XP: Need advice -getting teaching job back

Re: XP: Need advice -getting teaching job back

• momofolivia

  May 2010

  I am not sure what the 60% and 80% mean, so take my advice with a grain of salt....

  1. I would absolutely put together your resume as if the people that are reading it do not know you.  They most likely do not remember everything about you.  Your achievements need to be on paper so that if they need to justify their selection, they can quickly point out your resume.

  2. I would not address the p/t issue at all in the cover letter.  The cover letter, again, should tout your accomplishments.  It should be less of what YOU want and more of what you can provide the employer. 

  I would apply for the job with the mentality that you do not have an excellent shot at the job - that is the quickest way to lose it. 

  Their standards for staying in the building may have changed, or there might be a way that you can take on the 60% course load and do "other" related work for them during the day.  That would allow you to stay in the building but not have to take on the "homework" portion of an 80% job.

  hope that makes sense!

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• neverblushed member

  May 2010

  Thanks, Moo -- a full load is 5 classes.  P/t teachers are usually paid by percentage of a full time load, so 60% is 3 classes instead of 5.

  I think your advice to apply as though I do NOT have an excellent shot at the job is the best mentality to go in with.

  High School English teacher and mom of 2 kids:

  
  

  DD, born 9/06/00 -- 12th grade

  DS, born 8/25/04 -- 7th grade

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• nsees

  May 2010

  neverblushed:

  Hi all -- I posted this on 9 to 5, but thought I'd see what people had to say over here where people "know" me better:

  ________________________

  My situation:

  1996-2004: taught English in the upper school of a private K-12 school.  The last 3 years of that time (after child #1 was born) I taught a 60% load.  I left on excellent terms in 2004 just before child #2 was born. 

  2004-present: private tutor with speech pathology practice. Initially saw students after school, but quickly picked up many referrals from the school where I used to teach. For the past 2 school years have seen kids during their study hall periods at the school.  I have been asked by former colleagues and some administrators, "When are you going to come back and teach?"

  Now: I would like to return to my former teaching position p/t. I have just become aware that a position in the English department has opened; it is an 80% position, possibly 60% depending on enrollment.  I have told three of the administrators in person that I am interested in returning next year.  I still need to do my resume and a nice cover letter. 

  I'm guessing I have an excellent shot at the job ... except for one issue: the school really tries to avoid hiring people p/t.  When I worked there before, I was only able to be in the building when my classes met, which was always a bit of a chafe for the school.  However, at this time both my own kids will be in school full day, and I will be able to be in the building nearly f/t -- I'm just not ready to take on the essay-grading load of a f/t English teaching job.

  2 Questions:

  If you were in the position of re-hiring me, what would you want to see on my resume, and would it seem odd that I was telling you all about my job activities and achievements that you already know about?

  I think you should make your resume like they know nothing about you.  One that you would send to another school.  It's not odd to list activities and achievements that they already know about- it's very likely that they don't remember or are aware of everything.

  Should I go into the whole "Although I still want to work p/t for a few more years, I can be present in the building for more hours than before" thing in my cover letter?  Should my cover letter be fairly specific, since I'm writing it to people I know well personally?  Or should it be simple and generic?

  I don't think you should talk about the p/t thing in a cover letter.  I think your cover letter can be a little more specific since you know the person you're addressing it to but the issue of p/t is something that should be discussed in an interview, not in written form.

  HTH!!!!! GL!!!!!!!

  Thanks!

  
  Big E (6) & Little E (2.5)
  

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• gategirl

  May 2010

  One thing, though - I worked at a school where they don't really like to hire p/t (I worked at 60% after DD was born) and they told me suddenly that I would have to move to f/t during the next academic year. I really didn't want to do that, and I didn't have the choice to stay p/t, so I went to a different school where f/t is only 4 classes.

  My point is, if you get an interview, be really clear about what you want and how long you want it, so that you don't get caught having to make a decision to move to f/t before you're ready.

   What state are you in?? I teach HS English too!! (In MA)
  

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