The last time I talked to someone about teaching jobs..the market was very competitive. Jobs in this area are traditionally very hard to get due to tenure and so on. Sounds like you really haven't looked for a job in sometime. Professional jobs and please note teaching is a professional job are highly competitive. I would not want an uneducated Joe Sixpack teaching my children. If teachers need to go elsewhere to get a living wage they will and your kids will suffer as a result. The last 8 years in this country have been a great example of dumping the education of our children in the garbage in the name of saving a penny for dad's boat.