Q: I have the worst luck. I love teaching at my school, but due to staffing cuts — and because I was the last person hired in my department — my job is on the chopping block. My principal explained that while I’m promised a job at another school in our district, I will need to interview and find it myself. If I don’t interview for other positions, or if I interview but no school offers me a spot, then my district will place me somewhere they choose. I’d like to feel some sense of agency, and I want to be “picked” rather than “placed,” so I’m planning to distribute my resume widely. Here’s the catch. I have to interview strategically, because I am required to accept the first job I’m offered. That means I shouldn’t interview for anything I don’t want, such as a school far from home or a school known to have awful leadership. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know at the outset whether a better job will come down the pike later, and I don’t want to have regrets. How can I manage this process to my advantage?
A: I’m not surprised you crave a sense of control. It’s unsettling to be pushed out of a job you like, never mind being forced to make interviewing decisions in the absence of data. But in a way, that’s liberating. You have no way of knowing whether a more desirable job will become available later, so you have to do the best you can with the available information. It might be helpful to create a list of “non-negotiables” and avoid applying to any jobs that don’t meet those requirements. Focus on factors that are more stable, such as the length of your commute. Other variables are less predictable. You could reject (or choose) a school based on the reputation of its leaders, for instance, only to discover that the principal plans to leave before you arrive.
You have no way of knowing whether a more desirable job will become available later, so you have to do the best you can with the available information.
f you aren’t able to identify any decent options, do your due diligence. Network and use your resources. Your current principal or a colleague at another school might be aware of a position coming down the pike. They might know, for instance, that someone plans to retire but hasn’t yet completed the required paperwork. You’ll have to decide what feels riskier, settling for something “good enough,” or rolling the dice and hoping you find something you like prior to being placed. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the transfer placement procedure and calendar, too. If you’re placed somewhere undesirable, you might be allowed to continue interviewing for other jobs well into the summer.
If you end up with a job you don’t want, try viewing the situation through a different lens. Consider the possibility that it could turn out to be a great fit, or at minimum a learning and networking opportunity. You might find yourself working with a strong administrative team or particularly supportive colleagues. You might discover that you love working with a different student population, or that you have more flexibility, community support, professional development opportunities, work-life balance or freedom to innovate. On the flip side, getting the position you think you want could limit your perspective and impede your growth.
That phrase — “getting what you think you want” — is key. No matter how much research you do, all jobs come with unforeseen benefits and challenges. There are some things you simply cannot know in advance. So try to at least entertain the possibility that it could be a positive change. And if the new job is awful, you can always look again next year.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Phyllis L. Fagell
Phyllis L. Fagell is the school counselor at Landon School in Washington, D.C., a therapist at the Chrysalis Group in Bethesda, Md., and the author of the Career Confidential blog. She is also the author of Middle School Matters and Middle School Superpowers, available at https://amzn.to/3Pw0pcu.
