INDIANAPOLIS -- At a time when teaching positions are being cut across the state, Indianapolis charter schools are expanding, and hiring more staff to keep up.

More than 100 people came out to a job fair on Saturday featuring 80 full-time positions at 15 Indianapolis charter schools, 6News' Sarah Cornell reported.

"It's an exciting job market, but it's also a tough job market," said Challenge Foundation Academy Principal Charlie Schlegal. "All of us are dealing with less money than we had last year."

Charter school teachers start out at a salary of about $36,000, and are expected not only to love kids, but to help bridge the achievement gap for underprivileged students.

For those up for the challenge, the opportunities are growing.

"We're opening a fifth grade next year. We're potentially opening a first grade next year, too," Schlegal said.

Still, applicants said there are a lot of potential teachers going after fewer positions.

"You're competing with teachers who've been out for five years," said Kelly Franklin, who's been looking for a teaching job since she graduated four years ago. "Some schools are asking for at least three years of experience."

During the job fair, some applicants were promised a phone call next week, while others were invited back to the school for a formal interview.

"Even though there are fewer jobs, there really isn't any decrease in the number of teachers coming out of school," said John Christianson, who has been working as a substitute to pay the bills. "I think, just like anybody else, that's what I want, a full-time job."

A list of Indianapolis charter schools that are hiring can be found at www.incharter.org.