Now I'm Hired, Now I'm Not, But Wait There's More ...

**David Chin** · 07-23-2007, 08:25 PM

As some of you may know, I quit my job as a restaurant manager because I thought I had an offer of employment as a chef instructor.

I went to Arizona, visited the school, met the CTE director and the building administrator, reviewed the plans for the $100,000 state of the art commercial kitchen, recommended $9000 in purchases for culinary tools, took an inventory of existing textbooks, made arrangements with an executive chef to accept seniors as culinary externs, and literally began work on a two year vocational ed curriculum.

So what happened? I was never offered a contract. A school board member passed away, so the board never met to vote approval for my employment.

This wouldn't have been a problem save for the fact that there's a mining boom in the area. All available rental housing is gone. Since the school in question is in a remote area, the school actually maintains a small apartment complex for teachers. Housing is available on a first come-first serve basis ... but without a contract, I can't apply for housing and I've been told that units are filling up fast.

The building administrator recently returned from vacation. I understands that he wants to recommend me for employment at the next board meeting.

In the meanwhile, the CTE director for this school was at a state vocational ed conference and surprise-surprise, she heard of a vacancy for the position of chef instructor.

Amazing enough, she recommended me for the job and I got a call this morning from the building administrator of this other school. When could I visit the school? When could I relocate to southern Arizona?

The school in question already has an established culinary arts program. The current program has been in existence for fifteen years and includes 4 kitchens, a walk-in refrigerator, a walk-in freezer, AND a student operated fast food restaurant complete with its own commercially licensed kitchen. The culinary arts department also has a small catering service!

Best of all - all procedures are already in place. The school has an established curriculum. Housing opportunities are more abundant. The quality of life is more pleasant. All I'd have to do would be to step into this job and begin teaching.

After talking to the building administrator, I called the CTE director of the other school to see why she had recommended me for the job. Was her school no longer interested in me?

It turns out that the poor woman is terribly frustrated. She knows I quit my restaurant job to work for her district. Had everything gone as planned, I would already have MOVED to Arizona.

Instead of being in Arizona, what has happened? My contract has been delayed. The proposal for the state of the art kitchen was lost. Funding for textbooks hasn't been approved and to cap everything off, the building administrator told her TODAY that he'd like to see a cosmetology program in place by the start of the school year on August 13.

Aside from the fact that the cosmetologist in person has no fingerprint clearance without which you cannot work in Arizona schools, there is also no equipment or curriculum in place for cosmetology. The person the building administrator wants to hire is not certified and has never taught a class in her life.

I am told that the district will eventually get around to offering me a contract ... but who knows whether any housing will be available?

I am currently in the process of selling an investment property in Pennsylvania. I called my realtor to see if it would be possible for me to sign the closing paperwork within the next couple of days. Closing had originally been scheduled for Friday, July 27, but if I can sign the paperwork on Wednesday, I could fly to Tuscon that afternoon and be available for a job interview in Thursday. (The district in question is north of Tuscon).

The building administrator for the school north of Tuscon told me that his district has no other candidates for the job. If I don't take the job, the school will have to terminate its culinary program for the year.

Without having met this building administrator or seen the school, I'm already leaning towards taking this job.

Any thoughts or opinions?

**Bitsy Griffin** · 07-23-2007, 08:33 PM

I'd take it.

You seem to like and trust the CTE person. She seems to be trying her best to do good by you. You are ready to move. Go.

I'd take it.

**wag** · 07-23-2007, 09:31 PM

I agree with Bitsy. GO! It sounds much like the delayed one, only established. AND, considering how disorganized the first school is, I would be afraid to even sign with them.

**Mary/SATX** · 07-23-2007, 11:03 PM

Ditto to Bitsy & Wig - take it.

**David Chin** · 07-24-2007, 12:59 AM

Thank you for your response.

At this point I am not inclined to accept an offer of employment from the first school. The district seems to be extremely disorganized and I worry that employment with them could be an exercise in frustration.

I have now heard that two separate wholesale food suppliers have actually blacklisted the district. It seems that the district has not been prompt in paying bills ... so not only does the first school not have a kitchen (because the original proposal was lost by the district office), but even if there was a kitchen, I wouldn't be able to order food because the district has been blacklisted.

During my 17 years of teaching, I have NEVER heard of a district that was blacklisted due to unpaid bills. I find the entire idea to be extremely unsettling.

8O

BTW: the administrator of the first school? I flew out and was there for five days. He literally only gave me five minutes of his time.

The administrator for the other school? He knows I have a concern about housing and actually put together a list. He also told me that whenever I come out, he'll drop whatever he's doing and make time to see me.

On this basis alone, I'm inclined to accept the second offer.

There are many building administrators who say they care about their teachers and students but all too often this attitude amounts to nothing more than a meaningless platitude. I once worked for a school district that printed up bumper stickers that read, "At ******** District, WE CARE!"

Hah!

Wouldn't it be nice if things were that simple? If an angry parent stormed into the school's office looking to rag on some poor teacher, the school secretary could do a Vanna White impersonation. She'd stand up, display the bumper sticker and *poof* the anger would go away. Why? Because at ******** District, WE CARE!

(sigh)

**JohnBoy** · 07-24-2007, 02:22 AM

I'd go with the one that seems to want you. Those other guys, well, tough. That's what they get for not doing the best job they could.

**David Chin** · 07-24-2007, 03:23 AM

I sent my dad an e-mail about the new job offer and got a surprise.

My poor father has been so worried about me, that he nearly went to the "family closet" to contact one of my eccentric relatives.

The fact that we even HAVE a proverbial family closet was news to me. And if truth be known...

I thought I was the family eccentric.

It turns out that my family has a bona fide wastrel who by all accounts is a bit like the character "Bertie Wooster" from PG Wodehouses' "Jeeves and Wooster" series. From what I just learned, this 2nd cousin is a trust fund baby. His parents died when he was young and left him millions.

What has he done with all this wealth? He bought a yacht and spends his time cruising up and down the California coast.

My father came very close to calling this person and asking him to please invest in my future. With his financial backing, I could have opened a botique hotel ... or a restaurant ... or a retail business.

I didn't have the heart to tell my father that I wasn't interested in seed money. I ran my B&B Inn for three years and don't miss it at all. What ho, Bertie! I say, is there room on that deck for my barcalounger? So what's the plan for today? Shall we ring up Steph and Betty Lou to play another round of buccaneers and wenches? Boarders away ...

8O

Errrr ... in retrospect I can see why my father kept me away from this relative. ...

**Bananas** · 07-24-2007, 11:21 AM

How funny, David! I would go for the offer and stay away from the first offer as well.

Would your cats like riding on the yacht?

**kdoh_2000** · 07-24-2007, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Bananas

How funny, David! I would go for the offer and stay away from the first offer as well.

Would your cats like riding on the yacht?

Can you get wi-fi on the coast, on a boat? LOL! (Sorry David, you are needed here.)

**David Chin** · 07-24-2007, 07:53 PM

Well I'm off ...

I'm signing the paperwork with the title company tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be off to Tuscon.

Everything seems to have worked out rather well. The other school was going to pay me as a teacher. The new school is paying me as an administrator. My official title will be "Culinary Arts Direcor." I will apparently have two restaurant managers under me who will double as chef instructors. Their primary mission will be to oversee the operation of the school's fast food restaurant.

Staff for the restaurant will be drawn from three culinary classes. Seniors may also opt to complete their externship at the school's restaurant.

I anticipate signing contract on Thursday or Friday. The building administrator has already found a rental home for me. The rent is quite reasonable. Come the following Monday, I'll be getting ready for the movers.

Come the first week of August, I'll be on the road to Arizona!

School starts on the 13th, so I'll have to hustle!

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