This paper explores teacher labor markets with a new focus on the interplay between where teachers seek and obtain work. Prior research has assumed that the geographic constraints in the teacher labor operate through teacher preferences but, in fact, no research separates teachers' preferences for working close to their hometown, from employers' preferences for hiring local teachers. We use 2010 data from the largest on-line jobs clearinghouse for teachers in the United States to explore linkages between the characteristics of teachers, including their distance to a potential job, and their application behavior; and, at the same time to examine the relationship between candidates, their distance to a job, and the likelihood of a job offer. The paper finds that teachers tend to seek positions close to home and provides new evidence that employers also value proximity. Employers tend to hire teachers that live locally to them.
