Since my graduation this summer I have completed at least 135 applications, handed business cards out at numerous schools, gone to job fairs, and completed three interviews (all of which came to the same verdict: "your interview was perfect, but we selected someone with more experience). Besides this I had a researcher, both of my supervisors, and my cooperating teachers tell me they would "for sure" find me a job! Besides the experience catch 22, I have a flawless application with over 1,200 hours of volunteer experience (not including my work experience as a teaching assistant) in 11 different schools in six different cities K-College, and a Master's and Bachelor's Degree in education. In summary: the education field is a tough one right now to say the least. At one of my interviews in a city with a population of 300 the principal stated: "We had over 100 highly qualified applicants this year. The last time we had an opening we had 7, only one of which had a Masters." This sentence pretty much sums up the education field right now.
So... after all that here is my advice: whilst in your undergraduate or graduate degree program WORK AS A PRESCHOOL TEACHER OR INSTRUCTIONAL AIDE! That way when the dreaded paid teaching experience question comes about, you don't have to put that big conspicuous 0.
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