Burnt out teacher can become aHi guys, I'm not the burnt-out teacher in question, but it is my wife. Perhaps she will leave the teaching field forever or perhaps for a few years. Either way, she needs to do something else. I need help guiding her, because she has no experience in any other field. I am also currently a teacher, but I spent 6 years working in mid-level IT jobs (just below management). She has no knowledge of the business world and resultingly has NO CLUE what she might want to do that may pay on a scale somewhat reasonably close to where she is now. No temp jobs, no indepenent contract jobs. Full time and INSURANCE is a 100% must, not an option. The salary to match is mid 40's... not too ridiculous in today's terms, really. She has a bachelor's degree, and has taken coursework towards a master's degree, though the actual courses won't apply to many fields. She expresses some interest in the healthcare field, but is not yet willing to commit to additional formal schooling (e.g. nursing school). She is good with numbers (she teaches math), she knows about health and the human body (she has a B.S. in Kineseology), and she is good with computer apps with minimal training (she can figure them out herself usually). She is extremely detail oriented and loves to keep her files in tip-top shape and normally has her days planned weeks in advance, anytime that is possible. She could be an administrative assistant, office manager, or do any job involving filing/paperwork, organization, and even coordination. She has served as a coordinator for church events which required 6 months advanced planning for over 100 staff members, 2 facilities, etc. She can do any job she is asked to do, when given the resources to do it. She can work any regular daytime hours. What should she look for? Any suggestions on how to focus the resume? I know it is essential to focus the resume for the job desired, but I'm trying to help her figure out what job(s) she's qualified for that fit what we need. Frankly, I'm not willing to let her settle for a secretarial job for under 30k/year. She's a college-educated professional, who is very capable of doing any job out there. I just need to help direct her search. Thanks! -Michael A Bachelor's degree will definitely get her an interview for a higher than entry level job, BUT, without experience in computer programs on an intermediate to low proficient rating, it is unlikely that anything other than an entry-level position is in the immediate future. Is your wife familiar with:
She has the experience to resolve conflicts, handle unruly people. Additional skills she possess are working with inflexible administration, multiple bosses. Her attendance and detail to attention is something else that she can capitalize on. What your wife really needs to figure out is what industry is of interest to her.
A lot of industries have multiple subsections and division. Your wife needs to figure out what interests her and then figure out which skills she currently has and he experience are transferable to that industry. She also needs to remember that the higher the position, the greater the salary, but unless you have the correct transferable skills and experience, it will be a fight to prove that she is worth the job and the money. As an example: A former employee of one of my out of state branches went to an interview on Wednesday for a job in the medical industry as an executive assistant. She possessed all that was required except they wanted someone who is proficient in Excel and could take the formula, translate it into data and copy everything into a comprehensive report. It sounded like pretty complex stuff. She has, at best, an intermediate knowledge of the workings of Excel. So, while I was talking to the person who called me for a professional reference on her, I asked if she was in the running and what the starting salary for that position was. (Since we are a law firm and the job she is pursuing is in the medical field, it isn't like I am going to try to lure her back with a better offer). The gentlemen told me that, she will be offered the position but that he would only be able to start her at $38,000 because of her lack of Excel experience and the fact that she is coming from a field that is not medical in nature. Otherwise, he would be offering $45,000. She hasn't called me yet, so either he won't contact her until Monday or she is out celebrating with her husband. Wow, great advice and a detailed post. I really appreciate it. She is good with Excel (intermediate, not advanced), Word & Powerpoint. I think she can use a multi-line phone system, as she used to work in the office at a large school during her teacher's aid days. She does not know Word Perfect. I doubt she's ever used it. Heck, I worked in a mid-level IT job (making 75k/year 8 years ago) and *I* haven't touched Word Perfect since about version 5.x on a DOS machine. What an archaic tool. I know based on the IT side that law firms use it, but I just don't know why :) At this point, I think her preference will be the MEDICAL field, because she is seriously considering going into nursing at some point down the road, and the closer she can get to that industry, the better, even if it's on the administration side of the business. Suggestions from that point? I can tutor her to a higher level on most any Office app, including Excel (to a point). She's got the math background and she knows how to utilize formulas, etc. I actually taught the office apps at the high school for 3 years (after my 6 years in IT), and I learned a lot by teaching it! Thanks, Michael Many law firms still use WordPerfect because, as a rule, attorneys are cheap bastards when it comes to their office equipment and their employees salaries. They are very generous to themselves. Ever see an attorney arrive at the courthouse parking lot in anything that cost less than $1000 to fill with gasoline? Hah!! But, I love working for them. Call me a masochist. Actually, a truer reason is because, if the law firm employs the old school secretary, that person is hesitant to try anything new if it seems that they will not be able to merge their documents easily or transferring documents from one system to another is going to cause the document to need a partial rewrite. The medical group that my friend and former employee applied to was actually the administrative side of a group of clinics. She will be supporting the director of nursing in charge of the clinics as well as the director of the practice managers and one other but I can't remember who that is. Vice President of something. Since this is her first foray into the medical field, this is a way for her to be able to learn what the director of the nurses expects from a nursing staff, what the nurses do and how they do it and also be able to learn some medical language that is, right now, foreign to her. (Don't tell her, but when I got off the phone this afternoon, I went to the store and bought her a medical dictionary. Shhh, it's a secret) Enough of the digression into my life. your wife should go to a hospital and volunteer for a couple of months. She should,in that period of time, build up friendships, or acquaintanceships, with the powers that be and determine who to approach for information on an administrative job. If nursing really is in her future, then she needs to take some courses. If for no other reason than to show that she is serious about this. I know that you stated before she has a BS in Kineso....something medical, but I have no idea what that means and, while it may be enough to get her foot in the door, actual nursing duties may require something different. I'm in the opposite boat, shall we say. 20+ years in the corporate world, and I'm "burnt-out". For the past 2 1/2 years I have taught business courses as a adjunct instructor at a local college. I've experienced more job satisfaction from this teaching experience than I have in my 20+ years in the corporate world. Here's my problem. I can't teach fulltime at the college level (all my contacts tell me that I would need a PhD, I have an MBA in Economics), and I need benefits (2 young children at home), so fulltime adjunct work is out of the question. I've been trying to find openings as a Business Education teacher at the high school level, without success. Although I have passed the Praxis Exams for both General Business and Economics (both very high scores), I cannot get certification via the alternate route unless I obtain a teaching position first! However, I haven't found a school district yet that will hire someone without state certification (NJ). Any suggestions? Thank you, in advance. Get the PhD? I remember when I was shopping for grad schools, I realized pretty quickly that if I wanted to teach at the college level later on I would need a PhD and the MBA that would cost and take 2 times as long to get rather then the MA or MS was, well, unwise. The good news is you can find a PhD program from an accredited university easily. The investment of time and money is substantial however some of the graduate credits you have now with an MBA might reduce the time by 3 or 4 classes, going right into a program with a MS or MA would be 3 years usually. Some college teaching jobs require a research PhD. That typically means going to a Tier 1 school and teaching at that school during the program. Breaking into the K-12 arena as a teacher after having privite sector experience and a grad degree is, in my opinion, more difficult then getting that PhD and teaching college. Good luck. The big problem with the PhD is time/money. I'm currently out of work, looking for employemnt. Fulltime, the PhD would take at least 2 years. Part time I'm looking at 6 years. I'm in my mid 40's, married, with kids. I can't afford to take off 2 more years to attend grad school fulltime (wife barely earns minimum wage) and going the part time route - quite honestly, by the time I'd earn the PhD schools WON'T be looking to hire a 50-something entry level instructor. I've talked to my department chair and a friend of mine (who is the department chair in a different field of study) about my situation, and both had the same comments. The part time route would take to long, and most colleges won't hire a new 50-something instructor at the entry level. But in my family situation, being a fulltime student isn't an option. The only suggestion/recommendation has been to find a teaching position at a community college and pursue the PhD while teaching full time at the community college. But even with mu connections, I've been unable to even obtain an interview.
The other aspect is teaching vs research. I want to TEACH! I want no part of the "publish or perish" ideology of larger universities. I'm teaching right now, part time. I enjoy the interaction with the students, helping them, guiding them, etc.. Back in my high school days, I really wanted to teach history and coach baseball. But I foolishly listened to the school's guidance councilors who strongly disuaded all male students from entering the teaching profession, claiming that we would be "wasting" our lives and capabilities as teachers rather than entering business, law or medicine. I already have an MBA, which I earned 11 1/2 years ago. Obtaining a PhD is "Mission Impossible". I checked most of the major schools in my area. Most offer a PhD in Education - which is a 2 year program (fulltime), which would take about 4 years part time. Feasible. However, only Rutgers offers PhD's in Business (Operations Management, Supply Chain, International Business, Finance, etc) but it's a 4-5 year program FULLTIME! I can't attend school fulltime, as I still have to provide for my family. 4-5 years fulltime translates to at least 10 years part time. Which would put me in my mid-50's by the time I earned the PhD, applying for Instructor level positions. I would never be able to recoup the expense of obtaining the PhD, thus not justifying the expenditure of time or money. Hence the "Mission Impossible".
Why cant you teach at the HS level? NYC has that program that allows people for the private sector to teach and pays for their accreditation. Are you close to NYC?
"Why cant you teach at the HS level?" I've been looking into that. Last year, via networking, I was able to talk with the superintendant of schools in my hometown. We actually had several conversations regarding my interest in teaching, open positions in town, etc. He all but guaranteed me that once I pass the Praxis exams he'd hire me. I took the Praxis exams for both General Business and for Economics. Scored in the 95 percentile on both, far exceeding the state's requirements. (My scores far exceed the required score for every US state that requires the Praxis exam as part of the certification process.) I submitted my application and scores, then never heard from the superintendant again. I tried calling, emailing, writing letters, using my network connects, etc - NOTHING! I have no idea what happened. I never even got that far with other school districts, as even on the rare occasions I could get a contact, I was told the district will not hire anyone without certification. Even with passing the Praxis exams, unless you went through a state certified college teaching program, you cannot get state certification unless you already hold a teaching position. Catch-22. I have continued trying to find opportunities even after the school year started, but nothing. Haven't received any feedback from any application I've submitted. Haven't been able to get any contacts either - and I know quite a few teachers. Heck, one retired teacher called me (after I told him about my contact with the local superintendant of schools) asking if I can help his daughter get a teaching position. All she had been offered by other districts were substitute teaching positions. As I would be a high school business teacher, if a district wants to hire, I could be hired straight away. However, what's happening in many districts in NJ, at the elementary level, "new teachers" are hired as substitutes teachers only. Then after proving themselves 2-3 years as substitutes, districts "may" hire them as fulltime teachers. I understand districts do this to help remain within budgets. In most school districts near me, teachers can average $100K+ after 20 years. For me, I'll be retirement age in 20 years, but for the average 22-year-old college grad who could easily spend 40 years in a town's school system, it makes financial sense to delay those huge salaries for as long as possible, hence the "substitute teacher" process. As a substitute teacher, you receive zero benefits, are paid an hourly wage for just the days you work, so if you are a young college grad, it means a few extra years living at home with your parents. If you are older, married, with kids, being a substitute isn't an affordable option. "NYC has that program that allows people for the private sector to teach and pays for their accreditation. Are you close to NYC" I live in NJ and would prefer a position in NJ. If I relocated, I would prefer something more affordable than the NYC metro area. Additionally, I've talked to a few people who have gone that route. First you have to make a long term commitment to stay in NYC schools. Secondly, NYC teacher salaries are 20-25% lower than those of NYC suburbs in NY and NJ. Third, everyone I know who has taught in NYC has HATED it. Then again, those going this alternate route are usually assigned positions in the worst school districts, in the toughest neighborhoods. I know 2 ex-NYC teachers who were stabbed by students, while in the classroom! They said such attacks on teachers were commonplace in their districts. I'm sorry, but if my options are teach in NYC, at half (or less) my salary while risking my life on a daily basis, or earn double that in a safe corporate environment, I'll stick with the corporate desk job. I do have a family to consider. | |
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