Job offer timing WWYD?

[dglvrk2]

Hello,

I am currently teaching for a public school district in a small rural community. It's my first year with this district. It was a difficult district to get into; I'd been trying to get in for over 8 years when I finally got a job. I'm a seasoned (17 years) teacher and school administrator. I love my work here. However,due to declining enrollment my position is being eliminated for the 21-22 school year. There are no positions (administration or teaching) open in my district at this time so I'm applying elsewhere. I've been assured that something "will likely" come up before fall in my district. My boss and his boss both say they really want me to stay in the district, as do I.

I had a (what I thought was) good interview with a private school for a specialist job earlier this week. I really enjoyed meeting the staff. The school is really special and the job seems interesting. However, there's not as much room to grow with the private school (other teaching and admin jobs) and the pay is significantly lower.

These's a good chance I will get offered the job at the private school. If this was August with little potential for a job with the public school district, I'd certainly take it. However, I really want to grow with the public school district and feel I should hold out.

H says I should take the job with the private school AND continue my efforts to get a job with the public school district. It's a small community here, where everyone knows everyone. (The kind where I avoid the grocery store if I don't feel like talking to people!!) I really worry that taking a job and quitting suddenly (eg August) if something better comes along would burn bridges here. (The private school job is at will, not binding by a contract....) what would you do?

I'd love some perspectives here.

TIA!!

[momof2]

Neither the public nor private school are sitting around agonizing over how you will feel if they drop your position. Take the job and then resign if something better comes along.

[mommyatty]

I would take it and in your own mind set a date that gives them time to get someone else before school starts. If the public school doesn’t come thru by that date, you can choose to stick with the private school. And tell your boss what you’re thinking.

[erbear]

May 28, 2021 16:02:15 GMT -5 momof2 said:

Neither the public nor private school are sitting around agonizing over how you will feel if they drop your position. Take the job and then resign if something better comes along.

Do not do this. It screws kids. I’d ask the public school what the chances of a job for fall was. If it is an answer you can deal with, wait it out. If not, accept and follow through with the private school job for a year and see where next spring lands you.

[k3am]

May 28, 2021 16:02:15 GMT -5 momof2 said:

Neither the public nor private school are sitting around agonizing over how you will feel if they drop your position. Take the job and then resign if something better comes along.

Every job offer I’ve given out, I’ve passed on other quality candidates to extend that position. Someone accepting my position and then resigning sets my job search back and takes away a position from someone else.

[ECB]

May 28, 2021 19:39:18 GMT -5 k3am said:

May 28, 2021 16:02:15 GMT -5 momof2 said:

Neither the public nor private school are sitting around agonizing over how you will feel if they drop your position. Take the job and then resign if something better comes along.

Every job offer I’ve given out, I’ve passed on other quality candidates to extend that position. Someone accepting my position and then resigning sets my job search back and takes away a position from someone else.

in the corporate world, i would say do this with no qualms. In a school setting, it really feels like a huge “screw you”. You’ll leave the school scrambling and they may not be able to fill the position at all or with as qualified a candidate as they want to.

[waverly]

Once you have the offer in hand from the private school I might go back to the public school and say hey I have an offer but I would like to stay with you, what are you all thinking in terms of a position. If they can’t tell you, then I guess I might accept the private school and commit to one year there. When you tell the public school you are accepting the offer at the private school (if you do) I would say I am committing to one year at the private school because that’s the right thing to do in teaching, but I would love to come back to you after the year is up, so please keep me in mind.

[k3am]

May 29, 2021 5:58:25 GMT -5 ECB said:

May 28, 2021 19:39:18 GMT -5 k3am said:

Every job offer I’ve given out, I’ve passed on other quality candidates to extend that position. Someone accepting my position and then resigning sets my job search back and takes away a position from someone else.

in the corporate world, i would say do this with no qualms. In a school setting, it really feels like a huge “screw you”. You’ll leave the school scrambling and they may not be able to fill the position at all or with as qualified a candidate as they want to.

I don’t know why this okay in corporate world but not at a school. Either way, a candidate is leaving the employer scrambling. It’s either an okay move, or it’s not.

[ECB]

May 30, 2021 12:25:38 GMT -5 k3am said:

May 29, 2021 5:58:25 GMT -5 ECB said:

in the corporate world, i would say do this with no qualms. In a school setting, it really feels like a huge “screw you”. You’ll leave the school scrambling and they may not be able to fill the position at all or with as qualified a candidate as they want to.

I don’t know why this okay in corporate world but not at a school. Either way, a candidate is leaving the employer scrambling. It’s either an okay move, or it’s not.

its not an ideal move no matter what, but it bothers me less in a corporate setting because it isn’t conceivably leaving a school w no one to teach a group of kids. Or hiring someone grossly under qualified just to get someone in. Then it’s the kids that suffer.

I once had someone we hired simply not show up on his first day. After HR contacted him, turns out he took another job and never bothered to tell us. But the only people truly impacted were me and my boss - and that wasn’t even that big of an impact. We don’t run on a timeline the way schools do.

Now, don’t get me wrong - i would say this probably happened over 20 years ago. I still remember his name and if i ran across his resume again, wouldn’t bother to even interview him. definite negative mark.

But this, as with a million other issues in the world, isn’t black and white/ all or none.

[sandandsea]

May 30, 2021 12:25:38 GMT -5 k3am said:

May 29, 2021 5:58:25 GMT -5 ECB said:

in the corporate world, i would say do this with no qualms. In a school setting, it really feels like a huge “screw you”. You’ll leave the school scrambling and they may not be able to fill the position at all or with as qualified a candidate as they want to.

I don’t know why this okay in corporate world but not at a school. Either way, a candidate is leaving the employer scrambling. It’s either an okay move, or it’s not.

I agree. I’m in corporate America and we have deadlines too. It someone leaves us high and dry it impacts me, my firm, my team, my clients, and all of their families as we were all counting on and planning for the person who signed the offer. It absolutely affects my kids. And unlike teachers who have qualified substitutes that can step in in a pinch, we don’t have any kind of backup option. Not saying one is worse, but both suck.

[momof2]

Personally, I think it is only “not acceptable in education” because the vast majority of teachers are women and women have internalized all the misogynistic messaging that says they need to care more about others than themselves. Both my mom and dad were school administrators so I totally get the impact of a last minute change — but there is no incentive to “do better” by teachers at a structural level when teachers don’t push back and treat this more like corporate America — and look out for themselves.

[waverly]

May 30, 2021 15:19:39 GMT -5 momof2 said:

Personally, I think it is only “not acceptable in education” because the vast majority of teachers are women and women have internalized all the misogynistic messaging that says they need to care more about others than themselves. Both my mom and dad were school administrators so I totally get the impact of a last minute change — but there is no incentive to “do better” by teachers at a structural level when teachers don’t push back and treat this more like corporate America — and look out for themselves.

I’m sure this is true. Although many sign contracts saying they will be there the full 10 months and this is true on both side that they won’t leave and the school won’t let them go for the 10 months. But if you don’t have a contract then technically you can do whatever you want.

[Deleted]

momof2 exactly! Thank you for putting into words something i was having trouble formulating. It's difficult to imagine a man in any industry doing what the OP is being counseled to do by nearly everyone in this thread-sacrifice his own career aspirations, as well as the best interests of himself and his family, for the good of the employer. I call horseshit. OP-look out for #1. This is a business and career decision. Do what's best for you and your family.

[momof2]

May 30, 2021 15:19:39 GMT -5 momof2 said:

Personally, I think it is only “not acceptable in education” because the vast majority of teachers are women and women have internalized all the misogynistic messaging that says they need to care more about others than themselves. Both my mom and dad were school administrators so I totally get the impact of a last minute change — but there is no incentive to “do better” by teachers at a structural level when teachers don’t push back and treat this more like corporate America — and look out for themselves.

I’m quoting myself, because I think this may have come off like I’m blaming teachers for a whole bunch of structural issues in education, and that isn’t how I meant it. I was really trying to say something more like “teachers, it is ok to do what is right for you in a system that tries to keep you underpaid and constantly worrying about job security.”

[sunbutter]

I like mommyattys advice. Be completely transparent with both and set a deadline. It might help spark something with your current district.
We are in a very small private school where if they signed a good teacher in the spring for the next year and then that fell through, major impact on the kids. Yes, it also sucks in the corporate world but IMO, not as much. There is always another candidate. Not so in the small underpaid private network.

[mommyatty]

It is not at all uncommon in the corporate world for this to happen. It’s also not at all uncommon for someone to get laid off a few months after starting a new job. If you’re not offering a contract binding on both parties, you cannot complain about someone finding something they like better. Since this position doesn’t come with a contract (most teaching jobs come with a contract), the school could decide not to fund this specialist position at the last minute. (My BFF is a math specialist. This has happened to her at a small, no contract private school.) So, treat the job like a non-contract job. Take it. But if the job you want comes along, they can find another specialist. I wouldn’t leave it to the last minute and completely screw them, but I wouldn’t hesitate if it the job you wanted was offered in July.

[dglvrk2]

Thanks, everyone!
I had a good talk with my boss on Friday. She wants me to stay in the district and is really advocating on my behalf. HR said there will likely be a few opportunities that come up in the next month, but there are no complete guarantees. Honestly, for my career, I feel it's best if I try to hold out for a position in the public school district. If this were July and no jobs with the public school district on the horizon, I might have a different take. Hence, the timing is not ideal.
I appreciate what waverly mentioned about accepting the job and telling the public school district that I'd like to come back in a year should something arise. However, they do most of their hiring internally, so this would put me back where I was last year at this time if I'm not still doing something with the district.

[k3am]

dglvrk2, when does the job offer expire?

[dglvrk2]

k3am today.....and the end of the day