Temptation
Posted by: magicalmysticalteacher on: July 14, 2009
A school where I taught two years ago has an opening. It’s not in special ed, but general ed, yet I have the appropriate credential. It’s tempting to apply. That school was good to me. The superintendent I worked under is no longer there, but the principal is, and he and I got along just fine.
The advantages of working at my former school (assuming they’d hire me) are obvious: The pay would be $20,000 more than I’m getting at my present school; it’s closer to home (by about 500 miles!); and I know and respect the staff. The school is small and intimate and located in an area that I grew to love while I lived there. (Actually, I “camped out” there and drove home every weekend.)
Yes, I’ve signed a contract with my present school district, although contracts can be rather easily nullified, it seems. Just before I left my school for the summer, the principal and I were talking. She said she was worried that one of the teachers might not come back in the fall.
“But she’s signed a contract,” I said.
“People sign contracts here all the time and don’t bother to come back,” the principal replied. “Contracts just don’t mean much here.”
So, do I jump ship and hope that I get hired by my former school district? Or do I go back for another year to the district where I’ve been teaching?
I’m thinking…
12 Responses to "Temptation"
July 14, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I am facing this exact situation myself. I would go for it. If they don’t let you go… they don’t. But if they DO… well then how cool would that be??
July 17, 2009 at 2:17 am
Oh, it would be very cool, Brazen Teacher! (I’ll be interested to see how your situation turns out.)
July 14, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I’ve never signed a contract–I find all the contract discussions interesting. I think if you get hired closer to home for $20000 more, you should go. You need to do what’s best for your family–and I’d guess more money closer to home would fall in that category.
July 17, 2009 at 2:16 am
I would guess so, too, Cheryl, but how this is all going to play out is unclear at the moment. The only thing that’s clear is there isn’t a lot of time for this potential job to materialize: I have to return to the school I’m contracted to by the 29th of July.
July 15, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Hmm…might be worth investigating, and then you would have a real decision to make. Wow! What a big difference in wage. Only half that amount is the reason I have never attempted to moved back closer to my family.
July 17, 2009 at 2:14 am
Money speaks, doesn’t it, HappyChyck? And when we’re talking $10,000 or $20,000, it speaks with authority!
5 | Yielding to Temptation « Magical Mystical Teacher
July 15, 2009 at 7:46 pm
[...] About Temptation [...]
6 | A Matter of Timing « Magical Mystical Teacher
July 16, 2009 at 8:56 pm
[...] have a feeling that my timing is off for getting the job at the school where I worked two years ago. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on the 24th, but I’m expected to be back on the job at [...]
July 16, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Distance from home is a factor here – as n: if you move more than a certain distance you can get out of your contract. This makes it easy – you move home!
Good luck. I believe the place where you are meant to be will be obvious.
(dldt?)
July 17, 2009 at 2:12 am
Oh, yes, Ricochet, I believe it will be obvious too. If I don’t get the job at my old school, I’ll know that it’s obvious that I need to stay right where I am—even though it’s a long way from home! Some things are pretty plain, aren’t they?
July 14, 2009 at 7:30 pm
In Texas we can get out of our contract a certain number of days before the start of school. The district has also let people out of their contracts for family emergencies without penalizing them.
For example a friend’s husband died and she had no family here. She wanted to move closer to her parents.
Rather than making her pack up the room, with admin’s permission she let the new teacher use her stuff for the remainder of the year. Then we (teachers, admin, and PTO) all packed it up for her and shipped it to her. That way the kids didn’t have their whole room taken apart in addition to losing their teacher.
Just quitting the day before school starts or mid term can actually cause your license to be revoked in non-emergency situations.
July 17, 2009 at 2:19 am
K. Herbert, I am very much concerned about the possible revocation of my teaching certificate if I ask to get out of my contract. I certainly don’t want that to happen!