A question for teachers

[daughtersrus]

My DD graduated this past Dec with a degree is Special Ed. She was lucky to get two long-term sub jobs that lasted until the end of the school year.

She's applied to over 100 school districts (just about every school district in the Chicago area) all the while hoping to get a job at the school that she was subbing at (she also did her field base there the semester before student teaching). That job didn't pan out but the district is large and there are several SpEd openings that she applied for as well.

In the meantime, she had an interview and received a job offer in a district about an hour from here. She accepted the offer and signed a letter saying that it was her intent to accept the job if the school board approved the Principal's recommendation. She was approved the first week in June.

Fast forward to today. She received a call from the other school district wanting to set up an interview for another position at a school that is literally 10 minutes from home. Although it was just a call to set up the appointment, it was made by the SpEd director for that school. From what DD said, the phone call sounded promising. (talked about people she worked with this year and for field base, classroom strategies...).

DD set up the interview for Wed but she also has an appointment next Tue to meet with the HR dept to fill out paperwork, fingerprint, background check...and sign the contract.

If you've stuck with me this far, thanks!

My question is, if the second school (the preferred one) were to offer DD a position before she signs the contract next week, would she be able to accept it or is she obligated to the first district since she signed the "letter of intent"?

My first instinct is that she needs to follow through on the commitment that she made to the first offer. The hard part for DD is the money difference. I think that the starting salaries for the second district is about $6,000 more. Once you add in the gas and tolls to the first district it comes out to be closer to an $8,000 difference.

Thanks for your input!

 

[yoopermom]

There is the ethical answer to this, and then there's "reality". As someone who has worked for a half dozen districts, believe me, the admin AND teachers are used to this, since so much hiring is done in the summer (esp June). Honestly, I was in a similar position once, but had signed the contract, and paid the "break" fee in order to accept the job with the district closer to home. I'm not proud of it, but I did what was best for my family. (This was in the summer, I wouldn't have done it once school had started.)

Is she interviewing with district two the day after she does the paperwork with district one? The hard part is that some districts decide quickly and some slowly, so even if she has a great interview with the second district, they may not decide for some time... She could honestly call district one today and ask to have a copy of the contract emailed/faxed to her now, so she could "review" it, and at least she would know what the ramifications are for breaking it.

I was once a young, sp.ed. teacher myself, and my first "real" job was far from family support. It was really hard on me, so your daughter needs to think about all that, as well.

Good luck whatever you decide...

Terri

 

[MM27]

don't know how it is where you're from, but in my district non-tenured teachers only need to give 30 days notice (tenured is 60 days). If you don't give them that amount of time, they can hold you teaching license until the time is up, therefore prohibiting you from starting a new job. Since I would assume that school doesn't start until at least August, she would have plenty of time if the 2nd district lets her know soon. Good luck to her.

 

[daughtersrus]

T

Is she interviewing with district two the day after she does the paperwork with district one? The hard part is that some districts decide quickly and some slowly, so even if she has a great interview with the second district, they may not decide for some time... She could honestly call district one today and ask to have a copy of the contract emailed/faxed to her now, so she could "review" it, and at least she would know what the ramifications are for breaking it.

I was once a young, sp.ed. teacher myself, and my first "real" job was far from family support. It was really hard on me, so your daughter needs to think about all that, as well.

Good luck whatever you decide...

Terri

The interview for District #2 is this Wed. She is scheduled to meet with the HR Dept of District #1 next Tues (about a week later).

She knows all too well how long some decisions take to be made. She had an interview with Dist#2 (different high school and different SpEd director) and they didn't get back to her until almost a month later. It ended up being that someone with tenure in the district wanted the job so it was offered to him.

DD is planning on living at home and commuting so she'll be close to family but I can imagine that the long drive could get old after awhile.

I'll suggest that she contract HR for Dist#1 and see if they can fax or email her a copy before next week. Thanks for the suggestion!

Just to add...The long-term sub job that she just finished was in Dist#2 so she's already done all of the health forms, TB test, finger printing, background check...

 

[monkeyboy]

Know the union people

 

[Luv Bunnies]

If she thinks district #2 is seriously interested in hiring her, she can tell them toward the end of the interview that she already has another job offer pending. This might spur them to speed up the process. Special ed teachers are in demand right now and if they really want her, they'll try to make her an offer before she has to sign with district #1.

 

[dimimi]

If she thinks district #2 is seriously interested in hiring her, she can tell them toward the end of the interview that she already has another job offer pending. This might spur them to speed up the process. Special ed teachers are in demand right now and if they really want her, they'll try to make her an offer before she has to sign with district #1.

I agree. I would switch the meeting from Tuesday to later in the week. She also needs to check when the date to break a contract legally is in your state. In Ohio it is in July. You can break a contract without issue up to whatever the date is. Schools are very used to this happening.

She also needs to be sure she is not just filling a one year position or a position of someone that is on leave for a year. Good luck.

 

[vettechick99]

If I were her, I would definitely push the second district to make a decision ASAP. She does not want to be driving 60 minutes her first year of teacher.

Just make sure when she breaks her contract, she does so legally. Don't want to burn any bridges.

 

[daughtersrus]

I agree. I would switch the meeting from Tuesday to later in the week.

She's going to call today to see if that's possible. The meeting is for all new hires and she had to respond last week saying if she was going to attend. Honestly, we are going to our lake house for vacation next week and DD was going to come home to go to the meeting on Tue and then come back up to the lake.

She also needs to check when the date to break a contract legally is in your state.

Is that a determined by state or the school district? I've got some free time today (she's working at camp all day) so I'll search the IL State Board of Ed site and see if I can find anything.

Schools are very used to this happening.

My friend is a secretary at our local elem school and she said that it does happen. Last year they had a SpEd teacher and the school psychologist both quit 3 days before school started.

She also needs to be sure she is not just filling a one year position or a position of someone that is on leave for a year. Good luck.

The listing doesn't say that but it's no guarantee. Teachers is so many districts around here got RIF notices because of budget problems.

Know the union people

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I have a friend who signed a contract with a school district near me, got an offer from another district she liked better, and notified the first school district. The other district found out and withdrew her contract, and she had to go beg the first district for her job back.

I don't know whether that's common or just that one particular district, but I would make very sure that she's clear with both districts about what she's doing.

 

[carj]

Honesty is the best policy but you don't have to tell everything all at once. I would go to the interview and see how it goes. If it looks promising, I would just be honest with the closer district.

I would say something like, "XYZ district has always been my first choice, but I needed to find a position and I feel very fortunate the ZYX district offered me a position. I am supposed to sign my contract on Tuesday and I just wanted to let your hiring team know that I really WANT to come to XYZ, but I feel like I need to let ZYX know ASAP because they will need to find someone if I am not able to fill that position."

The bad part is, sometimes it is not in the hands of the hiring committee. Sometimes, HR or the school board has to approve the contracts. (Even if it is just a rubber stamp situation, they can't legally offer you a contract until all hoops have been properly jumped through!)

In Texas, you have 45 days from the start of school to get out of a contract. You can also do it at other times, if there are special circumstances such as a spouse being transferred. In your daughter's case, it sounds like that wouldn't help.

I think that it sounds like a good opportunity if she can make the timing work out for the contract, interviews, etc... Just encourage her to be very friendly and professional when dealing with the district that offered her the first job. She is young and may be embarassed but she needs them to remember that she was upfront and professional. (Although, I think that it would be unlikely that they would hire her again, if she declines their offer.) I don't think that is a bad thing, but just something to keep in mind.

 

[daughtersrus]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

DD went to the interview and decided that although it was in the district that she would like to teach, it wasn't a position that she wanted. It would involve very little teaching and no lesson plans. She really wants to be in front of a class teaching instead of in the back of the class reteaching to individual students.

She thought about it long and hard and decided that it's better to be driving an hour each way for a job that she should like than it would be to drive 10 minutes but be unhappy for the 8 hours that she would be working.

A few other things came into play as well. The first district will be in the 2nd of a 4 year contract whereas the second district will be in the last year of the contract. The first offers step increases every 3 credit hours where the 2nd one is every 10. The first offer is to replace someone that is retiring and the second one was a new position in a new school (high school that was adding a new freshman class each year and will now be all four grades).

She got a few more calls for interviews (other districts in the suburbs) but politely turned them down. She's now committed to the first job that she was offered and is very grateful!