At a crossroads & seeking advice. Job-related

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Do you have tenure where you are or does that even apply?

 

[mickeyboat]

I would choose to take the higher position at your current school. It sounds like your career and your level of job satisfaction is important to you, and this position would allow you to grow professionally and continue to have a significant impact on the program that you developed at your school.

I think the most important issue here is that if you don't take this job, your DH will have to continue to work a second job. That means he has to give up on time with your children, family time and down time, so that you are able to spend school vacations and summers with your kids. Many people feel that kind of trade-off is good for their families, but it would not be a good one in mine.

Once you get the hang of it, you can schedule your vacation time in such a way that works for your family.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[MickeySP]

Take the burden off your DH or you may not have one.

 

[mom2rtk]

Take the burden off your DH or you may not have one.

I think it's a little early to jump to those conclusions. We have no idea how they split the balance of work at home. Maybe she does more of the child related stuff and that balances things out.

 

[MickeySP]

I'm not jumping to any conclusions at all. I just hear a lot on her wants, her time off, her time with kids, her travel time, her pay, her likes & dislikes not much about her partner working long hours with less time with kids.

 

[aristocatz]

What does your husband think about being able to quit the second job? It's true kids grow up fast (and I'm a stay home mom, so I don't say that lightly) but I think the second job situation can be really hard on a marriage and on the person doing the second job. Many years ago my husband had to have a second job and it was really hard missing that family time.

The second job has been tough. Not really on our marriage, but it breaks my (& his) heart everytime my 3 year old cries when he has to leave for work again for the rest of the night as soon as he gets home from his first job. I worry about his health with working that much as well, even though its only 2-3 nights per week. He gets home between 11pm-midnight & then has to wake up the next day at 6 to get ready for his main job. Anything to get rid of that second job would be amazing. The promotion at my current job would likely increase my work duration by one hour per day, which is much better than the amount he is currently working.

 

[aristocatz]

I'm not jumping to any conclusions at all. I just hear a lot on her wants, her time off, her time with kids, her travel time, her pay, her likes & dislikes not much about her partner working long hours with less time with kids.

They actually are a great deal about my DH working more hours-that would be the main reason for me to take the promotion at my current job. I also outlined the other pro's & cons of the choices. But thanks for not jumping to conclusions & sorry that was not better clarified in my original post.

 

[aristocatz]

Are you sure the new district would pay more than you are making now? If it's a smaller, rural district, they might actually pay less.

However, you also have to evaluate the additional child care costs if you take the supervisor position, since you say you will be losing the traditional teacher times off. You may be working just to pay the extra costs.

I think you need to make a pro/con list and then go with the position that makes the most sense for your family--and will make you happiest.

Good luck!

I was able to pull the contract off of the rural district's website late last night & the pay is actually comparable to what I currently make now.

Luckily, I'm not sure we would need additional child care costs if I took the promotion at my current district. My DH would need to drop my kids off at daycare in the morning, but it would be doable with his work schedule. I'm in process of trying to find out what time I would need to leave work at the end of the day. That would definitely bear weight on whether I could do it. If I took the job in the other district, I could continue to drop off & pick up my kids from daycare as I currently do now.

In process of making that pro's & con's list & taking many of these replies into consideration, so thank you!! DH & I are going to talk about it again tonight. So far today, we are both siding with the promoted position in current district. I just received the payscale for it & it would definitely be enough for my DH to quit that darn second job!! I would likely be working a bit more, but not enough to disrupt our family time as it seems so far.

 

[aristocatz]

I know giving up summers off is huge, but it sounds like that would be the next progression whenever you would move up. It also sounds like moving up from the other school might be harder in the future? I also think being able to ditch dh's second job is huge-for me that would be a main factor in my decision.

It is the main factor. & I don't mind about the summers. To be honest, I've been essentially doing the promoted job for several years now (on top of my current job) & I typically have spent a good portion of the summers working & prepping anyways. Its fine.

 

[aristocatz]

I'd take the higher position/pay job. You'll still get to take vacation days with your kiddos, just not quite as many, but more of your choosing. Sounds like finances are pretty tight and you really like and are respected where you're at, so I'd try to grow with the new position. If you absolutely hated it, you could always go back to doing what you used to do (not necessarily in the same school etc., but you're still qualified), but this way you'll get some more experience as well and you may end up really liking it and it may lead to more things.

Thank you. This is what we are leaning toward at this point. I love my old boss, but so far that seems to be the only perk of the new district. & I'm not sure I want to start from scratch there, as opposed to continuing to grow here. Finances are pretty tight. & I would love to take that extra burden off of my DH. I feel its been more significant than the time away from my kids during school vacations.

 

[aristocatz]

Two things: Be absolutely sure on the pay from the rural district before you put any serious consieration into it. You might be surprised how much less such districts can get away with paying. I live in a small rural/small town district and I know teachers who took 5-figure pay cuts to come here from the Detroit and Flint school districts. The better working conditions, smaller classes, and less challenging population mean our district just doesn't have to pay as much to get and retain staff, and because the cost of living here is quite low compared to suburban areas, that lower pay is especially challenging for teachers who commute in from the Detroit area.

The other thing to take into account is the commute. How far do you drive to your current job, and how long would you spend getting to/from the rural district? How would that effect your childcare costs, if at all? Your transportation costs, your ability to be home in the evenings when your kids need you, all of that? We've had a lot of teachers in our district work here for a few years and then move on because what they thought was going to be an okay commute turned out to be too much in the long run. And I don't blame them. I have over an hour commute right now and it sucks the joy out of a job I otherwise enjoy - no matter how good my day was, 50 miles in heavy traffic cures my good mood long before I get home.

Thank you Yes, I was really surprised when I pulled the teachers contract off the rural town's website & saw that the pay was so comparable to the urban poor district I work in now! Commute is comparable. Current job is closer to my home but only by 10 minutes. I guess those 10 minutes could be significant in the snow though.

 

[aristocatz]

I am assuming that you know who would be your supervisor if you were promoted in your current district.
Are there any negatives there?

Would your former boss be able to give you more insight into how it is working in this other, very different, district?
Would you be able to actually meet and have a good conversation with them?

There are a few unknowns with my supervisor of the promoted job in my current district. That would be a con of taking it. The current supervisor is leaving at the end of this year & the new one has not yet been announced. The superintendent would also be my supervisor & so far, that person has been great & very easy to collaborate with.

Former boss literally just started working in the other district. I know (through the grapevine) that the program I would be working in in the new district is not very built up. On one hand, it would be fun & interesting to build it up; but on the other hand, I fear that building up time would take more away from my family than the promoted job at my current district (con). My old boss would give me total autonomy & support me through everything though (pro).

 

[aristocatz]

I think it's a little early to jump to those conclusions. We have no idea how they split the balance of work at home. Maybe she does more of the child related stuff and that balances things out.

Yes, I do. I drop off/pick up from daycare, care for my children & make dinner till DH comes come from work. We work as a team after dinner. I obviously am the primary caretaker for my children when DH has to work his second job & keep the housework in order. We work as a team & alternate if one of us needs to step away to do something work related. We both feel it balances out, except that DH is not getting home until very late at night from his second job & I worry about how that affects his health.

 

[aristocatz]

Do you have tenure where you are or does that even apply?

It no longer applies in my current district, due to restructuring.

ETA: Actually it does apply with regards to payscale, but not with regards to job security. Job security is 100% based on performance identified through evaluations.

 

[aristocatz]

Take the burden off your DH or you may not have one.

There is always one poster like you in every thread......

 

[MickeySP]

There is always one poster like you in every thread......

What one who points out that at some point one partner might get tired of doing double shifts while the other gets the kid time? Believe me I have seen it.
That is not a partnership it is servitude. If you have the ability to let your DH work one job & not have to work twice as much, in my life that is a no brainer

 

[minniecarousel]

Another thing to consider....do you really want to leave YOUR program to be run by someone else? If you don't take the promoted job, someone else will & they won't run like you do. It's sometimes difficult to watch someone else (even from afar) mess with your baby!

 

[aristocatz]

Another thing to consider....do you really want to leave YOUR program to be run by someone else? If you don't take the promoted job, someone else will & they won't run like you do. It's sometimes difficult to watch someone else (even from afar) mess with your baby!

That is a good point, thank you. I am starting to lean toward going for the promoted job at my current district. The only pro for the other one so far seems to be my love for & continued collaboration with my former boss. I was able to find out the pay range of the promoted position in my current district this morning & DH says this would be just enough of an increase to leave his second job. It would be more responsibility, more work, & some loss of vacation time on my end, but I am feeling it will be worth it. I'm also kind of excited about this opportunity. Will come back & let you know what happens!! Thanks to those who posted with some great & helpful advice!

 

[Minnesota!]

I would take the higher paying job in my current district.

 

[DLgal]

Formally apply for both positions. Wait until you have job offers for both positions. Compare them, and then decide. I would not make any decisions until you KNOW you potentially could take EITHER job.

Would the job with your former boss require a relocation of your family? If so, that is a BIG thing to weigh.