New teacher training is less than two weeks away. The start of school is less than three weeks away. And still Brian has heard nothing. To say we're getting a little bit frustrated and a little bit nervous is putting it mildly. We aren't even seeing any more openings showing up on websites, much less is Brian getting any interviews. I'm trying not to wig, honestly, I am. But when new teacher training is right around the corner and Brian hasn't even found much to apply for, hasn't had one single interview or even a phone call, that doesn't exactly give me any sort of peace of mind that something will work out. He's got online applications in at all the districts he's interested in, and a couple of them just have general listings for elementary teachers, with a note that you have to have an online application so that principals can search. His application is there, but he's not getting any calls. Does this mean people see his application and don't think he's worth talking to, or that they just aren't ready to look yet, or what?! One of the elementary schools in Mansfield has a fourth-grade opening. Brian interviewed with them at their job fair, and felt like it went well. He's applied for that position, and the principal is one of the people who interviewed Brian back in the spring. No phone call. Did it not go as well as he thought? The listing doesn't have a closing date, so I'm not sure it's a situation where they're waiting until X time to start interviewing, but I could be wrong. Patience is not my strong suit, and this is just about to do me in.
Brian is sending his "last ditch" letter, basically saying he's aware of the fact that schools often have last-minute openings and giving the principals a summary of the high points of his experience. He's sending it to all the elementary schools in the four districts we've been focusing on, and he's applying to Fort Worth, Arlington, and Grand Prairie school districts as well. That would mean a good bit more of a drive for him, and I'd have to shift my work schedule to where I could drop J off at school, which would mean I'd get here later and have to work later, which sucks. But if that's what he's got to do to get in teaching somewhere, then I guess we'll take it and work out the logistics.
And now for something completely different on the job search front. The other day, Brian and I were e-mailing back and forth about his looking for jobs, and he was debating whether Fort Worth ISD would be too far of a drive to make it worthwhile to apply. I got to looking on Craigslist, and found an ad for the position of beer barn manager (one of the perks being that you get to work with sexy beer barn girls! LOL For the princely wage of $7.00 an hour! I guess the sexy girls are supposed to make up for the low pay). I sent it to him with the subject line of, "That's it, the search is over." He got a good laugh out of it, and then decided to do his own looking on Craigslist, where he found this:
http://www.lonestarexpeditions.com/employment.html
It would REALLY make the logistics challenging if he were on for eight days, off for six - I'd be back to single parenting those eight days he was gone. Groveton is 177 miles from Midlothian per Google maps, so the round trip drive would be like a trip to my dad's house in Louisiana every other week. The salary isn't great starting out, but the website says that depending on experience, some people may advance through the guide levels more quickly (and earn more money more quickly), and I'd imagine the ones that stick with it are the ones with the potential to do well. All he'd really have to pay for is gas to and from, as room and board would be covered while he was on his eight-day shift. It sounds really interesting, and he'd be great at it, and he'd enjoy it. He's good with kids, and he likes being outdoors and has done a lot of camping and hiking in the past. But damn, the logistics would be a bitch, and just trying to wrap my brain around how we'd handle everything makes my head hurt. But, we may have to think outside of the teaching arena and do something that we think is outside our comfort zone, I don't know. I told him it can't hurt to apply and see what kind of response he gets. Then we'll go from there.
And boy, does God have a sense of humor. We thought Fort Worth would be too far of a drive. How about Groveton, then? LOL
4 comments:
Has he called the Midlothian principal and spoken with him directly about the position? Frankly, if he hasn't, he should.
As for the other job, like we talked about Saturday, it sounds like a really fun opportunity. If he would get it, y'all would learn how to cope. And a little money is better than none, right?
He's called all the elementary schools in Midlothian and been referred back to human resources, and human resources tells him that open positions are listed on the website, that he'll have to apply through there. He's also written letters to all the Midlothian elementary principals, so he's done about all he can except show up in person and jump on someone's desk and dance a jig.
And if he does get the Lone Star job, yes, we'll manage. It certainly won't be typical, but hey, why conform? And if he enjoys it and does well, he'll move up and the money will improve. That's actually not the biggest concern with that job. The distance and time away from home is a bigger issue, and it could be managed.
I'm still just pissed, though, that local school districts have had big fat nothin' when you keep hearing about teacher shortages. That must be in some other part of the Metroplex.
Yeah, I know how absolutely frustrating it can be to job hunt.
Well, sounds like he's doing all he can do. I'd say some bad words about here about f those mf'ers, but this may be a family blog. :)
Let's go shopping soon!
Woo hoo, shopping therapy! :-D Works for me! (And believe me, any bad words you've thought of, I've probably already said. Several times. LOL)
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