June 14th, 2008
It’s not late now. As a matter of fact, I’m writing on a Saturday morning at 08:39 EDT. It’s getting late in the job search season for teachers. School ends in two weeks. It may as well end in one week, because the last week is a series of half-days, and the students don’t come in on Thursday. We’re all off on Friday. But I digress.
The job season, as far as I can see, runs in seasons:
- New Position Season: “We’re adding a position. We added it to the budget in November, and in January we begin our search.” This is a short season, as there are rarely many of these jobs.
- Retirement Season: “Mrs. Malarkey is retiring at the end of the year, and we need to fill her job.” This season is longer, and begins somewhere in January and (if your district is dumb) may have late entries toward April and May.
- Replacement Season: “Mr. Wafflestein was not a ‘fit’ for us, so we’ll be looking elsewhere.” This season begins in late February/ early March, and wraps up in most places towards the end of May.
- Shuffle Season: “Miss Ranglehoffer took Mrs. Malarkey’s job in District ABC, and we have to replace her.” This season begins in May.
- Desperation Season: “What do you mean you’re not coming back in September? Where am I going to find a decent educational professional on such short notice?” This season begins in two weeks.
We’re in Shuffle Season now. I had kind of hoped the phone would ring. A lot. It hasn’t. So far I’ve received two call. One was with an administrator I know in a district close by my home. We had a screening interview, and she said they were just starting the search process. They have at least 3 job openings this year. I have emailed her many times. She has no called me back. This is not a good sign.
The other call was for an interview 95 miles from my home. I took the interview with no intention of getting the job or even considering it. That “the heck with this attitude” was only because I’m in a better position now. No disrespect to the folks, just the truth of the matter. I needed the practice, though. I have not had an interview in almost a year. The last time I approached an interview with that attitude was when… I interviewed for my current position. Needless to say, I got called back. Of course. I bowed out for true reasons- their demo lessons conflicted with 4 concerts I had in my present job. It was, however, a way to extend my eligibility to “if you don’t find anyone” as opposed to closing the door with “I’m NOT driving 95 miles twice a day.”
There are a certainly a few reasons I’m not getting called. a) My resume is spotty (3 jobs in 3 years), b) I’ve actually been burned by an old school board member to some other school boards (and I’d so like to prove it and own him AND the district), but first and foremost in my mind is c) the cost of me. You see, most school districts negotiate your starting pay based on experience and education. I am very experienced and highly educated. If the salary schedule were a spreasheet with box A1 being the starting salary and box Z25 being the salary for the most experienced, most highly educated teacher, I’d be somewhere around P17. Even if they give me credit for only half my years of experience, I’m in P8, at a premium of $30k over a recent graduate. Thus a+b+c= me staring at the phone, willing it to ring.
So how did I get my current job? They were in OMG Season, which occurs after the school year begins. “What do you mean you’re leaving? How are we supposed to replace you in OCTOBER!?!” Mid-semester replacements are nearly impossible to make well. Combine that with a historic policy of “we do not give credit for experience in salary negotiations” and I’m a much more attractive candidate. That said, I like where I work now. If I could move the place 50 miles closer to home, I would stay forever. They are desperate for me to stay, but for my family I must at least look for better pay/ closer to home.
So yes, It may be only 09:00 EDT, but it sure feels like it’s getting late.
Posted in Education, Rants/Opinions, Reflections | No Comments »
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