Still no Contract....
Still no Contract....
I gave an e-mail acceptance to a proffered position ... not a great package, but the school and staff seemed like a situation I would enjoy living in/working with. Offer accepted on the 22nd Jan. The director said she would send it. I still haven't seen the contract. In the meantime... I cancelled the hiring fair, lost my registration fee, and now am hearing from my #2 choice school that the position I wanted there is still open........ I haven't signed a contract...... what to do?
WTF
Jan 22 you emailed your acceptance??? This school isnt the "best" I take it? Wheres the second school? You have to give us more info...
1) You SHOULD have contacted your associate first, they can and will actually help with these things.
2) Without knowing more I would contact the school tell them you havent received the contract, and you need to receive it by some deadline (Id say this friday, if it was me), or you will need to assume they do not intend to offer you a contract, and you will pursue other opportunities.
They may be holding out for someone else, or to see if they find someone better, cheaper, etc at the fair. if they dont reply WITH a SIGNED contract, not just a promise of a contract, then take the second job.
1) You SHOULD have contacted your associate first, they can and will actually help with these things.
2) Without knowing more I would contact the school tell them you havent received the contract, and you need to receive it by some deadline (Id say this friday, if it was me), or you will need to assume they do not intend to offer you a contract, and you will pursue other opportunities.
They may be holding out for someone else, or to see if they find someone better, cheaper, etc at the fair. if they dont reply WITH a SIGNED contract, not just a promise of a contract, then take the second job.
Panic
WHEN is the time to panic??? This is fair time here. Maybe if this was October, fine, but this is the end game. The school is using email for document delivery, how does it take TEN days to email a contract? I admit its not a shot in the head yet, but its not a good, or promising sign either.
The unfortunate thing is, I cancelled for the ISS job fair, figuring I could save some significant money. I followed your advice, though and have followed up wtih the first choice school, and also will let the other school know I need a contract by Friday. THank you so much for the advice. I hope I haven't out smarted my self from a job.
Cancelling
Canceling the ISS fair was a smart play, you werent really available anyway, and it would have complicated your exit strategy if and when you have to explain the issue to Search/ISS. The concern being what were you doing at the fair if you had already taken a contract. This way if you have to unload the first school, you can legitimately claim that your second/new schools offer is just you moving on and recovering from the first schools "bad faith".
You cant really out think this. You school is behaving at best unprofessionally, and at worst deceptively. Either two things are going to happen, the school,is going to apologize and send you a signed contract, or they will withdraw the contract (for whatever reasons, your never going to know) but it doesnt matter because they all say the same thing, and thats that they didnt really want you. You were just their backup or safety pick.
FYI: There is no reason at any school anywhere for a contract to take any longer then a few days to email. Next to getting paid on time, stalling on a contract is the second most serious breach of trust a school can do (in my opinion). They arent stupid, they know what time of the year/recruiting season this is, and a contract isnt hard to create. Its fill in the blanks, print, sign, scan, and hit the "send" button. A day top, two if you have to chase down the head to sign, and confirm numbers. A 5 day wait is being EXTREMELY courteous.
You cant really out think this. You school is behaving at best unprofessionally, and at worst deceptively. Either two things are going to happen, the school,is going to apologize and send you a signed contract, or they will withdraw the contract (for whatever reasons, your never going to know) but it doesnt matter because they all say the same thing, and thats that they didnt really want you. You were just their backup or safety pick.
FYI: There is no reason at any school anywhere for a contract to take any longer then a few days to email. Next to getting paid on time, stalling on a contract is the second most serious breach of trust a school can do (in my opinion). They arent stupid, they know what time of the year/recruiting season this is, and a contract isnt hard to create. Its fill in the blanks, print, sign, scan, and hit the "send" button. A day top, two if you have to chase down the head to sign, and confirm numbers. A 5 day wait is being EXTREMELY courteous.
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liketotravel
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:58 pm
Even though it's lame to have to wait there could be just reasons.
Maybe the director is incredibly busy and absent-minded.
Maybe it's the job of a slow local hire office worker that is on that countries time line.
I received a contract very late once and it was because the director passed it on to my reason number two and then he went out on medical leave, but I got it eventually.
I would for sure pick up the phone and call the director, if he is out at a fair ask for a principal and tell them you are nervous.
Maybe the director is incredibly busy and absent-minded.
Maybe it's the job of a slow local hire office worker that is on that countries time line.
I received a contract very late once and it was because the director passed it on to my reason number two and then he went out on medical leave, but I got it eventually.
I would for sure pick up the phone and call the director, if he is out at a fair ask for a principal and tell them you are nervous.
Reasons
Yes there are LOTS of reasons why the contract could be late, none of them are professional. Even if the head/principal is out on medial leave, the school doesnt shut down, someone is in charge.
The "too busy", "absent minded" excuses are just that BS excuses.
Local hire officer??? Visas, work permits have ZERO to do with the school signing and returninga copy of the contract to you.
The "too busy", "absent minded" excuses are just that BS excuses.
Local hire officer??? Visas, work permits have ZERO to do with the school signing and returninga copy of the contract to you.
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liketotravel
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:58 pm
I've worked in several schools where local staff prepare the contracts.
I have no idea where the poster is going, but if it's Latin America this is common practice.
My current contract at an incredible school was late because someone dropped the ball. Unprofessional and lame, yes, but there were reasons. Does this reflect bad on the school, for sure, but the upsides far outweigh this one transgression.
Maybe they entered the email wrong when they sent it, who knows.
The simple solution is to pick up the phone and talk to someone. It could be solved very quickly.
I have no idea where the poster is going, but if it's Latin America this is common practice.
My current contract at an incredible school was late because someone dropped the ball. Unprofessional and lame, yes, but there were reasons. Does this reflect bad on the school, for sure, but the upsides far outweigh this one transgression.
Maybe they entered the email wrong when they sent it, who knows.
The simple solution is to pick up the phone and talk to someone. It could be solved very quickly.
Agree
I agree the OP needs to call the director and talk with them informing them they need the contract by such and such a deadline. The OP has a responsibility to notify and advise them, THEY have a responsibility to ACTUALLY respond in a REASONABLE amount of time. Yes mistakes happen, but it would be a bigger mistake not to be proactive, and if needed move on. This is business.
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liketotravel
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:58 pm
Ya'll are causing me to hyperventilate! The school I wanted very much to be teaching at is in Eastern Europe. Good pkg. for that area and a subject I love to teach. Unfortunately they will be at the ISS fair this coming weekend and I will NOT. I did e-mail the director today. (of the school I accepted a position at) 10 hr. difference so I will give it until Fri. am to give up. I am pretty patient, but most of the responses here indicate that I should have recieved a contract by now. I do like this 4th choice school. I liked the staff who interviewed me, like the position, and I like the place. Think I will just let go and give it a few hours... then go hard after another position if I don't hear from them by friday. I will be angry with myself for cancelling on the fair. Particularly since my registration fee was non-refundable. One of the posters mentioned asking my "associate " for guidance. NOT at ISS. No guidance. Just curt e-mailed responses if I am lucky. THanks ALL!
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liketotravel
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:58 pm
So many opinions.
There are reasons, and good ones, why a contract may be delayed.
Last week, at our lovely school, a key HR staffer was stricken by a stomach bug and out for 4 days. A whole variety of processes ground to a halt, as he had the soft copies, the key info needed for each individual case, the experience in getting each job done - jobs which, like contracts, had to be written at one level (HR officer) based on info from another level (school director), passed through another level for approval (BOG), returned to the director for signing, then back to the HR officer for scanning and sending on to the hapless recipient who has been wondering about the holdup. In a good week, we can do these things within a few days. If the key person is home vomiting, well, it takes longer. We can muddle through, but if we suspect the HR guy will be back in a day or two, probably we'll just wait. And when we finally realize that he's been out too long, and we pass the job to another ., they're inexperienced and take even longer to get it done.
One may consider teachers cogs in a wheel, but if a teacher is out, someone takes their class and things move forward. If only the teacher can teach the advanced Chemistry concept, than the advanced Chemistry concept will wait until the teacher is well. The day still keeps going and kids go to their lessons. But office staff? They really are interconnected like cogs, and if one goes down, the others often can't move.
So what am I trying to say? Maybe that a week to get a contract is not necessarily the bad sign some would say. It could just be the sign of a stomach bug.
And some schools do have processes that take substantially longer. If they do, they should tell you upfront. I've known schools that could take 6 weeks on average to get a contract signed. They knew, they told candidates about it, and they provided signed letters of intent to soothe nerves. They should tell you, but maybe they didn't. Pick up the phone and ask.
There are reasons, and good ones, why a contract may be delayed.
Last week, at our lovely school, a key HR staffer was stricken by a stomach bug and out for 4 days. A whole variety of processes ground to a halt, as he had the soft copies, the key info needed for each individual case, the experience in getting each job done - jobs which, like contracts, had to be written at one level (HR officer) based on info from another level (school director), passed through another level for approval (BOG), returned to the director for signing, then back to the HR officer for scanning and sending on to the hapless recipient who has been wondering about the holdup. In a good week, we can do these things within a few days. If the key person is home vomiting, well, it takes longer. We can muddle through, but if we suspect the HR guy will be back in a day or two, probably we'll just wait. And when we finally realize that he's been out too long, and we pass the job to another ., they're inexperienced and take even longer to get it done.
One may consider teachers cogs in a wheel, but if a teacher is out, someone takes their class and things move forward. If only the teacher can teach the advanced Chemistry concept, than the advanced Chemistry concept will wait until the teacher is well. The day still keeps going and kids go to their lessons. But office staff? They really are interconnected like cogs, and if one goes down, the others often can't move.
So what am I trying to say? Maybe that a week to get a contract is not necessarily the bad sign some would say. It could just be the sign of a stomach bug.
And some schools do have processes that take substantially longer. If they do, they should tell you upfront. I've known schools that could take 6 weeks on average to get a contract signed. They knew, they told candidates about it, and they provided signed letters of intent to soothe nerves. They should tell you, but maybe they didn't. Pick up the phone and ask.