Growing up in New Jersey, James Lynch-Urbaniak never considered moving to the far-flung island state of Hawaii or becoming a surfer. But after earning his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees close to home at Rutgers University, he attended a teaching job fair and found himself talking to a recruiter from the Aloha State. Shortly after, Lynch-Urbaniak found himself teaching 8th grade English at Ilima Intermediate School in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Fourteen years later, he is raising his kids in Hawaii and has become a regular in the local surfing community.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know the first thing about anything,鈥� Lynch-Urbaniak said. 鈥淏ut Hawaii is home now.鈥�
He works hard to help make it home for others, too. Having transitioned from classroom teacher to a position as a teacher recruiter with the Hawaii Department of Education, Lynch-Urbaniak not only recruits teachers to the state鈥檚 public schools鈥攐ver half of whom relocate from the U.S. mainland鈥攂ut also helps them acclimate to their new environment. And while Lynch-Urbaniak has fully embraced Hawaii鈥檚 laid-back vibe and outdoorsy lifestyle, making it look easy, he acknowledges that relocating for a teaching position isn鈥檛 a decision to be taken lightly.
Herein, he and other educators share their experiences and advice.
Consider financial issues such as cost-of-living differences and relocation assistance
When it comes to considering a new job, salary matters. But it鈥檚 not an isolated matter; typically, it鈥檚 tied heavily to cost of living. For instance, teachers in , take home the lowest . So if you teach in Mississippi and covet the salary of a teacher in New York鈥攚hich may be double yours鈥攌now that the higher cost of living in the Big Apple will consume a big chunk of that higher salary.
That鈥檚 why teachers, even experienced ones, who live in more expensive areas tend to spend a disproportionate amount of their earnings on big-ticket items like rent. found that teachers with five years experience who live in Seattle spend 54 percent of their income on a one-bedroom rental; teachers with 10 years of experience spend nearly 60 percent of their pay to afford a two-bedroom in Seattle.
The cost of relocating is yet another financial consideration to weigh. Shipping furniture, traveling to the destination, putting a security deposit on a rental unit鈥攖hese are just some of the up-front costs you can anticipate when relocating.
Some school districts offer relocation assistance to employees to help defray these costs. If cost is a consideration, find out prior to accepting a job offer if relocation assistance is included. Public school teachers relocating to Hawaii receive $2,000 toward relocation assistance, said Lynch-Urbaniak from the Hawaii education department, and more if they are hired to teach at 鈥渉ard to staff鈥� schools. Relocation assistance notwithstanding, Lynch-Urbaniak acknowledges: 鈥淚t is expensive to relocate.鈥�
Assess the cultural fit to make sure it is a good one
When weighing the pros and cons of relocating for a teaching job, there鈥檚 more than money at stake. Finding a cultural fit in a new location can bring as much or even more happiness than a salary bump.
鈥滐豢When I talk with colleagues around the country about critical factors regarding relocation decisions, the cultural climate of potential school districts is paramount,鈥� Daman Harris, principal of Wheaton Woods Elementary School in Montgomery County, Md., said in an email interview.
Harris, co-founder of the BOND Project (Building Our Network of Diversity), a Maryland-based initiative that supports male educators of color, suggests some concrete ways that teachers seeking a relocation assignment can gauge how welcoming a district or school is to teachers of all racial and cultural backgrounds.
Educators may start by inquiring about policies at the state or district level regarding equity, culturally relevant practices, and/or anti-racism, Harris said. Further, he suggests that candidates observe how many teachers of color are on the staff, and that they inquire about their day-to-day experiences around diversity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 okay to ask,鈥� Harris advised.
Understand teacher licensing requirements before you take the job
Anthony Hernandez wished he had asked more about what it would take to become a licensed teacher in Minnesota before he relocated there from Washington, D.C., for a teaching job. 鈥淚 was naive on how arduous the licensing transfer process would be,鈥� he admitted.
Hernandez decided near the end of his undergraduate studies that he wanted to become a teacher, and then became licensed to teach in Washington, D.C. through an alternative-route preparation program. After teaching there for a few years, he chose to move back to his home state of Minnesota. He got hired by a charter school in Columbia Heights, Minn. Then, he says, came the licensing headaches.
鈥淭here was no articulated series of steps for me to take [to become certified to teach in Minnesota],鈥� said Hernandez, whose combination of being alternatively licensed and from out of state complicated his circumstances. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a pleasant experience.鈥�
After several inquiries and back-and-forth with Minnesota Department of Education officials, he received a waiver the day before the school year started that allowed him to begin his job without a Minnesota teaching license, which he did not get until about a year after his move. Eventually, Hernandez said, a lawsuit spearheaded by an educational reform group (initiated prior to his relocation) led to the creation of a new entity that oversees teacher licensing in Minnesota, providing clearer expectations.
鈥淚 think his experience is representative of what many teachers have to go through when they consider moving to different states,鈥� said Eric Cova, spokesperson for Educators for Excellence, a nonprofit that aims to elevate the teaching profession.
Make sure there is extra support to become part of the community
As Hernandez鈥檚 experience illustrates, obstacles related to administrative details can hamper teachers鈥� relocation experiences. So, too, can bigger-picture issues.
That鈥檚 why Lynch-Urbaniak coordinated a program for teachers new to Hawaii, called the Aloha Ambassadors. The ambassadors are classroom teachers across the state, on all the islands, trained to answer questions about living and working in Hawaii.
鈥淲e鈥檙e unique; we鈥檙e an island state. We need to provide some extra support,鈥� said Lynch-Urbaniak. 鈥淭eachers who find themselves connected to the community stay.鈥�
He knows this to be true from both his own experience and from studying teacher retention data. He also acknowledges that it isn鈥檛 always easy. 鈥淎s a white man, I鈥檓 not the majority here,鈥� said Lynch-Urbaniak. 鈥淔or a lot of folks, that could be an uncomfortable situation.鈥�
His advice?
鈥淚mmerse yourself. One of our teachers said it best: When you come here, don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e coming to teach something to the locals. Let Hawaii teach you.鈥�
