 years to be exact)

I can't decide if its worth it or not. I would only do it online, which is expensive..
I have a lot of friends who have no cases and are scrambling for work.

so giving the economy today, in NY, would you recommend doing Special Ed?

p.s. my dh is completely on board stopping work to pursue masters. he thinks it can only help. I on the other hand have my doubts

mommy3b2c

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 8:29 pm

MMCH wrote:

I don't think it's worth it, because it is a dying field. I am already out. Some people are lucky and still going strong. Everything is in the hands of HaShem.

seeker

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 9:30 pm

I have no idea what "dying field" is referred to above - as long as there are children with special needs, there will be a need for special education teachers. It is almost always considered a higher-demand area, though in certain locations/school systems that can still be pretty competitive.

The people you know who have "no cases," it is likely because they are looking only for a very specific type of work. If that's your intention, you are no more likely than they are to get those cases.

What is it that you would like to do in special ed? Is there a particular area that calls to you?

I would recommend my field to people with a passion and a mission to help others with special learning needs. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for easy money, an easy job, or anything along those lines. However, you can still get a GOOD job with GOOD money. Nobody ever said easy, though. And regarding job availability, you may need to be flexible about the types of jobs you seek.

As amother above mentioned, there is definitely more demand for bilingual, for those who are worried about "no cases." The level of second language needed for many early childhood cases is not all that high, so if you're not terrible at language learning it could even be worth your while to go and learn another language to qualify for this because it would open up a whole new job market for you. A basic Bais Yaakov level Hebrew would probably be enough to get you in, you do need to do some extra coursework and tests to get bilingual certification.

mommy3b2c

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 9:39 pm

seeker wrote:

To clarify, when I said dying field, I was referring to seit. Which is what I assumes she was referring to. There are always special ed kids, but if the board of Ed is cutting their services and hours, and the field is flooded then there are no jobs. I was in this field, I know what I'm talking about. Unless you have major pull, it is not wise to go into it right now. From what I hear, public schools are not hiring either

amother

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 9:42 pm

agree with what most posters said. I would not recommend it if you are looking for a way to make money easily, and don't have your heart in it. the majority of people in special ed who don't love the field do SEIT, and that is a very flooded part of the field. (that does NOT mean to say that every SEIT is just doing it for the money and isn't invested, there are many wonderful amazing life changing SEITS. however there are many who unfortunately are not) other types of special ed jobs are less flooded, but tae more out of you, and you really have to enjoy the field. one last thing, if you are open, good at it, and really want to help special needs children, I do think its much easier to be matzliach

seeker

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 9:48 pm

Again, "field" is an extremely broad term. The field of special education includes many different roles, many of which are not "dying." I agree 100% that no one at this point should study special ed with the goal of being a SEIT. That's the job many people want and few are getting. However, there is a lot else out there. I believe it depends on how badly you want to do this and how flexible you are willing to be with the job description.

I'm not sure if this is 100% up to date because I am pretty settled in my niche and B"H have not had a hard time finding work, but it seems to me that demand is present and possibly even on the rise for people to work with children who have severe and multiple handicaps or autism, in addition to bilingual teachers in many languages (yiddish and hebrew jobs exist; spanish has many teachers already but also very many students; and if you know or can learn Chinese you really have it made!) In addition if you specialize in a niche area you may be more likely to be the one to actually land the job that there are many other applicants for, so if you want to teach special ed students in a high school STEM area and you qualify and excel in that, you will very likely get hired... somewhere. Then there are always the neighborhoods that no one wants to work in, they are often not as bad as they sound from a distance and you might get paid bonuses for going there. English speaking SEIT in Brooklyn, though, nope.

amother

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 10:27 pm

seeker wrote:

Regardless of semantics, OP needs to hear the truth. Pursuing your Master's degree at this point in Special Ed is a waste, especially in NYC. Doing SIET is not feasible full-time anymore and if you're looking to work in the public schools (STEM especially, as seeker said) they will not hire you unless a) you are bilingual in Mandarin or Spanish, and b) you must also have subject-specific endorsements (such as math or science or social studies if you plan to teach inside inclusion rooms with those subjects). This applies to any secondary subject, but most certainly at the high school level. A general Special Ed degree will no longer get you into a public school classroom, even Kindergarten.

I speak from experience.

seeker

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 10:36 pm

There are other schools besides public. I imagine if OP is currently working as a limudei kodesh teacher she can only do better with more credentials, but again only if it's something she really wants to do. She will not be making the $65 per hour she'd get as a SEIT and she won't be getting full time salary plus benefits and retirement package from the public schools (though I still think there's potential with a STEM or autism or severe/multiple specialization even not bilingual, OR bilingual, AND/OR in certain neighborhoods) but she could likely get a better job within the private sector including Jewish and non-Jewish schools, with more part-time options than public school would allow anyway.

If OP has her bachelor's degree in something OTHER than teaching, she should consider applying to Teach for America or Teaching fellows; those practically guarantee you a job placement plus the degree is free. It'll be work but if you want a job and you want to go into special ed, it's a good way to go.

amother

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 9:57 pm

amother wrote:

I work in a NYC public school and we hired a new special education this year. Elementary with no extra certifications.