Job dust please!

[tammy77]

Delurking to say GOOD LUCK and JOB DUST!!

 

[16ocean]

Sending you a heaping handful of dusty dust dust your way!!

Not only can you do this you ARE doing it!!

 

[MayFlowers]

Thank you guys again for all the support! It really means so much to me!

So the interview today ended up being with the assistant principal and three teachers, all of whom I have been in their rooms or worked on a team with. So, I was comfortable, but still a little nervous, I mean this is my future on the line! Anyways, it was pretty informal and the assistant principal kept joking that some of their questions didn't need to be asked because they already know me so well. It only lasted about 20 minutes and then we talked about the job and the school for about another 5-10 minutes. They all mentioned that my interview didn't need to last long because my interview had been going on for the past two years during my student teaching and field experiences there. Of course, I forgot to ask when they would have a decision. I suspect either tomorrow afternoon or Friday. I sent one of the teachers in the interview a text asking her and I'm sure she will get back to me when they are finished with the interviews.

Please keep those fingers crossed and continue sending the dust! I will let you all know something as soon as I know! Oh and if I may be so greedy as to ask for some dust for BF too, he is up for a promotion and his interview will be sometime this week. It would be so great if we could both get these jobs!

THANKS AGAIN!!

 

[centralsquare]

Congrats - sounds like a lot to be optimistic about (bust some dust just in case).

 

[Blackpaw]

******DUST******* for you Mayflowers and for your BF

it sounds like we're in similar positions right now - my BF just got a promotion and im in the process of negotiating my role as well - hopefully ill know by friday like you...

I think you're going to get it! just a feeling i have

 

[RebeccaMUA]

******DUST****** to the both of you!

 

[Blackpaw]

Any word Mayflowers? im going away this weekend and was hoping to hear before i left!! keeping my fingers crossed for you

 

[MayFlowers]

No word yet. I had typed out a very long response yesterday, but somehow it was eaten and I was too frustrated to type it out again. In short, one of my friends was offered the job and some of her actions surrounding it were a little hurtful. I was very hurt and though they haven't called me, I was sure I did not get the job. I called them today and they said I haven't heard back because they haven't made a final decision yet. I take this to mean they are either trying to see if they have a second or possiy third opening available.

I'm getting pretty impatient though because the first day of school is August 10! Hopefully I will hear back sometime soon. But in all honesty, I have given up on the job. I have cried out my disappointment and if I do get it, it will just be a nice surprise. Until I hear for sure one way or the other, I'm treating this as though I did not get it.

ETA: BF did get his promotion though! He starts the new position on Monday.

 

[centralsquare]

So sorry to hear about it, but something tells me they'd let you know if you didn't get if there were no chance they'd have a position for you. So, there's still reason to be optimistic, even though you are preparing yourself for the worst. Even if it doesn't work out, interviewing is always a great skill and you'll be better positioned for the next position!

Congrats for your SO!!

 

[Blackpaw]

Oh Mayflowers im sorry, that sucks i had my little negotiation today and it didnt go well either - apparently i dont respect the company because i want adequate compensation!

Well anyways i dont doubt you'll get the job thats just right for you, whatever that might be...

Congrats to your BF, hope he's happy i say celebrate the weekend and his promotion with a glass or three of wine, i just did!

 

[MayFlowers]

So, they officially called and told me I did not get the job. But, they did offer me a position as an assistant. I would be making hardly more than I make now, so I'm not sure I want to take it. The assistant principal is the one who has been in contact with me and she is looking at other options right now and she is supposed to get back to me soon.

I may just try to be a substitute teacher for the time being and hope I get a steady flow of jobs. Hopefully she will get back to me with some good news soon.

I did ask her why I didn't get the teaching position and she said she honestly doesn't know why, because she had picked me for one of the positions. She said the teachers (many of whom picked me for a first grade teaching position) hand their choices to the principal and he has the final say. Well, apparently he picked a different candidate over me. She said there was nothing I should have done differently or changed. That makes me feel better, but I still can't stop thinking about the fact that this wasn't how things were supposed to work out.

One thing the assistant principal said about this job they are offering me is that it would lock me into their school. In other words, I would be less marketable to other schools in the district because I wouldn't be seen as much and because I have been at this school for so long. I'm not sure I want to close those other doors yet and I know subbing would really get me out there into other schools. It's just this huge complicated situation and such a difficult decision. I wish the principal had just picked me from the start so that I wouldn't have to deal with all this. I can't make decisions for anything...

 

[zoebartlett]

So, they officially called and told me I did not get the job. But, they did offer me a position as an assistant. I would be making hardly more than I make now, so I'm not sure I want to take it. The assistant principal is the one who has been in contact with me and she is looking at other options right now and she is supposed to get back to me soon.

I may just try to be a substitute teacher for the time being and hope I get a steady flow of jobs. Hopefully she will get back to me with some good news soon.

I did ask her why I didn't get the teaching position and she said she honestly doesn't know why, because she had picked me for one of the positions. She said the teachers (many of whom picked me for a first grade teaching position) hand their choices to the principal and he has the final say. Well, apparently he picked a different candidate over me. She said there was nothing I should have done differently or changed. That makes me feel better, but I still can't stop thinking about the fact that this wasn't how things were supposed to work out.

One thing the assistant principal said about this job they are offering me is that it would lock me into their school. In other words, I would be less marketable to other schools in the district because I wouldn't be seen as much and because I have been at this school for so long. I'm not sure I want to close those other doors yet and I know subbing would really get me out there into other schools. It's just this huge complicated situation and such a difficult decision. I wish the principal had just picked me from the start so that I wouldn't have to deal with all this. I can't make decisions for anything...

I'm sorry it didn't work out, Mayflowers. I'm an elementary teacher, and it took me a while to get into my own classroom. I ended up teaching Title I for 2 years before getting my own class in another school district. Job hunting and interviewing can be draining, so I hope everything works out the way you want it too ASAP.

I've never subbed, so feel free to take my words with a grain of salt. I definitely see the benefits: you'd get to work in more schools, you'd meet many more people, you'd be visible to more people who may potentially interview you someday.

I also see the benefits of accepting the assistant position though: you'd be working in one room (or grade ?) consistently, so the classroom teacher and anyone else you'd be working with (Sp. Ed. teacher ?) would see you in action. I think this is huge, personally. When people sub, teachers get the feel of how they work with the kids, but they don't ever see that person do it, if that makes sense. People know subs on a more surface level -- someone who they see occasionally and know a little bit. If you took the assistant position, people would get to know you even more.

I think either one would give you more experience, which is great. I just wanted to point out a few things that you might give some consideration to. I hoped it helped in some way. Whichever you decide, best of luck!

 

[16ocean]

Ohhhh Mayflowers . . . . thank you for keeping us up dated . . . I am -so- sorry that your first choice of a full time teaching job in your own classroom hasn't panned out yet . . . . Hugs.

I too work in education (as an SLP) and at the moment it seems as if it is all about cuts, cuts, cuts. Many of the SLPs who work with me only work part time. The county seems to like hiring part timers because then, they don't have to provide health insurance and they have less to pay into retirement.

Zoe's post was awesome with the pros and cons of "subbing" vs "working as an aid" for a while.

What does your bf say?

What about subbing and going back to school for a masters?

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks 16ocean!

I thought of one more benefit of working as an aide/assistant. If/When you need recommendations, you might get more content in the recs than if you were subbing. People could speak to your strengths on in-depth level, again, because people see you in action with co-workers and students.

Just a thought!

 

[centralsquare]

Do they anticipate any openings during the year or next where they can place you? if so then it may make sense to be an assistant there?

 

[crhq5c]

I second the recommendation of becoming and aid. It took me one year to find a teaching job, and my sister 3. I worked as an aid (a paraprofessional) with the special education department in a school district, and was able to find a job the following year because of that job. My sister tried the subbing route, but it didn't work for her, so after a year, she became a paraprofessional as well which enabled her to get a job. I feel like you learn a lot more being an aid that will really help you out in an interview, and I also believe that it looks better on a resume.

 

[MayFlowers]

So the assistant principal was pretty shocked when I told her what personnel told me about the pay for the job. When she found that out and she found out I couldn't do my state's internship program to complete my certification, she said she was going to try something different and get back to me.

When she did get back to me, she offered me a position as a resource teacher for third grade. I would only work part of the school day, but the pay was double what it had been and I would get to complete the internship program. I accepted and started the position today. EXCEPT, when I showed up she said she needed to talk to me first and took me into one of my mentor teacher's room with my mentor teacher. Well, I no longer "have" the job. She said that though she had permission from the principal to offer me the job last night, he has now changed his mind because the number of students who will be attending keeps changing. Basically they have a number of students that they are expecting to come, but they have not registered nor have they said they are not coming. If they do not come, I don't have a job. So, she said right now my job is on hold. She did say I could leave or stay if I wanted to and that they would still pay me for today since I called in to my other job and drove out there.

They were having their opening day PD/welcome back/reminders thing all day. So, I chose to stay and attend the meeting with confidence and poise the whole day. Only a handful of teachers know that I may not have a job and they were all wonderfully supportive. I hope that the ones who didn't couldn't tell that anything was bothering me. I can't handle all these ups and downs! I was so excited when I first got the interviews, then devastated when I didn't get the job. Then I was stuck making a decision I didn't want to make, then I got a job and was quite literally jumping up and down and all around and now this! Poor BF too, he was so excited and proud of me and so looking forward to us finally having the finances so that we could move in together. I feel like I'm just letting him down. THIS SUCKS!!!!! **end vent**

**centralsquare-as of right now, all they are anticipating is long term subbing positions for one teacher who is pregnant and another who may be adopting. Other than that, I would think that everyone who is there now will still be there next year. But, you never know who may want a transfer or if a lot of new students register at the school and their enrollment grows, just like this year.

 

[centralsquare]

I chose to stay and attend the meeting with confidence and poise the whole day.

That's all you can do. That's all you can control. And it WILL pay off. Hang in there!

 

[16ocean]

I chose to stay and attend the meeting with confidence and poise the whole day.

That's all you can do. That's all you can control. And it WILL pay off. Hang in there!

Mayflowers- Please know you are not letting your BF down. You are doing the best you can do with the cards you are being dealt. "confidence and poise" here here! mad props!

 

[MayFlowers]

Well they called yesterday and said that they definitely do not have a spot for me for right now. The assistant principal said sometimes students show up the day after labor day and so she will call me then. But until then, I have nothing. It just really stinks to be so excited about having a job in a place where you have already made connections and relationships with the staff and then have it ripped away.

Although, I'm not quite sure I want to work for this principal anymore anyways. He is just an a$$. (sorry for the language) My mom posed an interesting take on the whole situation. She believes that this principal, for some reason, just doesn't like me and wants to prevent me from getting a job. I thought that was crazy, but the more I think about it, the more it actually feels plausible. To give you a little background, he works in a district that lies next to the big district in my area. I had never been impressed with the big district's schools and that is why I asked for my student teaching to be in an outlying area. Now when I apply to said big district for Preschool, Elementary and subbing jobs, I have never been called. Four of my friends got preschool jobs yesterday and I never even got a call for an interview. I'm not trying to be mean, but I am much more qualified than a couple of them. I also never even got a call for a sub position and the big district would seriously hire just about anyone with 64 college hours to be a sub. Why did I never get a call? Maybe I'm looking at this narrowly, but I'm starting to believe that if this principal really didn't want me to have a job, then maybe he has been giving me bad references? I have no idea why he wouldn't want me to get a job because I have never had a problem with him and he said he loved the lesson he observed when I did student teaching. I don't know, it's just something I have been thinking about. Sorry for the ramblings

**16ocean--I shouldn't have said that I am letting BF down. I know he doesn't feel that way. I do feel guilty though for basically making him wait around for me. (Almost like he is a "knight in waiting", waiting to live together tehehe!) Everything is so expensive around here, at least to us, and it doesn't help that BF and I both have car payments every month.

 

[centralsquare]

So sorry to hear this! Well, maybe something even better will come along!

 

[jlp86]

Good luck finding a teaching job!! I am also a teacher out of work, however, I kind of did it to myself. I taught for my first time last year. I was a 2nd grade teacher in a smaller suburb in IL. Then this July my BF got transferred to Boston and I of course didn't feel staying in IL was an option. So I had to quit my job that took me over a year to get. Now I have to re-certify myself in the state of Massachusetts and then go searching for jobs. I have been trying to find ANY work in the Boston area that works with kids and it seems impossible.

So I wish you the BEST of luck! I have been there in the past and am currently sort of there haha at least after these MTEL's are completed. I hear the tests are hard out here!

Good luck!!!

 

[Blackpaw]

Mayflowers im sorry this job business went south, thats crap but im keeping my fingers crossed for you that something better comes up

 

[MayFlowers]

Well everyone keep those fingers crossed! I applied for four new openings today and I hope something comes of them.

For those who have been through the job searching, do you think I should be calling the schools where I have applied to introduce myself to the principal, let him/her know I would love to teach for their school, etc.?

 

[jlp86]

I personally have never done any of that, however, I have had friends who went and delivered their resume in person. I am always unsure of what is appropriate because I have always seen a lot of applications say do not call. Let me know if any method other then just applying works for you! I usually send my cover letter, resume, and letters of recommendation via email.

 

[crhq5c]

I always emailed the school principal my resume directly along with going through human resources online system. I was always told not do contact the principals, to just follow the instructions for applying, but when I got desperate, I didn't care anymore. I also felt email wasn't as much of an intrusion as calling or stopping by. I truly believe that because I did that, I was able to get the job I have now.

 

[zoebartlett]

Well everyone keep those fingers crossed! I applied for four new openings today and I hope something comes of them.

For those who have been through the job searching, do you think I should be calling the schools where I have applied to introduce myself to the principal, let him/her know I would love to teach for their school, etc.?

I've never done that but I have dropped off my resume in person though for one job I had. I'm honestly not sure if it helped or not though.

I know some people e-mail resumes, but I don't recommend that. Sorry crhq5c!

 

[MayFlowers]

Thanks for the tip Zoe! I have applied a few more places and this time I did not email or call. I emailed two of the principals for the jobs before, one never called, responded, etc. and the other responded but said the job had been filled. Either way, I didn't get an interview so I figure it didn't really help me.

I applied to a few preschools. I'm not really sure I want to do preschool, but I think I would be okay with it if I were working with 4-5 year olds, like in Pre-k. I went to an interview yesterday for a preschool, but haven't heard back from them yet. I don't think I really want it anyways. I have an interview to be a sub in one of my surrounding counties tomorrow and I hope that goes well. It's basically come down to the fact that what I really want is to have my own elementary classroom. So, I'm going to sub and hope that that gets me somewhere.

The only issue now is financial. BF and I want to move in together so badly, but he is worried that if I sub, the income won't be steady and he doesn't want to be put in a bad situation if I can't help pay bills. My plan is to start seriously saving money and hopefully save a good amount as a back up fund. So that if one month I don't have enough money, I can use that fund to tide me over to the next month. If I still don't have a job by August next year, then I may seriously consider giving up on teaching. Everyone has told me I am a great teacher, but I feel like if that's true, then I should have a job by now. Almost all of the girls I graduated with have gotten jobs. I don't understand what I'm doing so wrong.

I've considered just finding a full time job now wherever I can, but I don't think I can give up on teaching yet.

 

[Blackpaw]

Oh MAyflowers, im sorry you're having a rubbish time, but i really wouldnt give up, it sounds like you just havent been in the right place at the right time yet. But im sure you'll get something eventually, you havent worked so hard to give up

saving some cash sounds like a good idea, and maybe once you and your SO are living it up living together you'll get a surprise proposal

 

[MayFlowers]

Blackpaw, that's how I feel about not giving up yet. I don't want to enter into a job that is less than what I deserve, which is partially why I decided not to enter into the preschool field. Yes I would have a full time job and benefits, but I didn't go to college for four years to get a job changing diapers all day. That's also why I would be OK with a pre-k job instead of a "daycare" job. At least in a pre-k room, I would get to do some teaching.

Depending on how many counties I can sub in (not sure if I am allowed to be on more than one list), I may try to find a part time job in a bank and then sub on the days I don't work at the bank. I was offered a job at two banks last year for part time work, but when they found out about my student teaching schedule they decided not to hire me. I'm sure if I went back to that bank I would be able to get back on at least part time. That would at least give me some steady income without completely giving up on teaching yet.

ETA: I actually am expecting a proposal sometime soon! BF gets bonuses throughout the year with his new promotion and he said "immediately" (that was his actual word usage ) after he gets one he will propose and we will buy the ring. I'm not sure when he will get a bonus and how much it will be (and I don't think I want to know), but I do know they get one every 3 months. I'm just not sure whether that goes by fiscal year or calendar year and whether he got hired right after they gave one out or if they will give one out in a few weeks. So, I know that hopefully I will be engaged by Thanksgiving!

ETAA: The preschool just called and offered me a job in a two year old room. I would be making the same rate of pay I make now, but I would be full time and have benefits. I asked her if I could think it over until I get through the next interview and she said that was fine. She asked that I call her on Monday to let her know my decision. It would be a steady income, but I'm going to have to crunch numbers to see if it's enough to let BF and I move in together. **After reading through the beginning of this post, I guess I have to decide which is worth more to me: moving in with BF, or having a job I love, want and deserve