living and working in NC By Carolyn

I live in North Carolina. If you look on a map of NC you will find my county. It is the county east of Mecklenburg, in southern NC. It is called Union County.

I am amazed that Statesville came all the way out to North Dakota. Maybe they liked the "North" part. At any rate, I interviewed in Statesville in 1998. The principals were wonderfully friendly. I was offered a job in Troutman, which is just south of Statesville. It was for a third grade position. Unfortunately, my husband, who was also looking for a job, didn't get one in his field, so we went looking elsewhere. We ended up in Union County.

What's nice about Statesville is that it's within commuting distance of NC's largest city, Charlotte. There's so much to do and enjoy in the city. The town has small town charm. It's not expensive living in Statesville. I think you will find it a pleasant community. I think it won a small-town community award a few years back for living conditions. The county is mostly rural, except for the southern end next to Charlotte.

I came down to NC from Pennsylvania, so I had to apply for licensure in North Carolina. It was just a matter of paying for the license. The school district I worked for in North Carolina--Charlotte/Mecklenburg--helped me obtain my license. It took awhile to receive it, but I was allowed to work under my Pennsylvania certificate while waiting for my NC license.

As far as completing the licensure process, new teachers in NC have to complete a portfolio. They have what is called the "Portfolio Based Licensure." Most teachers consider it a pain in the neck, although consider that you are acquiring materials which are useful to your teaching job. New teachers also have to be observed and mentored. You don't mention if you are a new teacher or not, but a friend of mine who began working in NC as a new teacher had to be observed four times a year for four years. She was also mentored for four years.

Please feel to write with any other questions. My e-mail address is posted below.