Update on the Job Hunt

It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd give an update on the job front. Most of you know we're planning to move this summer, but you may be wondering how those plans are going.

We are looking at three places that would get us closer to family: Florida, North Carolina, and Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: I have sent out my resume to all the English-speaking private schools that would suit me. I've sent resumes out twice actually. I've only heard back from one school, which informed me that they have no positions yet for next year.

Florida: My certificate is current and I have applied to Alachua County. I've been in contact with the principal from Gainesville High School (I taught there for 7 years), but it's still too early to have any idea on staffing for next year.

North Carolina: I almost have my application for certification complete (waiting for one more document from Putnam County). I've already applied for a job. North Carolina has a state-wide online teacher application that all the school districts use. The area we're aiming for, the Research Triangle area, has several school districts. One centralized application means I don't have to fill out multiple applications, which is nice. Once I get that form from Putnam County, I'll mail in everything. They said it takes about 2 weeks to process, so I could have my North Carolina teaching certificate by mid-February.

I don't know about going to any job fairs yet. It gets a little tricky when you're 2000 miles away.

I'll accept the first job offer I get.

So that's the status of job hunting.

In terms of our house...that's even more complicated. Here are the options, with the chances of each happening:

1. Sell our house for what we owe...0% chance, based on what identical models have been selling for.

2. Sell our house for less than we owe, i.e. short sale...decent chance. This will hurt our credit some, and requires a lot of negotiation with the bank, realtor, buyer...oh yeah, you have to have a buyer to have a short sale. And our house is not market ready yet. We're working on it.

3. Rent our house...very slim chance. I have learned enough about being a landlord (just through research) to know that I don't want to attempt renting from a long distance. So that means hiring a property manager. Based on what houses are renting for, we would not be able to collect enough in rent to pay our mortgage and a property manager's fee. The final nail in the coffin is all the horror stories I've heard about renting, such as things getting broken, needing replacing, rent not being paid, etc. We don't have the kind of savings to be able to cover expenses and late/missed rent payments. I used to think renting would be an easy solution, but now I'd rather do the dreaded #4 than rent.

4. Just walk away. Foreclosure. Obviously this would be devastating to our credit, which has always been good. But is it an option we'd be willing to choose in order to move? Well, nothing is off the table.

Geez, when I read over this post so far, it seems like this is the worst time to move. In a way, it is. But we really, really want to move this summer. This is the time. Sofia is starting high school next year, and I don't want to move while she's in high school. I know people do it all the time, but I don't want to do it to my children. High school is hard enough without having to start over midway through. And since I cringe at the idea of being stuck in the desert for 4 more years, 2000 miles away from family...it's gotta be this summer.