A Sanity Plea (Certifying in a Different State)

Hi everyone!

I'm currently a teacher with 3 years' experience looking to relocate to a neighboring state. I did all of my teacher education in a state that is very highly regarded in education, and taught there for two years before moving in with my now-husband and transferring my license to state #2. The transfer process was somewhat of a breeze - essentially, I cut the state DOE a check and we were good to go. Easy-peasy! I even ended up scoring a sweet gig in a great school, even though it is not my preferred grade level...but, hey, I'm a secondary English teacher. I am endlessly thankful to be teaching at all.

Originally, the plan was for me to teach on state #2 FOREVER. However, we all know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men :) My husband is extremely unhappy with his current job, and he is looking for something else. Unfortunately our state doesn't have a ton of industry or opportunities where we are, especially seeing as he works for the major employer in our area. After some major discussion, we are facing the (admittedly exciting!) prospect of relocating.

Now, I'm super type-A, and I always have approximately 17 back-up plans in case Plan A doesn't work. I was feeling okay about all of this because hubby and I are targeting a particular state/area where we would like to end up. To be proactive (and perhaps jumping the gun a little, as he hasn't gotten interviews there yet), I sent in my licensing application today and made a quick call to the state DOE to get a few questions answered.

I'm a little freaked out. The lady I spoke to basically said it is a 10 week wait right now, and they just sent out 10,000 renewal notices...if I am not processed before those come in, I could be looking at up to 16 weeks. My original state of certification has a different set of exams than the state I am trying to move to (state #3) and I can't even get an answer on whether or not I have to take them. I don't get the impression that they have a ton of requests for licenses to transfer in - the state has a problem with getting young people to stay or move to the state, and there isn't really any information on the DOE website that specifically speaks to transferring licensure. To top it off, the DOE website for state #2 (my current state) says that we have reciprocity with state #3, but when I spoke to state #3 today, the woman was very clear that they don't have direct reciprocity with anyone.

Guys, I'm probably blowing this wayyy out of proportion. I already took one year off of teaching when I moved to state #2 and spent my time in a soul-crushing corporate hell. I am more confident than ever that I belong in the classroom, and this is an exciting potential opportunity to teach 9-12 again. I don't ever want to go back to a 9-5, but I'm afraid schools won't even look at me until I'm fully licensed in state #3.

Does anyone have experience with this stuff? I came home and cried thinking that another move could mean that I have to leave what I love.