Don't ask me to make decisions!

[oloriel]

Confirmed: Schools in my region are desperate, will apparently hire just about anyone who can spell "education" and appear in time for the job interview, including yours truly. (I think I did well on the first interview. During the second, I was flustered, not least of all because it had originally been planned for Monday and then was brought forward to today on short notice, so I didn't have the time to read up on the specifics of this school and think of questions I could ask them, so I just asked about vague-ish standard stuff. NOW that I'm back at home, of course, I can think of plenty that I really should have asked! But they said themselves that I could cherry pick and would've let me sign the contract on the spot, so it probably doesn't matter that I wasn't at my best. The) So now I... sort of have two job offers, and three work days to figure out which one to take. This is hard. I rather expected that I would be lucky if any of them were willing to hire me, not that they'd be "On the one hand, what qualifies you to work at our school? What are you going to bring on board? On the other hand, we need you anyway"...

OK. I have to make a decision and... I'm not sure what I want, so I'm going to just list the pros and cons and hoping that'll help me to figure things out.

The Elementary School (TM)
> in neighbouring city = shortish drive to work ++
> good neighbourhood = parents want kids to learn ++
> parents are engaged and involved ++
> high helicopter parent density --
> grades 1-4 = not yet jaded, generally eager to learn ++
> on the whole, probably willing to listen ++
> like herding cats --
> run by town = official curriculum = subject to the whims of regional government --
> desperate for teacher = immediate open-ended contract ++
> full-time is the only option --
> can't provide tutor/mentor --
> do they even like me --
> high likelihood of teaching homeroom from the start --
> would have to cover all subjects = not boring ++ but all the work --
> otoh, only one class (group) ++
> but also afternoon duties --
> don't know yet how uncertified teachers get certified --
> I will apparently have to organise that part myself --
> on top of doing full-time teaching --
> because they don't have the capacities for anything less --
> but still expect me to achieve teaching certificate in two years --

The Secondary School (TM)
> a few towns further away = 40 min drive to work --
> rural town = tight-knit community ++
> tight-knit community? --
> very friendly & welcoming atmosphere, at any rate ++
> secondary = students of all talent levels, from can't/won't learn to gifted overachiever --
> students don't get segregated at an early age ++
> I would only teach two subjects (English and geography) ++
> but in a variety of classes at different levels --
> grades 5-10 = puberty, with all that entails --
> more individualist, more critical --
> more structured thinking/analysis? ++
> run by (Lutheran) church = less subject to whims of government ++
> not quite so desperate = might actually think I can be a decent teacher? ++
> will provide tutor/mentor ++
> but possibly only next year --
> until then, I'd be hired as substitute teacher ??
> but in general, following the regular training plan ++
> willing and able to cut down on hours during training ++
> afternoon duties? sometimes? --
> took the time to show me classrooms and faculty room ++
> have experience in certifying lateral entry teachers = already have a plan ++
> will coordinate classes and training seminars ++

... oof. I think it's precisely because they're so different that I find it hard to make up my mind. If both were elementary schools, it would be easier. Or not, because there's always "But they neeeeed me! Can I leave them hanging?". And, of course, the distance question. Uuurgh, I just don't know. I'll do some research on the theory behind lateral entry to elementary level teaching, I guess, because they completely blindsided me with the "no mentor and you'll have to organise your training yourself" thing. And try to figure out my complicated feelings. And the monetary aspects, maybe. I have no gut judgement to go by, alas. My gut judgement is "uuuurgh, I don't know"!

Comments

[ysilme]

*all the sympathies* If it were my decision, I'd be leaning much stronger to the Secondary School. Of course, there's the drive (which is a lot), and the puberty and all that. But to me it sounds as if there's more help and existing knowledge of how to go about things for you, which sounds to me as it might be easier to grow into that job. But that's all just speculation, of course.
The best of luck, and crossed fingers, for your decision, and the result! *hugs*

[oloriel]

I'm leaning towards that, too. I'll try to find out whether the Elementary School is willing to switch to the other model of lateral entry which provides a mentor, gives me Nachlass auf die Unterrichtsverpflichtung for the time of qualification, and lets me take the 2nd Staatsexamen in two years' time. (Their idea right now is that I'll only qualify for the qualification after two years! No clue whether that's normal for elementary, but I'll call Schulamt and/or Bezirksregierung). If they won't budge on that, that's definitely a dealbreaker.

Heck, the one school wants me to teach 18-22 hours while qualifying, and the other wants me to teach 28 hours right from the start. So the long-ish drive may actually save me time! XD

[independence1776]

I have no advice, but you have my best wishes! (And sympathies. Decision-making is waaay too difficult at times, especially with the unknowns.) *HUGS*

[oloriel]

Thank you.

[grundyscribbling]

Wow, two offers, congrats!

Having done both as a long-term sub, my experience was that it's easier to wing it as a novice in elementary than secondary. So if the lack of a mentor is your major hang-up with the elementary school, it might not be too bad. But being left on your own to work out the certification sounds worrying. I'd lean toward the secondary school since it sounds like they can help you through that. (But of course, I'm not the one who'd have to deal with that 40 minute drive...)

Good luck - fingers still crossed for you! :)

[oloriel]

It would probably be easier to find my feet around elementary school kids if it was only about teaching, but they are actually looking for someone to do the whole deal of homeroom management, documentation, counselling, special needs ed etc. etc. And that's definitely something where I'd like to have not just a mentor, but also structured classes helping me acquire the necessary strategies and background knowledge. If I understand it correctly, the model the elementary school has in mind doesn't provide that sort of thing until I've already been teaching for two years - by that time, tbh, I probably don't need it anymore!

I'm driving 25 minutes to the elementary school, so it's not even that big a difference. So right now, I'm tending towards the secondary school UNLESS the elementary school is willing to switch to the other entry model which provides a mentor, certification seminars RIGHT NOW (well, from November onwards), and allowances for the time spent for certification. Otherwise, I'll have to put in about ten additional hours per week - that's more time than I'd otherwise lose driving!

[grundyscribbling]

What's the point of giving you help in two years' time? By then you'll have either figured it out or given up in sheer frustration! In that case, the secondary school definitely sounds better.

[oloriel]

I don't quite understand the idea either. Either you don't need additional classes in teaching, in which case you're clearly fully qualified; or you do need them, in which case you need them right from the start? As it is, it comes across as if they want to weed out the weak - or assume that in two years' time, the situation will be less desperate and they'll be able to hire "proper" teachers and fire the replacements. (The long-term prognosis assumes that there will be too few certified teachers until 2033-34, but then, the long-term prognosis after my graduation said that there would be too many teachers for decades to come! So clearly, these have to be taken with a grain of salt...)

[hhimring]

Any idea, from past experience, which kind of drawback would tend to get to you most quickly or be hardest to compensate for?
If they're really that short of teachers, your decision might not need to be final. While obviously you'd want to avoid having to switch, maybe the idea that your decision need not be written in stone might help with the stress of having to choose?

[oloriel]

Mmmh. I think being expected to do the exact same workload as the experienced staff, with the same results, right from the start, would be hard to pull off. Not sure whether it's just flashbacks to my time at the magazine (where bossman's expectations went from "you're the trainee" to "you've got to cover everything an editor-in-chief would do" within two weeks) or whether it's a general weakness, but I'd probably not deal well with that kind of pressure - especially if they can offer none of the support systems that are recommended to trainee teachers.

It doesn't need to be final, but it should be fixed for the next two-three years (for the purpose of qualification).

So ultimately, it depends on the model of lateral entry the elementary school wants to follow. I'll have to call the school authority and/or district council on Monday *shudder* to find out whether that really is the only way into elementary school. (As I understand it from my online research, there are basically three different approaches, but some of the regulations are 9 years old so I have no clue whether they still apply, while others are so new that they aren't even online yet. This school was talking about the way that's least beneficial to me (not me personally, but me as a university graduate who wants to go into teaching). If other ways exist, I can talk to the principal about doing one of those instead, and if she insists that it isn't possible, that's a good reason for me to go elsewhere.