How do I explain this to future schools?
How do I explain this to future schools?
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Last edited by blinky on Sun Apr 21, 2013 2:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Hi Blinkob,
don't even worry about it. Because you were uncertified, schools aren't even going to really consider it, especially if it is a really low-tier school.
I would contact the academic director and ask for a reference and his personal contact for such (personal, not school, email, because as you will find, these people start moving around and then it becomes problematic if you don't have their personal email).
Very sorry to hear about your dad - both my grandmother and mother died while I was overseas and couldn't get back. I just thank God that I had spent tons of time with them by choice all through the years...and that we could talk many days due to advances in technology and cheaper international phone rates.
don't even worry about it. Because you were uncertified, schools aren't even going to really consider it, especially if it is a really low-tier school.
I would contact the academic director and ask for a reference and his personal contact for such (personal, not school, email, because as you will find, these people start moving around and then it becomes problematic if you don't have their personal email).
Very sorry to hear about your dad - both my grandmother and mother died while I was overseas and couldn't get back. I just thank God that I had spent tons of time with them by choice all through the years...and that we could talk many days due to advances in technology and cheaper international phone rates.
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PermanentXpat
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:03 am
- Location: Asia
Reply
Its really hard to say what will happen. I have a couple issues with your post in that in your third paragraph you trash some of the schools management practices, yet had this family tragedy not happened you would have continued with this (third tier) school for a fourth year. So its a "bad" school but not so bad that it was worth spending 3 and and going on 4 years of your life?
The school was accredited but you werent certified, so the experience may or may not count towards salary. It depends on the school, some schools base experience on qualified experience at a school, but the majority of schools base their salary scale on post certification experience. This sint the issue however, the issue is that: 1) Its a school/you were a teacher and 2) Its your most RECENT position. Any recruiter/HOS is going to contact your last place of employment, especially if it was a school and you were a teacher, if for no other reason, that its a safety & security issue. Any reputable school needs to make sure that you werent dismissed for inappropriate contact with a student, among other potential issues.
The reference of your academic director is fine, but a recruiter/HOS is going to google your school and realize very quickly that you didnt list your HOS as a reference, which is going to send up a warning flag.
This all comes down to what the HOS says about you, if they trash your name, unless your the only candidate a school isnt going to likely hire you when there are candidates that are less a risk to hire, even if the school is third tier and has a poor reputation.
i would suggest removing the school from your resume but it would be very difficult to explain a 3 year gap. otherwise what you really need to do is bury this experience/school under a more recent position.
The school was accredited but you werent certified, so the experience may or may not count towards salary. It depends on the school, some schools base experience on qualified experience at a school, but the majority of schools base their salary scale on post certification experience. This sint the issue however, the issue is that: 1) Its a school/you were a teacher and 2) Its your most RECENT position. Any recruiter/HOS is going to contact your last place of employment, especially if it was a school and you were a teacher, if for no other reason, that its a safety & security issue. Any reputable school needs to make sure that you werent dismissed for inappropriate contact with a student, among other potential issues.
The reference of your academic director is fine, but a recruiter/HOS is going to google your school and realize very quickly that you didnt list your HOS as a reference, which is going to send up a warning flag.
This all comes down to what the HOS says about you, if they trash your name, unless your the only candidate a school isnt going to likely hire you when there are candidates that are less a risk to hire, even if the school is third tier and has a poor reputation.
i would suggest removing the school from your resume but it would be very difficult to explain a 3 year gap. otherwise what you really need to do is bury this experience/school under a more recent position.
Here's the deal. You gave 3 years of service to the school and didn't return for the fourth because of a terminal family illness. Any HOS worth his title will understand that. I would be honest during interviews about what had happened. I had two one year stints on my résumé, and it was a red flag to recruiters. My credentials are excellent, so I was interviewed by several and during the interview gave my explanations as to why I left after only one year. I received several offers and accepted one at what would be considered a tier 1 school for the region. Of course, I did have a two year stint following the two one year stints. It boils down to if an HOS can't be sympathetic about a family medical emergency, you don't really want to work for that person anyhow.
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bilinguallearner
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:12 pm
- Location: USA
- Contact:
Hello.
So sorry for your loss and so glad you put family first and have peace of mind now with that. Anyway, I agree with the posters above- anyone reasonable will totally understand your former situation and won't hold it against you. I'd go ahead and get that director's recommendation too- it'll show that he/she supported you through your tough time. I had a situation where I had to leave a contract early bc the board was giving us foreign hires the run-around about renewing visas so I up and left. The others who stayed got chased out a back door/fence as police stormed the school looking for expired visas- it was all very dramatic and made me glad I did the right thing and scrammed from that place! Since then, I've had letters of recom from my former director and offers of jobs in other places, so it's all good!
Best of Luck!
Stephanie
Check out my post about US immigration reform from a teaching/counseling perspective @ www.bilinguallearner.com/-blog
Bilingual Learner is an educational/counseling website- visit us to see our new blog!
So sorry for your loss and so glad you put family first and have peace of mind now with that. Anyway, I agree with the posters above- anyone reasonable will totally understand your former situation and won't hold it against you. I'd go ahead and get that director's recommendation too- it'll show that he/she supported you through your tough time. I had a situation where I had to leave a contract early bc the board was giving us foreign hires the run-around about renewing visas so I up and left. The others who stayed got chased out a back door/fence as police stormed the school looking for expired visas- it was all very dramatic and made me glad I did the right thing and scrammed from that place! Since then, I've had letters of recom from my former director and offers of jobs in other places, so it's all good!
Best of Luck!
Stephanie
Check out my post about US immigration reform from a teaching/counseling perspective @ www.bilinguallearner.com/-blog
Bilingual Learner is an educational/counseling website- visit us to see our new blog!