Job dust please!

[jlp86]

Mayflower -- 2 years ago I was in your same boat. I was devastated that I could not find a teaching job for the life of me. My friends had jobs, but I couldn't get one. I couldn't even find a full-time aiding job that wanted me! I was so frustrated. I had plans to go to a community college to get a different associates degree. I figured I would make more money and actually get a job.

Well I decided to wait a year and instead I substitute taught for two school districts. Since subbing doesn't offer insurance, I also got a job at a local Walgreens and worked 30 hour weeks there to claim insurance. I was working 60 hour weeks most weeks. With two districts getting me subbing work and Walgreens I was busy busy. By the time summer came around I was tired and I hated living with my parents. I thought for sure this year wasn't going to turn out any differently then the previous year. I was very negative about it all. Well the end of July came around and I knew I needed a plan for the next school year. I had known that the school district I subbed for had a few positions opening but since summer was almost over and I heard nothing I figured I wasn't chosen. In the long run, I was hired for one of those jobs. They just hired me 3 weeks before the school year started. Had I not subbed for them the previous year, I would not have been considered for the job. They only interviewed subs, aides, and people they knew personally. I don't even think they had the jobs up on the website to apply.

The moral of this story is don't give up. No matter how frustrated, aggrevated, or upset you are feeling it will work out if you give it time. I have friends who have been teaching for years now and I have 1 year of experience. I also was in a very low paying district while they were all in high paying districts. I loved my job though and it was amazing. The only reason I am not there now is because I moved out of state.

I would definitely substitute if I were you, thats what I am doing now that I moved. You gain a lot of experience and you can get a lot of ideas from other teachers rooms. I kept a journal with the ideas I had seen and what I liked and disliked. When I taught the next year it became very handy.

Sorry for the long novel. Good luck in your search. Be as positive as you can be. Something will turn up eventually!!! (I also know its easier to give this advice then take it try you best though)

 

[MayFlowers]

Thanks jlp86 for the advice! I feel like I keep hearing about people who went to school for teaching and couldn't find jobs so they decided to do something else. I think I'm definitely keeping the subbing option open for now. I don't have to make a decision until Monday and like I said, I could always do part time at a bank. BF has already offered to put me on his insurance if needed. I'm not sure how long I can stay on my parents once I finish school.

 

[jlp86]

The insurance thing varies by state. In IL I was able to until I was 26, but we didnt know this until after I was off. Your lucky if you can get on your BF's. I live with my BF and cannot get on his insurance.

I also want to add that I am very happy I stuck with teaching. It is an amazing career and it sounds like you really love it. Plus with subbing, full time/permanent sub positions will open up throughout the year. Also, if you go that route, try subbing for multiple districts!

Good luck!!

 

[Blackpaw]

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

Ok, first and foremost - engaged by THANKSGIVING woop woop! thats great news, how exciting. Haha, if i were you id be trying to calculate all the possible dates BF could have got a bonus but i am the devil...

Re the job, congrats on being offered the preschool position. Tell me, how 'acceptable' is it to back out of a job in your field? because i would likely take the job and keep looking for something else...hmm, i think my gut is telling me you should substitute teach until you can get that elusive first position - then i assume once you're in you're in? I started my career a few years back and i accepted, then ultimately declined, a job that i was overqualified for and i dont regret it at all, i got a great job in the end. Oh and another point to consider, not sure if its relevant in teaching, but in my field, if you're in one area of the field you're kind of pigeon-holed there - you wouldnt want schools to pass you up for primary school because you were a preschool teacher. But im not sure if thats a consideration?!

sorry, thats not much help, in any case im keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you

 

[MayFlowers]

Ok, first and foremost - engaged by THANKSGIVING woop woop! thats great news, how exciting. Haha, if i were you id be trying to calculate all the possible dates BF could have got a bonus but i am the devil...

Re the job, congrats on being offered the preschool position. Tell me, how 'acceptable' is it to back out of a job in your field? because i would likely take the job and keep looking for something else...hmm, i think my gut is telling me you should substitute teach until you can get that elusive first position - then i assume once you're in you're in? I started my career a few years back and i accepted, then ultimately declined, a job that i was overqualified for and i dont regret it at all, i got a great job in the end. Oh and another point to consider, not sure if its relevant in teaching, but in my field, if you're in one area of the field you're kind of pigeon-holed there - you wouldnt want schools to pass you up for primary school because you were a preschool teacher. But im not sure if thats a consideration?!

sorry, thats not much help, in any case im keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you

I am very excited about the engagement front and trust me, I have absolutely been trying to figure out all the possible dates. I assume he will get the bonus on one of their regular paydays with his regular check, but I guess I could be wrong. I had been thinking the first check in September might be it, but I also don't want to get my hopes up. I'm trying to focus on the fact that it will definitely be by the end of the year and I think that has helped. I'm not as anxious and impatient as I have been before, but that may be just that my job situation is taking a lot of my time and attention away from me thinking about being engaged all the time.

In my field, at least in my area, it would not be acceptable to turn down a job teaching in an elementary school. So, if I was interviewed for a third grade lead teaching position in a public school, I would never turn it down. Even if it wasn't in the school I wanted, I wouldn't turn it down. One county here will actually "blacklist" you if you turn down one of their schools. That's not to say you couldn't be hired in a different county, just not their district. However, this interview was with a small privately owned preschool. That kind of position is okay to decline, at least in my opinion, mostly because they aren't as connected with the public schools and district. So, it's not like turning down this position would ruin my chances of getting a job.

As for being pigeon-holed, that is absolutely one reason I don't want to teach preschool. I think that if I were to choose the preschool, then I would be "stuck" teaching in preschool forever. I may be able to get on at one of the public preschools, which would be a completely different situation because their pay is the same as primary teachers, but I doubt I would get a primary teaching position.

I talked to BF last night about it and he agrees with me that while the preschool position would provide me a full time job, it's not what I really want to do and it doesn't provide me the kind of pay I deserve. I will probably call them after I interview for subbing today to let them know.

Now to change the subject a little, I need some advice for BF. As you know, he got a promotion almost 3 weeks ago. He still has not signed any paperwork or received a raise for the promotion since he began! He works for a somewhat small local business. They have maybe 60 employees including management. He showed me his last pay stub and it shows that he received a raise for his year anniversary (which happened to fall the same week he started the new job), but he definitely has not received a raise for the promotion. I know this for a fact because his year review came two days after the new pay period, and two days after he started the new job. On his pay stub, there were two days where he was paid his old salary. So, the raise that he got was for his yearly review, not the promotion. I keep telling him he needs to talk to the HR lady, but half the time he is so busy he doesn't have time. It also doesn't help that the HR lady is in that job because her husband owns the business and she doesn't do anything, nor does she know anything about HR. I don't want to keep nagging him, but it really annoys me that he has been doing a job for three weeks that he hasn't been properly compensated for. I almost want to go up there myself and talk to this lady! I want him to get paid the right amount, but I don't know what else I can do? Any advice?

 

[centralsquare]

Sounds like very unprofessional HR, so I bet they did make a mistake or forgot. Absolutely he needs to bring it up! No doubt!

 

[MayFlowers]

Another update for those following my job search.

The school that had turned me down called and offered me a part time position and promised two long term maternity leave sub positions there. It didn't have benefits or anything, but it was steady work, paid the same as subbing and helps me get my foot in the door. The long term subbing positions are great too. Plus, I don't work Fridays, so I will sub in other schools on Fridays to get my name out to more places. I am keeping my other part time job at the daycare/after-school care to help supplement income. It keeps me super busy but I think it will be fine. My first day at the new job was Monday and so far it's going pretty well, not what I originally hoped I would be doing at this time in the school year, but better than nothing.

Also, BF ended up not getting a raise. Apparently his salary in the other position was the same for this position. The only perk now is that he gets bonuses four times a year.

Blackpaw, I won't be engaged by Thanksgiving anymore Bf got his bonus already, but it was very small because the pay period for the bonus ended just a few weeks after he started the job. So they gave him a bonus based on only those few weeks. Since he gets one every 3 weeks, I will be engaged by Valentine's Day! It feels far away, but like I said, I've been super busy. So, I hope it flies by!