Well, today is my first day as a substitute teacher,

[iconoclastic cat]

and I have to wait by the phone between now and 9:45AM. Maybe they'll call me in, maybe not. All I know is that I have sent my resume to 96 of Chicago's public schools, and yet I have only had four interviews all summer without any offers. Now it's September, school has been in session for a week and a half, and it doesn't look good for my teaching career.

I wonder if I have been put on a list somewhere: I was not asked back at my first school because I wrote too many discipline reports (this was the stated reason, at least), and ever since then I can't seem to get a response out of these schools. Now, I have been dropped to the bottom of the food chain, and it doesn't look good.

I really hate waiting by the phone. If I didn't have DU, I'd go nuts.

[MissHoneychurch]

1. I wish you the best of luck

that you get a job soon :pals:

[iconoclastic cat]

2. Thanks!

This waiting game is killing me, though.

[MissHoneychurch]

3. I bet it is

I know how much I hate to wait for something or someone. And it wasn't to get a job. It must be much worse for you.

Hang in there. One day you get what you were looking for and it will have been worth the waiting :hug:

[kwassa]

4. Do they have a central human resources office? Are you certified?

Many public school systems post teacher openings online, though now is probably late. I broke in when a teacher quit in October, though.

Substitution is a whole different ball game, and you need to get known by a specific set of teachers.

[iconoclastic cat]

7. Yes to both subject-line questions.

I'm still approaching the schools (all 96) each week in hopes that I will catch them when someone quits.

[kwassa]

11. so there is no central job posting site, then?

It makes the process much easier. Most large systems have them, at least in this region.

[iconoclastic cat]

12. Sorry, yes, there is, and I check it often.

It is very rarely updated, however.

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. Pray for some teachers....

to get knocked up! Find some little fertility dolls and practice some gris gris on them!

Good luck! Waiting sucks.
FSC

[iconoclastic cat]

8. Well, I already knocked one up myself. That's part of the problem.

[fudge stripe cookays]

10. Aha.

I feel for you my friend.

I'll wish good wishes for you if you do the same so I can get out of Freeperville and into somewhere liberal, toute d'suite.

FSC

[WCGreen]

6. Try Private Schools...

I know the pay is not that great and the benifits....

But at least you would be working....

Also, some of the tutoring firms pay just as much as subsituting..

[iconoclastic cat]

9. Yeah, the private schools don't have any openings right now.

I have put my hat in the ring there, too.

[Beausoir]

13. Patience.

I was a sub for many years. In my district, individual schools made their own sub calls.
I cultivated "relationships" with each phoning secretary by visiting, introducing myself to them, and then periodically phoning them to let them know I was available and eager.I NEVER turned down a sub call..no matter how tired I was or what I had going. NEVER turn them down or they will drop you to the bottom of the list. Once they come to know you as a reliable source, you can ease up a little.

By December of my first year I was getting 3 or 4 calls a morning. I finally "picked" which school I liked best and stuck with them. They called me 4 out of 5 days for the rest of the year. Sometimes I would get 2 weeks at a time.

I was also a very strict teacher. I was dubbed 'The Enforcer' by the staff at one school. The teachers really appreciate returning from an absence and having everything in apple pie order.

Subbing was great for my lifestyle, but I can understand how difficult it is to not have a reliable income source.

You need to go out to the nearest school and make your presence known. Don't be shy. Let them know you are there and competent and ready to help them.

[iconoclastic cat]

14. Good advice! Thank you.