I GOT THE JOB!

I am going to be a high school English teacher!

God is good!

 

Temporary Reprieve

One of the shareholders just came in to tell me that my request to go part-time has been granted. He forgot to mention when my new status goes into effect, and was so stunned to finally get an answer that I forgot to ask. They are going to pay me slightly less than I asked, which I anticipated when I offered up the number, so that worked out just fine. However, I was told that they won’t guarantee any minimum number of hours and I will work, and be paid, on an as-needed basis. It’s their way of getting me on the cheap. But, it’s an answer. And should allow me some more time to find something new.

I am still looking. I did hear that I am still being considered for the teaching position, but the closer we get to January, the less confident I feel that I am going to get that job. It’s been a week since my interview and if I don’t hear something by the end of the day I think I am going to have to assume that I need to look for something else.

Just out of curiosity, what is the longest you have had to wait to get a “yes” or “no” from a prospective employer?

answers, career, changes, new job, part-time

 

It’s Just Another Manic Monday

“I wish it was Sunday
‘Cause that’s my fun day
My I don’t have to run day
It’s just another manic Monday.”

I have still not heard about the teaching position. It’s starting to get to me; I jump every time I hear a ringing phone and I pray that it’s mine. I hate this part, the waiting. It would be so much easier if employers could just give you a yes or no on your way out the door.

I did find out that the other two people interviewing for the position are actually certified English-teachers, which means I should be in last place and only get the job if the other two come down with some rare cow-flu. But I’m still optimistic.

The Hubby got an amazing bonus this year, so he tells me that I can take my time in finding a new gig. But I don’t want to take that much time. It’s not fair to my clients since I am avoiding work at this point. I know I will be leaving on short notice and don’t want to get chest-deep in a project that I would then have to hand over to another attorney with no working knowledge of it. It’s an odd position to be in. I have never left a job where everyone didn’t know for months in advance that I’d be moving or graduating or something similar.

On a cheerier note, my little family participated in the church nativity this weekend. We were Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. (I tried to tell the casting director that a ten-month old, red-haired, blue-eyed, little girl who refuses to lie still should not be playing the newborn Baby Jesus, but I lost the argument.) And she was perfect. For the first half of the evening, she smiled and waved at the crowd. And then she fell asleep. She looked like an angel, wrapped up in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It made me wonder what Mary must have thought as she watched her little boy lie there that night, knowing that he was destined for something greater than she could ever know. I admit I cried as I thought of it.

I hope you all take some time, amidst the hustle and bustle of present-buying and party-hopping, to think about the why behind what you are doing this Christmas, and to thank God for all that He has done! May God bless you and keep you!

 

Christmas, gratitude, Jesus, Merry Christmas, nativity, patience, waiting

 

This Morning’s Interview

This morning I interviewed for an 11th grade teaching position. It was one of the most nerve-wracking interviews I have ever gone through, largely because I was acutely aware of how unqualified I feel. I know the subject matter; I aced my English classes and loved them too. But the idea of being in charge of six periods worth of high school juniors puts me a bit out of my element. However, I think my enthusiasm for education made its way through my bumbling answers. Now I just have to wait to hear from the principal.

On the freelance writing front, I have applied for a few small assignments, but thus far have received no response. The fact that I have no clips to send with my resume is likely the major problem. I am not sure how to rectify that right now.

I find it ironic that even though I have set my mind to leaving my present firm, I still have that stomach-turning sense of dread upon entering my office. You would think the mere knowledge that I will be free from the stress of this place in a few weeks (hopefully) would be enough to give me a little relief. That is likely because I haven’t yet told anyone here that I am leaving. Maybe if they knew I was only going to be here for a little longer I would feel better about being here at all. Who knows? But I have got to stop stressing over all of this. Any day now I am going to come down with some awful symptom and have to go to a doctor to have him tell me it’s stress. I hate when that happens (which is about once every two years for me).

I feel like I’m rambling … so I’ll stop.

changes, English teacher, high school, job interview, nervous, new job, rambling, stress, teacher, trying new things, unemployment, wish me luck

 

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Truth be told, I don’t actually know the words to that one; Annie always annoyed me.

Good news! Tomorrow, I have a job interview. It is with the principal of a high school ten minutes from my house. The open position is for an 11th and 12th grade English teacher. I cannot believe how nervous I feel already. That must mean I want the job.

In other news, the (only) other female attorney in my office just resigned. Her daughter is three months younger than mine and she was dealing with a lot of the same issues. She is going to do the at-home-mom thing for a while. I am very proud of her. I think a lot of people underestimate how hard it is to give up your career, even temporarily. I takes courage to say to the people you work with that your have priorities have changed. I struggle with it all the time. I know that “rearranging” my career to make it more family-family friendly is in the best interest of my daughter and my mental health, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I hope her decision brings her and her daughter much joy.

 

career, english teacher, hard decisions, high school, job interview, law, love, sacrifice

 

On a Day Like Today

On a day like today
the whole world could change
the sun’s gonna shine
shine thru the rain
on a day like today …

- Bryan Adams

Today I had two promising exchanges with women in my community. One is the new teacher recruiter for our county. I mentioned to her that I was interested in transitioning out of law and into teaching and she lit up. We have dinner scheduled for tomorrow so she can tell me about the process.

Then later, at a client development event, I found myself sitting next to a women who runs a local adoption agency. I know it was a God thing. She and I talked about adoption law and how her agency uses attorneys and she offered to let me come by her office and see what they do to see if would be interested in partnering with them. The attorney they use is three hours away because no one does it locally.

Both women were very encouraging and helped me to see that I have options available to me. I still don’t know exactly what direction I am headed in, but I do know that whatever road I choose, I will be able to find gainful employment.

 

adoption law, Bryan Adams, career, education, encouragement, good things, hire me, hope, job search

 

Ending my radio silence … (A long post)

There is a lot to say. A few weeks ago I sent a memo to the shareholders asking if I could work a reduced schedule. I didn’t hear anything about my request until last Friday.

But before I get to that, let me tell you where it all went south. Early last week, my supervising shareholder yelled at me, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. The specifics of why are unimportant, needless to say it was unprofessional, unnecessary, and humiliating. It was the last straw. I went home that night and told my husband that I would begin looking for a new job immediately, and I did.

Now, I have done a lot of soul searching lately, and it has led me to the conclusion that life in a law firm is not for me. I am not sure I want to continue practicing law at all, but if I do it has got to be on my own terms.

So, I am diligently looking for new employment. And I am not restricting myself to attorney positions. Actually, I am seriously considering taking a sabbatical from law and doing a little teaching.

A long time ago, when I dreamed of working for the love of it instead of the money, I wanted to be a college English professor. What could be better, I thought, than spending my life surrounded by books and poems that I love, and getting my kicks from correcting students’ grammar. But I didn’t pursue it because I saw working toward a degree in English as impractical. What could I do with it besides teach? No, I chose a degree in business administration because that would be far more useful to me. And it has been.

But a week ago, when I was sharing my woes with a friend, she mentioned that the high school she works at is looking for an upper level English teacher and she thought I might be a good fit. I took it as some sort of a sign. I called the principal of the school the next morning to let her know I am interested. She left me a message in return saying she is also interested. (She has been at a principals’ conference for several days so we haven’t connected yet). In the interim, I have applied for a temporary teaching certificate, thinking it is probably worth the $60 fee to have a back up plan.

I contacted the people I know whom I admire most and asked for their help. The idea is to find a job that not only allows me to spend more time with my daughter, but that will also give me the kind of personal fulfillment that my present job is completely devoid of. The plan was simply to keeping working where I am until something better comes along.

But last Friday, the plan changed, though not that much. I was informed by the shareholders that I was no longer being considered for partner. They drafted a killer cya memo about why I was out of the race, but we all know it was because I had made my daughter my first priority. I knew it would happen, but I am still very disappointed. And all they really did was move up my timeline for leaving.

So now the plan is to be out of here by January 1st.

I will be posting about my search for a new job until I find one.

Prospects as of December 4th:

• Part-time attorney – Outlook: not good
• High school English teacher – Outlook: promising (but “ouch,” talk about a pay cut)
• Unemployed – Outlook: very likely (but on the plus side I would get a lot more time with my little girl)

 

attorney, changes, disposable income, education, English teacher, going solo, hire me, job search, new job, old job, part-time, rant, teacher, time well spent, trying new things, unemployment, venting, wish me luck

 

The Billable Hour Dilemma …

It happens every month. The shareholders make a point of emphasizing billable hours. You should have as many as possible. Bill, bill, bill. Don’t let a billable opportunity escape you.

And then in the middle of the month, the pro-formas are run. Shareholders scurry around the office trying the get everyone to review the mock-ups before bills are run. Inevitably, I am questioned about the amount of time I spent on a file. “Why do you have 7 hours on this file?” The answer I give them in my head goes something like “because you didn’t tell me that the documents I needed to get the title corrected were not in the file and I had to find a deed from 1912 in order to get you an answer to your ‘quick question.’” I have thus far refrained from lecturing the shareholders on their sometimes unreasonable expectations.

This creates a problem for associates. We can write down the time we actually spend on a task, make our billable hours, and then be harassed by the billing attorney who claims he cannot send out a bill for that much money. Or, we can write down what we think will be an acceptable amount of time for the task done and watch our billable hours slowly but surely shrink, and then be harassed by a supervisor for not being more productive.

This is the main reason I am against the billable hour. For most of what I do, a fixed or percentage fee would be more appropriate. But the shareholders around here are “old-school” and wouldn’t dream of messing with our billable hour requirement (unless of course it was to increase them).

I think this is a problem for most associates at most law firms. It has been everywhere I have ever worked. What say the rest of you?

 

associates, billable hours, billing, common sense, fed up, partner, shareholder

 

The Vicious Experience Cycle

I have always wanted to be a writer. I started writing my first novel when I was 13 years old. I quickly realized I didn’t have the attention span to write a whole book. So I turned it in to a short story and won honorable mention when I entered it into a local writing contest.

I tried to be a writer several times since. Most of the time I have to give up on the effort because my real job is getting in the way. But in light of my recent circumstances, I thought maybe it was worth pursuing again.

I’ve been cruising the freelance boards trying to find an assignment that suits me, something small to help me get back into the writing game. The problem is that all of the assignments I have seen require previous publication, something I am technically lacking. I’d like to build a small portfolio, but I can’t seem to get that first gig.

So how do I break through the “need experience to get experience” cycle?

Any freelancers out there with any thoughts?

experience, freelance, hire me, writer, writing

 

A Little Bit Calmer Now …

Came home. Vented to the Hubby (the wonderful Hubby who assured me it would all work out all right and then prayed with the baby and me). Vegged in front of Dancing with the Stars.

Tomorrow morning I will prepare a memo for the shareholders outlining my plan to work part-time and see how they take to it. (I should do it tonight, but have a feeling it would sound too defensive.)

And now I have found Pillow Talk on cable so I will not be doing anything requiring actual concentration. Doris Day and Rock Hudson are always good company.

 

calmed down, Dancing with the Stars, Doris Day, part-time, Pillow Talk, Rock Hudson