Apply Yourself

When I closed my tutoring center at the end of last year, my plan was to do a little deferred maintenance around the house--painting and organizing--before I looked for a new job. However, the economy didn't check with me to see what my plans were! I realized that it was time to start the search process, so today I filled out an online application for a job.

Last month, a friend asked if I wanted to work part-time in her office, but the offer was contingent on one of the current employees leaving. In the end that didn't happen, so I was out of luck. All of the retail stores and restaurants in the area that had Help Wanted signs up a few months ago have taken them in. I decided that maybe it was time for me to dust off my college degree and put it to work. I have several teaching certifications (fortunately for me, they're lifetime), but haven't worked full-time in the classroom for decades. My most current experience is a bit of substitute teaching in our parish elementary school several years back, and the work I did with teens the last four years.

My first stop was the Website for Special School District of St. Louis County. The whole application process was done on-line. It was easy except for the fact that the terminology has changed quite a bit since I graduated; it was difficult to match up the (now somewhat politically incorrect) certification phrases with the current ones.

The next challenge was to find people who could be references. Since I didn't have a supervisor in my last endeavor, I had to go back several years to find people who could vouch for me. Fortunately, I was able to come up with the required number of people; after getting their permission, I mailed off the Reference Report forms to them.

I don't expect to get a full time job with my current experience. My plan is to do some substituting, as a teacher or teacher's assistant, so I have more up-to-date knowledge. I'm also going to fill out an application at my local school district and see what happens.