Tired of getting passed up for jobs I am overqualifed for

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For starters, I have a master's degree in special education... and have about a decades worth of experience working with populations on the spectrum (and a lifetime of experience working with myself lol). While I have a job I sort of like, as a para at a school for students on the spectrum, I don't make enough doing it to even make ends meet, much less get ahead. I had to spend all last year with the most annoying roommates of all time (by the end 5 of them, 4 annoying adults, 1 typically annoying baby, though previously just 3) and they were constantly taking advantage of me financially because there was little I could do. I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT. The problem is, in the state of Utah there really isn't any affordable housing, certainly nothing within 30 minutes of the school I work at. Everything is $800 or above even for a studio, and I make around $1,400/month... the numbers just don't add up.

Sadly, everyone else I apply to, both in the field of autism transitioning (/college) and general education, seems to not like me for no apparent reason. I think I sound a bit autistic on the phone, but there is not much I can do about that (plus once again, I think that should be an asset not a detriment) so I generally just come out and admit it. Still getting past over for all of these jobs, most of which just require a GED/diploma, or at most a bachelors and a years worth of experience. *sighs* any suggestions, I probably have already done 50-100 applications just this year... more in recent history. Starting to get annoying.

> Tired Of Getting Passed Up For Jobs I Am Overqualifed For

I can definitely relate to that. I almost always hide my educational background when applying for jobs that don't require it. If they find out and ask I certainly don't lie about it, but I would never volunteer the fact that I have more education than specified in the job description.

Do you list your over-qualifications on your resume? You might consider leaving them out and not volunteering the information. Also, if you can find a way to make a personal contact at the organization, going around the HR people, that might get you to the interview stage more often.

It probably is your are an expensive hire.

More degrees does not mean a better deal for the district.

The fact is, most district would love to hire new teachers and throw them to the curb when almost get tenure or start hitting get the higher pay grades.

In my school district, the time teaching plus your masters degree makes you expensive hire. They would rather have a 20 something working on a masters than you.

For general education, do you have anything else besides the SPED degree? Teachers who have ESL certificates get snapped up in general education. The big thing in elementary school is literacy and English as a second language. If you can't score an out right classroom job, you can get hired as an interventionist with those.

Can you move? Arizona is hiring. My friend now teaches on an Indian Reservation, where her housing is subsidized.

For people who don't know, OP can't fudge her resume for a teaching job. The fact she worked in SPED for so long means she has some certificates and a degree.

I know 10 teacher (from Internet and real life), who are in the same position as you. I don't know how old are, but these teachers in in their 40s+ age wise. Older teachers have more experience, public schools with unions have to pay that pyramid grade. Older teachers won't usually put up with the BS the administrators shovel out. Sometimes it flat out age discrimination. My DD school used to put older teachers in kindergarten to get them to retire. Picture 60 years old with semi crappy knees and back with a room of very active 4/5/6 year olds. Yeah. Right.

If you have no reason to stay in that particular area, I'd start looking out side of it. I know Florida is hiring too.

I don't think all your job search is the autism. The teaching jobs are nonexistent in some areas. It's almost who you know to even get an interview.

Good luck!

On last thing...

SPED jobs are drying up. My DD school used to have 3 SPED teachers. Now they are to one. I believe it is one certified SPED teacher, someone with an associate degree and a bunch of para pros. The interventionist do pull out for support, the para pros help with inclusion in the classroom. The SPED teacher does almost all administrative work. The kids in autistic intervention are all mostly verbal, and can mostly follow instructions. The goal is to have them para pro minimally supported by 4th grade, and no para pro by 5th. It is extremely difficult to get a para pro for an Aspie level kid in my district in the middle school. There are educational supports, but if the child needs someone there for on going behavioral issues, the the screws are applied to push for a self contained class. Of course, that is outsource to another district.

What population do you work/would like to work with? Have you looked at residential treatment centers. My one friend does that, and she loves it.

Not being credentialed will definitely disqualify you from any public school teaching job. You could look at working as a behavioralist. Basically working as a behavioral therapist in the home, the pay is not great but you can be a behavioralist which does pay is comparable to a teacher but it takes about five years in the field.
The other person did not mention the fact that teaching is a very SOCIAL job. It requires being very socially astute. Any job I was fired from was not due to competency but due not being the right 'fit'. That is the hardest to overcome.

I'm going o have to agree with prior posters. I interned at a staffing agency, and one thing I learned pretty quickly was that few companies want to hire someone who is overqualified.

Why? One reason is that suspicion as to why someone with your level of experience and degree is applying for a job below your grade. And they may expect you to ask for more than a candidate who is at the level they're asking for would.

Don't mention your masters unless it's a requirement for your job, not on your resume or cover lettee, or any pre-interview things, anyways. You don't have to, because your resume is mostly about relevant experience. It's why you might have worked at McDonald's, but you wouldn't put that on a resume for a job as a scientist. It's about relevant experience to what they're asking for.

If you want to bring it up in a job interview you can, you just need to be aware of how you phrase it. You need to make sure they know your reasons for taking a job you're underqualified for aren't because you f*cked up or something like that. And be honest about salary requirements when it comes up, but if you're expecting a salary based on your qualifications you probably won't get it.