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From California to Idaho

Marine

If you’ve been following along for some time, then you already know my family and I made the move from Southern California to Idaho. I’ve received a lot of great questions about our move (our reasons, how to get another teaching credential, retirement, and finding a teaching job). I have compiled my thoughts, answers, and what worked for our family during this move and I put it into this blog post.

Here’s a little glimpse into our journey…

The Back Story

My husband and I were both born and raised in Southern California. We had never dreamed of moving out of state until about four years ago when my sister started doing some research about lower cost of living, affordable home prices, and just an overall better quality of life. My parents and uncle were very intrigued by my sister’s research (LOL). At that time, my parents still had a few years until retirement, but my uncle was ready to go! He was the first to make the move out of California to Idaho back in 2016.

After he moved, we (my sister, parents, and my husband and me with our kids) visited Idaho for the first time in 2017. We fell in love! We loved the scenery, the people, the weather, the pace of life, and the houses were beautiful. From that point, we talked about moving to Idaho almost every day, but there were always roadblocks that came up in our conversations that made us think we could never make the move: my husband’s family staying in California, my husband’s job being in Los Angeles, taking a pay cut in my teacher salary, the unknown of selling our home in California, and the sadness of leaving our hometown.

Our conversations about moving to Idaho continued for years. We would look at houses online, I would search for jobs, and then we’d say “It’s not going to work out.” But one day in December of 2019, we found the Idaho house of our dreams on Zillow. I told my husband that we had to have it. That we could figure out a way to make it work. And from that point we decided to just throw caution to the wind and go for it. My parents had already purchased a retirement home in the Idaho area, my uncle had been living in Idaho for a few years now, and my sister had already left California for Nashville. Why not try to make it work for us too?

After a few months of figuring out logistics, we listed our house in April 2020. It sold in 4 days for $33k over asking. We were in shock. I applied for jobs in April and the same week our house sold, I was given an interview and offered a teaching position. Again…in shock! We were able to put a deposit down on the house we had found on Zillow the week after. Everything was lining up, and we knew we had made the right decision.

After we closed escrow on our house in California, we packed up all of our things and made the 14 hour drive to Idaho. We’ve been living at my parents’ house since June, while our house is being built.

We love living in Idaho, and we oftentimes wonder why we didn’t make the move sooner. What made us so afraid? We know everything happens for a reason, and we’re just so glad to be here now.

More About Our Reasons

Being born and raised in Southern California was great. We had the beaches, the mountains, the deserts, and of course, Disneyland. Getting older and trying to live life as an adult in Southern California can be difficult though. Home prices are high, it’s incredibly crowded, and the quality of life has shifted. My husband and I had a lot of discussion about the life we wanted for our two boys, and the type of environment we wanted to be able to provide for them. The area we chose to move to in Idaho reminds us a lot of the environment we had in our childhood, which is something we wanted to replicate for our boys.

We also know that we’d never be able to achieve our “dream home” in California. The home prices were just way too high, especially for the square footage and lot size that you can get. In Idaho, and other states, finding a great value on a decent sized home is easier and much more feasible.

We also really appreciate the appreciation for life we’ve noticed in Idaho. The people are very kind, and it’s a much slower pace and enjoyment of life. We seriously feel like we’re on a movie set as we ride our bikes through neighborhoods. Everyone waves, smiles, and asks how we’re doing-and they mean it! The children in the neighborhood stay out playing until it’s dark, and neighbors come together for conversations and laughs.

The scenery in Idaho is also unbelievable. We have a travel trailer and we’re so eager to explore the surrounding camping areas with our boys. There are rivers, trails, mountains, and just an abundance of space with farmland and openness. Something that has kind of disappeared from the Los Angeles area.

And…most importantly, the air quality is better than what we’re used to in Southern California. My older son has asthma and his oxygen saturation has been at 100, and he’s on less medication! For this reason alone, I am so thankful for Idaho.

How I Got My Idaho Teaching License

There is reciprocity with the California teaching credential and the Idaho teaching license. It’s a pretty simple process to get your Idaho teaching license if you already have a cleared California teaching credential. To top it off, the people at the Idaho State Department of Education are very helpful and kind when you email and call.

Here’s what you’ll need when applying:

You can find more information by visiting the Idaho State Department of Education website here.

I filled out the application and submitted my paperwork at the beginning of July. The district I was hired with was able to give me the background investigation packet which I included with my application packet. They emailed me a week after I mailed it in acknowledging that they received my application and I would get my certificate by October.

Finding a Teaching Job

When I was job searching, I would search every district’s “Employment Opportunities” page daily. I was on a mission to get a teaching job. I applied to every opening, and some districts allow you to email principals after you’ve applied. You can check that on the application page. You can even call the HR office and ask if you’re allowed to email principals to express your interest in the position.

School Spring is a great site that lets you choose different areas of Idaho as you search for job openings. Here’s a list of some other districts in the Southwest Idaho region that are definitely worth researching as well:

Something else I love about Idaho is that almost every district has experience with Visible Learning, John Hattie’s research, PLCs, and they practice standards-based learning with standards-based report cards (something we were still working on in my previous district). Most districts are already versed in PBIS and it’s all about the kids!

California Retirement in CALSTRS

A lot of people were wondering about my California retirement that has already been accumulating. The CALSTRS website offers a lot of information about that question, and you can always talk to someone from CALSTRS to help guide you in the right direction for your own retirement. For me, I know that my retirement will sit in CALSTRS until I am ready to retire. From there it will accumulate just a little bit year after year, and then when I retire or when I turn 55, I can ask for my compensation.

Click here to read more from the CALSTRS website.

In the end…

It is very scary to leave the only place you’ve ever known, but it’s also just as exciting when you know the rewards outweigh the reservations. I am fortunate enough to have family here (just have to get my sister to go from Nashville to Idaho LOL), as well as one of my really good friends who also took a leap of faith a few months before we did. We’re all so happy and we don’t regret a single thing.

If you have any more questions, DM me on Instagram or email me at marine@talesfromaverybusyteacher.com. I am happy to help!

Click here to read about how teaching in Idaho compares to teaching in California.

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