I was told about a job at a facility for persons with MRDD. The students live at the school and attend school on campus. This program is a respite-type program, and the kids stay no longer than 45 days. The purpose of the program is to get the kids ready for school in a public setting. There are various reasons why a kid would be at the facility. The person who told me about the job knows me well. I used to teach her child. She said that she thinks I would be PERFECT for the job. She works there too, and said to give her my application/resume and she would put in a good word for me. She knows my passion for students with cognitive disabilities, and she thinks I would love it, because everyone at the school has the same interest in mind: The EC kids. (The students must have severe cognitive delays to attend the school.) Here's the great thing: I would make at least $8,000 more a year. Here's the bad thing: No breaks. Not even holidays. Only weekends. It is truly year round. Would you do it? I do love my breaks, because I have a child, and I love spending the extra time with him. Let me also add....I really, really, really need the extra money.
If I really,really needed the money I would do it. If I could make it by carefully budgeting I honestly wouldn't. Will you still have medical and retirement?. Good luck
If you really loved/wanted the job I say why not? As far as the $8,000.00 I'm sure you could find ways to make it keeping your current job and not losing your family time - if that's more important or about equal. Summer school? If there's a chance of working it, that will dent the $8,000, and not hurt your break too bad. Coaching opportunities? If you could do two sports and summer school, would that about make up the difference? Just way your options and follow your heart. I would also caution weighing job security. Compare your wage at your current position in 10 years, new schooling included, to an expected wage at the new location.
Well, I just calculated how many work days that would add to my work year which was 81. I found that if I was paid my current salary and compensated for that many more days I would have more than 25,000 added onto my salary in a year. So unless I was desperate for money I would not go for it. Especially since I love having the summer off and the christmas and spring breaks. It was interesting to see. If I was working at my salary that many more days which is around four more months I would be making quite a bit. It reiterates what I have thought for a long time, since I am paid for around 180 days I make a decent salary for that many days of work.
Yes. As a teacher, I work for the state. This is also a state job. So, the retirement and medical would be identical.
I calculated the difference as about $19,000 a year according to what I make for 180 days- so the $8,000 a year isn't enough for me to do it. But if the work environment would be rewarding and you'd make a difference, maybe. I know people here who work in a similar setting and hear horror stories. It's quite sad.
I don't think I would. My family all lives in another state, so if I didn't have holidays off, I'd be spending them alone. Not worth it to me. Then again, to me the money would be nice, but I don't absolutely need more. If it were a make or break situation where I absolutely needed the money, it might be different. I would definitely work the summer for an extra 8,000. It's the holiday part that would really throw me off. I made about 3,000 each summer working for my district's ESY program. I'm hoping to do that again this year. It was also only a 12 hour work week, so if I had needed to, I could have worked some other job too. I also worked an after school program that made me about 4,000 extra per year, and I could have done more days/hours if I wanted. I'm considering signing up for some tutoring in my current district at about 30 dollars an hour...basically you set the hours, within reason, and if you wanted to you could probably get up to 8-10 hours a week. If it's just about the money, I think there are always more opportunities. I know in both of the districts I've worked in they were pretty desperate for coaches too...for some of the "less popular" sports you didn't even have to know much about it. I was repeatedly asked to coach volleyball even though I've never played it! ETA: Another thing I thought of for your specific situation...I'm not sure about the specifics of the job, but would you still have to take work home? If you cut out all the hours you spend working on school stuff on nights/weekends and work a regular 40 hour work week, that might make up for the lost breaks.
My family (and my husband's) also live 9 hours away. This is my biggest concern about accepting the job. I feel like a lot would have to change.
Let me add that there are virtually no opportunities to make extra money in the state where I teach. We tutor kids, but can not get paid for it. We actually have a program at our school, and each teacher is required to stay at least 2 days a week to tutor, but we don't get paid. That's part of the "extra duties" part of our contract. Coaching only pays about $500 per sport, and I don't know the first thing about any sports. I was on the dance team in high school, but there is no such thing at our school.
I wouldn't take it. It sounds like you would miss holidays with your family. For me, that would be too big a tradeoff. (Unless, of course, it meant not having money to put food on the table. In that situation, I would take whatever I could get.) I think that instead, I would pick up another job-- waitressing, work in the mall, find something online, whatever. But time with Peter and the kids is important. And if you can't take off holidays, then you miss the time when your child is off. That wouldn't be worth $8000 to me.
I wouldn't do it. Spending the time with my kids and building family holiday traditions is too important. Additionally, the amount of days worked vs pay is too low. I wonder if they have any part time positions, maybe you could work a few evenings and 2 Saturdays a month or something like that. If I really needed it I would work Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, and the weekend between in retail, I have some teacher friends that have done that for extra money.
Would you be a teacher at this facility or a direct care worker? At my school, which is year-round, the teachers get major holidays and vacations (short summer breaks, winter and spring break) but the direct care staff has to work holidays. I did do direct care for a while and not having holidays off did stink but I only did it for the tuition reimbursement and the fact that I knew it would lead to a teacher job when I was done with school. Are there any other benefits to this job other than the money?
I wouldn't do it. Your children are only young once; do you really want to miss that time? As others have suggested, I would look at other was to earn more money - a summer job, a holiday season job, etc. Many teachers in my area do one or both of these to make more money.
No, I wouldn't do it. I thought from the title you meant you wouldn't get a planning period. I *might* do THAT, forgo a planning period for $8000. But give up my summer? No, don't think so. If I were desperate for extra $$$ I could find work during the summer that would put a big dent in the 8K without me having to commit to it permanently.
I would have to say... No. But money would not be an issue for me. Therefore, I truly believe this is only a decision you can make.
I would say no, because if you take this job and don't like it, the chances of getting another teaching job are so low. I would find some way to make more money, or cut my expenses, instead.
It's a teacher job. But the purpose of the program is to provide a lot of routine and structure. Therefore, if there was no school that day, the students would just be sitting in the group home with the staff not doing much.
If it were me, I definitely would not do it. But everyone's situation is different. You have to decide what is right for you and your family.
I guess it's different at my school. When the kids are in the dormitories the staff has a structured day planned. They must always have activities scheduled and go out into the community a lot. We do not need school to have routines which is lucky for me because I do like my Thanksgiving off!
Is there school on the weekends? If so, who teaches that? If not, what do the kids do all day? I wouldn't be able to take this sort of job for that amount of money. This job would add about 70 days to my school year, so an extra $8k per year is just over $100 per day. That's like sub pay, significantly less than I actually make. It doesn't seem to be a fair trade-off, especially just for "the extras" and not to actually support my family with a place to live or food on the table. Having money for "the extras" is nice, but if you never have any time to actually do "the extras", then there's not much point. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine whether you'd be willing to trade family time for more money. You might, and that's okay. You might not, and that's okay too. What does your family say about the issue?
In my opinion, the money for "extras" would come no where near close to the priceless experiences with your family that you would be giving up by taking the new job. Perhaps you can tighten the belt strings a little more...we can give you ideas if you tell us what you would need.
To put things in perspective, think of a regular job, weekends off. You only get 2 weeks vacation 10 sick days. I'm assuming a typical 40 hour week. Can you use vacation days on a holiday? Or to extend a weekend? Does the amount of vacation increase the longer you've been there? I think when my hubby started work at his current job he got 2 weeks vacation. He works at a musuem. As he's put in the years he's gained more vacation time. He's up to 4 weeks and can take it as hours or days.
This is true. My husband works in health care and sometimes he has to work on holidays. He just happened to get this coming Thanksgiving off because none of the other supervisors asked for it off (they get time and a half for holidays). He might have to work for Christmas.
The job I had before teaching had me working most holidays and I never got more than five days off at a time. One of the reasons why I went into teaching
You'd essentially be trading your family time for $8,000 a year. You need to figure out for you if it's worth it, and you absolutely need that $8K more a year because the time with your family is priceless.
Probably not. I look forward to is my breaks, especially my 2 month summer break. Best parts of the year.
To answer your question, NO. As we all know, money definitely isn't everything. I could be making about $10K more a year working the usual M-F, but still on a traditional calendar w/ all the holidays off (2 wks for Christmas, 1 week for Thanksgiving, 1 week for Easter/spring, etc.) & May 26th - July 31st off for summer. But, NO, I'm considered part-time & have EVERY Monday off & sometimes Fridays w/ all the holidays/summer off still & I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my schedule & wouldn't trade it for anything. Plus, I don't work any longer days...still normally 7:30a - 2:30p. It depends on how much you ned the money. I'm not married nor have any kids.
I would have to say no as well for all the reasons that others have stated. I just can't see giving up that family time for $8k.
I do not have children yet, so if I needed the money, I would. But after I have children, I want to be home with them as much as possible. So I would not give up the family time if the money is just for the extras.
It might be piling on at this point, but I add my voice to the overwhelming chorus of "no" votes. Don't do it!
$8000 wouldn't cover the two months of July and August at the rate I'm paid the rest of the year...add in the other missed breaks and it wouldn't be monetarily worth it for me to make the change...but if it works for you, go for it. Sounds like you'd get a great recommendation.
Decided to take my husband's advice, and apply for the job. Like he said, I don't have to accept it if it's offered (and who knows if it even will be). It would be a necessity to observe a day or two anyways before accepting the job. It would truly be a change for me.
