To say the teaching job search process during the summer of 2011, was disappointing, dismal, and hope shattering is a complete understatement.
It was all that and more.
I was pointed in the ECAP direction by a principal at a school I was subbing at with the intent of working at that school after I got certified...and then the job cuts started.
I would sit and submit applications for hours during the day. I would compulsively check job listings during the morning and then at night when I got home from my part-time job. I could email principals, heads of HR, and call schools trying to talk to anyone to just get my foot in the door. I applied to school districts in my surrounding area such as Burleson ISD, Midlothian ISD, Alvarado ISD, Crowley ISD, Everman ISD, Kennedale ISD, Fort Worth ISD, and even more.
During my pre-observations for ECAP, I would email promptly afterwards thanking them for allowing me to observe in their school and how I would love to work in their district. I continued to make my calls. I continued to send emails. I continued to take my resume in person. And do you know how many responses I got?
Absolutely zero.
At one school, I had even turned it to the principal herself and she said she'd call me in the next two weeks. Never called.
Things were looking pretty awful, and then I got a phone call! It was from Crowley ISD and they wanted me to interview for a position at one of their intermediate schools. I went in, extremely nervous, but I felt I really nailed the interview. The only hiccup was that it was an ESL certified position and I hadn't taken the test yet...and when I said that, there was a hesitation about that during the interview. Ultimately they said they decided to go with another person. Of course.
So not only am I completely terrified that I'm not getting a teaching job, but the summer ECAP training has also started. And then it gets really scary. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of interns I saw and the very few and far between jobs I was finding. All these people were competition and it was nerve-wracking.
Every morning during the ECAP summer training we would have a guest speaker, and the guest speakers sang the same ole' song--"I was in your position last year...no job....in the middle of the summer...but then I got called, interviewed, and it just happened!"
I scoffed each time I heard these stories thinking, "yeah right! They have jobs and I don't!" After summer training each day, I would return home to apply endlessly to jobs. The one district that actually continued to put job listings up was Fort Worth ISD. I applied to some general positions for Middle School teachers in science, math, social studies, and language arts.
Then one day I got an email from a principal in Fort Worth asking if I could come in for a interview the next day. I was thinking it was a mass hiring email like I had previously received for jobs at Dunbar. I called the number listed on the email, the principal answered, and I explained I was attending ECAP training and would be able to interview in the afternoon. He answered with perfect, see you then! So here was my second chance, I had to get this!
So on Wednesday, after my summer training let out, I was on my way to the interview. I went over what little research I could find on the school named International Newcomer Academy and I was armed with the "best interview questions to ask" on repeat in my head. When I went into the interview, it felt like the complete opposite from my first interview. The principal was so warm and welcoming, he joked how I was from UT and he went to A&M. It was a light and fun interview, and instead of having to repeatedly explain how could a film major/latino media studies minor possibly fit into a teaching position, he told me how fascinating that was! In fact, that is exactly what caught his eye on my application that he happened to find on FWISD's site. It was a great interview, and he said he had some more interviews to go through but that he'd call me by the latest, Friday.
Thursday, during my summer training lunch break, I received a phone call from a number I didn't know, so I answered. It was the principal. He said he was really looking forward to seeing me this next school year and recommended me for hire. The next steps would be to submit everything to HR.
Two big ironies stuck out to me....
1. An entirely ESL school hired me, even though I hadn't taken my test yet, saying that "I can do it during the school year, no big deal" when the previous school passed on me for that very reason.
2. I was now one of the cliche guest speakers...because it REALLY did happen that fast for me! (c:
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