can you keep up??

FIVE YEARS

of classroom experience for a minimum wage preschool position?!?

RU 4 REAL???

Status Update

I feel like I am running in circles with no destination. No, more like a cook without a kitchen. A cowboy without a horse. An actor without a stage..? Well you get the idea. I have been applying to jobs for almost a year now- ummm, yeah, don't get me started.

Aaaannyyyyway, I went on a fantastic interview two weeks ago. It was great. The principal was fabulous. We laughed. I had superb answers to all of her questions. The school was nice and had a family atmosphere. It was the perfect interview. As I left the office, I actually did a little hop and skip routine! Well, as you can tell the ending isn't a happy one. I got an email stating that there were over 500 applicants for the position and (of course) I wasn't chosen. 500 teachers applying to a Catholic school. Of course they were exaggerating right?!? Until I got this from the South Pasadena USD:

Dear Ashley,

Thank you for submitting your application to our district for one of the elementary teaching positions. We were overwhelmed by the response as we received over 1,000 applications. For us, this is a mixed blessing... blabittyblahblah...

Personally, I don't like those odds. How am I even supposed to compete? Things don't look good. So, I've done the only thing that a sane person would do. I sold out. Yup, I took an office job at a preschool. I guess it'll have to do. For now.

xOOxx

Over it

I'm over
...the search engines.
...the lack of openings.
...the "in-house only" openings.
...the "we regret to inform you..."
...the unanswered e-mails.
...waiting.
...hoping.
...dreaming.
...job hunting.

I am over it and I want no part of it. I guess I'm going to live on the street now. I'll make a sign that says: "Will teach for food" or maybe "I'm here because of budget cuts" I'll probably get more money with that one!

xxOOxx

Ok, Just Rub it In...

So I was job hunting...again... and I was so lost as to where else I could look for a job. So, as in all situations where I don't know what to do, I googled it. I typed teaching in California (Nice right) into the search engine. Well, I didn't get any new sites for job hunting but I did find this article on the CA Dept. of Education website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr10/yr10rel34.asp

It was dated April 7, 2010 and is all about me! Haha. Not really but almost. It's about budget cuts and the impending shortage of teachers. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell basically restates everything that I am living right now. He said that the budget cuts are pushing the dedicated and true teachers away from the profession and are discouraging new, brilliant, and fantastic teachers from even wanting to enroll in a credentialing program.

O'Connell said that we have to come up with a better strategy to deal with our issues:
"To get out of this recession and for California's economy to thrive we must have an education system that helps all students gain the critical skills necessary to compete in the global economy, to reach this goal, we must find a stable, long-term solution that will encourage the best and the brightest to become teachers and to keep them in the classroom."

Although it seems like O'Connell was restating the obvious, maybe someone will listen for a change. Hey! A girl can dream can't she?!

xxOOxx

It's like a retail job...but not...

On my quest for a career, I have filled out EVERY online application I can find (which isn't many to begin with). These positions range from part time preschool teachers to full time sixth grade teachers. I hadn't gotten any calls back until last week.

I was called to interview for a preschool lead teacher position. I bring my portfolio, print out my resume on pretty paper, make sure I'm a little early for the interview just to have my hopes crushed and then stomped on... There was a form to fill out with the regular interview info (name, prior experiences, references etc.). When it came to that little box where it says "How much do you expect to make?" I put a good figure, because they always try to pay you less anyway. The director took it and started laughing. She said, and I quote, "HaHa! I make waaay less than that. Like waaaay!" Following this, I was regailed with her life story and it turns out that she has a BA and works two jobs because she can't find a job that pays more than $12 hr. Geeze. I make more than that subbing!

I am going to have to start asking how much these places pay before actually going on an interview from now on!!

xxOOxx

Applications, Cover Letters, and Resumes OH MY!!

In the past month I have filled out more applications than I can even count. No, not for teaching jobs but for menial things like substituting, tutoring, and summer positions. Although these jobs will undoubtedly provide me with great experiences, it's just not what I went to school for... I think I have only found two full-time in the classroom teaching jobs to apply for. The catch is that I have ZERO years of teaching experience and there are sooo many teachers with tons of experience that are applying for these same jobs. Poo. I know.

Although, in the process of looking for a career-type job, I have found some other fun jobs to apply for. One of these being a science summer camp which I just finished phone-interviewing for. SUUUPER FUN! I think spending the summer with crazy kids doing exciting science experiments will be fabulous, don't you?! Although I think phone interviews are awkward, this one sounded promising- I hope I sold myself well enough! I should find out in a couple weeks.

Anyway, the job hunt continues as I am constantly and consistently checking up on openings online. Everyday I check three sites:

• edjoin.com: The official website for job availabilities in LAUSD and many many other districts.
• craigslist.com: yeah, cliche but there are many openings posted everyday- go figure! You can also find many part-time and tutoring jobs here.
• la-archdiocese.org: Where the LA Archdiocese posts any openings. I haven't found much there yet, but I'm still hoping!

When I am feeling a bit more hopeful, I'll check a few dozen specific district websites that don't post on edjoin.com such as Burbank Unified, Simi Valley Unified, Pasadena Unified, and Glendale Unified- to name a few. I've also tried Monster.com and careerbuilder.com but there's not much there. If anyone has more ideas, leave a comment and let me know!

Despite all the trials, I know that my classroom is out there somewhere! Certain unnamed sources tell me that more openings are sure to arise after March as that is when teachers report their returning status. Wish me luck and happy hunting!

xxOOxx