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Looking for work

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amother

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 5:41 pm

[size=10][size=10]It's high time that I return to work, for many reasons but I am terrified of interviewing and looking for a job, something I haven't done since the children came. I have no confidence that I would be accepted or retained at any sort of job you can think of. I do need to get home on time for my children, and I hesitate to leave before them in the morning, so I am limiting myself in that respect.

I would have loved to teach, which could work with my planned schedule, but I am not a bubbly charismatic, magician - motivator- what some people refer to as a people person.. I don't think I'm for younger grades because of this, but... I do love learning, you could say it is my forte' and people who seriously want to learn have always enjoyed learning with me, and told me how much they gained.

But I find that schools are not looking for teachers that teach, but rather teachers that entertain...that dazzle with personality, that act and dress youthfully and trendily, that exude confidence even when (as often is the case) they are quite inexperienced and barely know or impart anything!. My own high school principal told me that a teacher needs to be an actress! I don't agree with this on principle.( I don't mean she has to be a bore! Just not a faker.)

I also have a problem handling the chutzpah that comes with the territory. When I agreed to substitute for one day at my child's school, before I even brought the children from lining up into class, one girl with incredible gall sang out sweetly, "Hello Mrs. Weirdo!" I took her straight over to the principal. But....it was not like I had any support. And it was terribly humiliating. I would expect a child like that to be dealt with severely, but she was not. I did not return to substitute after that.

And I can't see myself at a phone job. "Good phone voice", well forget it. I am not an opera singer, nor an operator, I guess.
Office job? What if I'm mistreated and don't "get along"? What if my boss makes me work on Erev Shabbos, Erev YomTov etc.?

Besides, I really do want to teach, just need to find the right job. How do I get up the courage to try and risk rejection?[size=10][/size][/size][/size]

technic

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 5:43 pm

how abt private tutoring?

amother

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 5:52 pm

That would be during after school hours, when my kids get home, and need attention... But it could be worth a try. How would I get recommended?

technic

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 5:59 pm

can u advertise anywhere? put sign on school noticeboard? shul noticeboard?tell pple ur available?

debz123

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 6:04 pm

In some schools they will hire tutors to pull kids out of class during schooltime to get extra help. call around and see if any schools near you do that.

miriam

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 8:43 pm

Would you be interested in being a secretary or work with someone who works from home and makes their own hours?
My friend's husband runs a business from his home and has a secretary who has a flexible schedule.

Mommy912

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 9:23 pm

Maybe try working at a Chessed Organization - nice people usually find their way there and they would probably be flexible with Yom Tov schedules. I am not talking about volunteering, they have salaried positions too. If you want to be involved in education, there are organizations that are for that also. At least it will be a start!

carrot

Wed, Sep 14 2005, 9:54 pm

did you ever try teaching high school, like eleventh grade? sometimes at that age kids are more mature and can appreciate a good teacher who knows her stuff, even if she's not an actress. although you still have to have classroom management skills.

amother

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 11:45 am

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. It's so nice that you care, and I am touched. I'm thinking about some of these ideas, and they are real possibilities.

carrot wrote:

Actually that is something I would love to do, and see as most suited, but the classroom management skills is what scares me. Truthfully, I need personal management and organizational skills whether in or out of the classroom, so it applies to almost any job, and I am not confident that I have these abilities to the necessary extent. Confused

Ever heard of jack of all trades, master of none. That's how I feel about every one of my abilities. Just as a trivial example, I can play the keyboard fairly well, by ear, and produce nice but not beautiful music. I can draw artistically, but never masterfully ( but hey, it must be real because my kids have inherited this ability, some of them are k'ah amazing artists for their age).

What strikes me about the world around me is how people nowadays experience it in superlatives. Nobody is nice anymore. Instead they are AWESOME and AMAZING .
People are not just happy. Very Happy

They walk around ECSTATIC, broadcasting their ELATION. LOL

When a kid accomplishes a simple task well, they get praised to the skies; GREAT JOB .

And that's who anyone is looking to hire. Someone with AMAZING ability, personality, (yes looks and wardrobe too - goes into above category). PR, PR, PR, Chitzoniyus, Chitzoniyus, Chitzoniyus .... QUESTION: Is there anything REAL inside the packaging? Rolling Eyes

So with my track record of being understated , instead of awesome,
I can't imagine myself making a good enough impression for someone to want to hire me. But even if I manage to pull that off, I wonder how long it will last till they tell me, at some point down the line, look, we wanted to give you a chance, but things aren't working out..... embarrassed

To all my friends, posters sorry for unloading. I understand that it's not the respectable thing.......but amother is for that.... 8)

Crayon210

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 12:07 pm

Maybe try to find out if a high school specifically needs an upper-level teacher, or a teacher for electives. High school students can be absolute terrors!

Mommy912

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 12:12 pm

Amother wrote:

Amother, you sound like a really nice and talented person, why don't you give yourself a chance! Smile

Buy the newspaper this week and go through the classified section and read ALL of the jobs. Pick a few that sound nice and give it a try. It sounds overwhelming now, but you are not alone. Everyone that has a job now, at one time was looking just like you. I know from personal experience that once someone is hired the employer will usually only fire them when something is really bad - it is such a hassle to find new employees - you have to advertise, interview, spend valuable time....

You have already made a good impression on US!

PS. A good resume will boost your chances of getting that great job. If you do not like the way yours looks then try a professional resume writer. It is not too expensive and it is worth it.

amother

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 1:11 pm

Mandy, not signed in :
Amother:
1. You could work as a paraprofessional with kids that need extra help in class. You could be a teacher's aid until you work up the confidence to go it alone.

2. If you don't want to deal with rudeness, don't teach in a private school. I have found that schools that do not need to cater to parental pockets have much better disciplinary systems for the children.

3. As to the understating on a resume, I would have to say to go with the trend and overstate your qualifications. Employers know that everyone does this so when they see your truthful, real resume, they will assume your talents are lower, like for the others who overstate their qualifications. Don't know if that made any sense.

4. As to the acting bit, I have to disagree with you. Children are in school for 8 or more hours a day. And the more entertaining a teacher is, the more fun learning will be, the more kids will love to learn. It is very hard to learn from someone who presents concepts in a monotonous, dry, factual way. I don't know if you are like that, but if you are, then you would probably be better off as an assistant than a teacher.

cindy324

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 3:05 pm

Wow amother, you are so right about the superlatives! It does seem like nobody is a good person any more, they;re amazing, wonderful, fabulous etc. That really made me think.

queen

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 4:17 pm

ditto for titles....
everyone is a rav hagaon......

amother

Thu, Sep 15 2005, 7:39 pm

Thanks again everyone for helping me sort this through. Mandy , about being dry, or monotonous, I've been thinking... The truth is, I'm more of a creative type than I give myself credit for, and I know I'm alive when it comes to anything about learning, but of course the trick is to get the students involved, and whether they will let you get to that point.

I think it helps to remember that the Aibishter comes through, even though it seems overwhelming. A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step, and the Aibishter helps with that step. And the next...

Tila

Sat, Sep 24 2005, 8:50 pm

perhaps you n I star a company???? I am feeling the same way EXACTLY actually!! I can fill my day pretty good, and we live oh so frugally. If you knew me, you would understand!! I have no help when it comes to retrieving kids from school or to stay with them GD forbid when they are sick, we have one car and I am not privy to it, and having a husband that has the life of a pulpit Rabbi, his schedule is alos trying. I have tried and no one wants to hire me with the hours I need 9-2 let alone the chagim and shabbos! SOOOOOOOOO WANT TO START A BUISSNESS??????

stem

Sat, Sep 24 2005, 10:00 pm

I also want to start a business.. any good ideas?

Tila

Mon, Sep 26 2005, 11:45 am

I love to cook and bake for people, but I have no buissness sense. As well, I ADORE children's clothes, especially those that form adorable sets!! I am from Montreal.

Motek

Tue, Nov 29 2005, 12:24 pm

Tila wrote:

having a husband that has the life of a pulpit Rabbi

what does that mean? is he actually a pulpit rabbi? what does it mean to have the life of one?

lucky

Tue, Nov 29 2005, 3:26 pm

Tila wrote:

I have tried and no one wants to hire me with the hours I need 9-2

Same here. No part time jobs available. I wish I would be able to start my own business.

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