I recently interviewed for a teaching position in NJ and was fortunate enough to get a call back offering me the position. Needless to say I gladly accepted :haha: I was offered a firm handshake and a verbal commitment to my acceptance of the position with an agreement that the principal had pulled the position and stopped interviewing for it. It was also my confirmation that I would not seek or accept employment elsewhere while my information was forwarded to human resources for my contract. A week has passed and I was informed that there was some snafu in communication on the position vacancy. hmy: and that the timeline to "hire anyone" vs from a list of displaced teachers with tenure had passed. I am devastated! They advised me that they would be seeking approval from someone higher up in regard to their budget and making things "right". But what does that mean my contract hasn't been drafted and school starts next week! :help: Has anyone heard of a situation like this happening before? If so what happened/ what are your thoughts? I'm hoping this "approval" process doesn't take too long or get in the way of my opportunity. I was super happy about the position but now not so certain that a verbal commitment will stand up. Back to square one???!!
No reply from here yet but getting a bit discouraged the more I read past posts on how verbal agreements aren't anything without having it on paper.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you, unfortunately as much as the p likes you he isn't the final word. Verbal contracts do work out (I had one) but hr is usually a mess and I didn't stop interviewing until I had that letter from hr. I say, start looking and IF something happens at the school great, but like my Mom loves to say, don't put all your eggs in one basket . Best of luck, clearly a p liked you so more will!
I am really sorry this happened. I wish I had more information for you or knew how these type of things worked. Is this a large district? Having just interviewed for a fairly large urban district in NJ I realized it is truly unorganized and it was disappointing for me. I really hope you get more information soon.
A verbal offer is technically just as valid as a written one in the state of NJ. However, take a look at written contracts and how lengthy they usually are...for anything. I am guessing that the conversation you had where you accepted the offer did not cover all of the details of a standard contract (ie...background and drug test contingencies, verification of teaching credentials, etc...), so that is probably working against you. I used to work in the legal industry and have seen many verbal offers go south. Essentially, if you want to get litigious, the burden of proof will be on you. As well, was a start date ever given on said verbal offer? That is usually the first thing used to determine whether a conversation constituted a "verbal offer". No start date=no offer in the eyes of the law (in NJ anyway). Another thing to consider is "primary estoppel". This means that, essentially, any damages you can recover are based on work you would have lost due to the agreement. In other words, if you had quit the job you currently have to take this new one, then you would definitely want to seek legal advice. However, if all you did was stop looking for work and were unemployed prior/didn't quit your current position then it's very hard to recoupe anything. I am not an attorney, nor is this legal advice, but if you feel your rights were violated it is always a great idea to check with an attorney. Best of luck!
Send a PM to each other. I'm curious if it's the same district. You don't have to let the rest of us know the district, just whether or not it's the same.
Thank you so much for your reply. Fortunately, I did not quit my current corporate position to accept the teaching offer. I wanted to make sure that I signed on the dotted line first. The way things are going, however, it seems like I am being asked to do so out of good faith. Replying to my main post, see there for specifics.
Update of sorts and more background info So... I get word that the superintendent plans the place these workers over the holiday wkd and send lists out to each school in the district to notify them who is being assigned to their school. :huh: What does this mean to me? The vacancies are still open but a contract will not be drafted until all is said and done with them first. Although the district is not accepting subs due to their overflow of tenured workers, I am being offered a sub position "until my contact is signed". :unsure: I am unsure how to address this. If it were any other person they would probably be jumping for joy. Not me. Why you ask? Because I'm currently employed (corporate) and had finally decided to make the big career switch from corporate to classroom. That would mean me going from stability to something that is not. Alternate route. Oh the joys. Oh did I mention that I have 0 classroom experience which many other ps looked me over bc I didn't have any. Now I am being givin the opportunity but at what cost? Who knows how these long term sub positions work? It would essentially be my classroom, the same one I would have taught if contracted. :help:
urbanteach. I know in my district if something happens and you need to teach before the contract is signed its common to get sub pay and then you receive retropay for what you should've been making.
Starting as a sub until a contract can be signed is fairly common, I had to do that for 2 weeks while the teacher I was replacing finished out her sick/personal days because she was still contracted for the position I was taking and they only allow one contract per position. I think if you really want to teach this is your best bet, but it is a risk.
I do truly want to teach but am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I've submitted my resume all over and can only assume that most ppl were not interested bc I lack the in classroom experience. I've been on 4 interviews this summer. I was clearly under qualified and under prepared for two of them. I prepped myself much better and finally got it right for this interview. If I tell the P very simply that I'd be giving up a stable position with Benefits for something that no one can guarantee me will work out, and hope that he calls me once things work out I fear that he may decide not to call me for taking the position for granted. I am usually very high on knowing my worth and value, but this is truly a predicament where I feel very low on the totem poll and feel that I need to jump at the opportunity that presents itself before me. As a lts I would generally be teaching the same class every day from the start of the school year that would also be my classroom once contracted. I fear that not taking the sub position means that they will have to fill t with someone else and not think twice about me going forward. Especially if it happens to be filled with one of the misplaced teachers with tenure.
