Whoring Around
11 May
I totally feel like a hussy at the moment, going around to kindergartens and childcare centres with my portfolio trying to sell myself to them.
Today I had two interviews, I did have three but I cancelled one of them because it was just too far away and I know that I wouldn’t be bothered to drive that far every day. The two places today couldn’t really be more different, so, for the sake of the discussion let’s call them Earthy Place and Shiny Place.
Earthy Place – A shining beacon of goodness in the world of early childhood education. Truly child centered, truly emergent, it offers a natural, stimulating environment, the staff seem awesome (and have all degrees of piercings, tattoos and dreadlocks), it supplies veggie meals for the kids and is not for profit, so everyone there is actually in it for the kids. Kinda far from my house but in an area I love!
Shiny Place – A generic, cookie cutter place. Super new, clean and sterile. Kids are allowed a fair degree of freedom but are packed with outside the classroom activities like dance, piano, computers and there is an emphasis on “school readiness” (e.g. writing with pencils, sitting on the floor nicely, following instructions). Didn’t really see other staff, pretty close to my house, fairly strict staff uniform (as far as I could tell).
My dilemma is as follows – do I take a shit kicker role at Earthy Place because it’s an excellent centre and get paid less for the sake of my morals or do I take a teaching role at Shiny Place and sell a little piece of my soul along with it? I’ve not been offered either yet, so it’s purely hypothetical but it’s still worth considering. At the moment, I am leaning towards Earthy Place. They money isn’t a huge concern of mine, not having had any income since being home means that any money is good money at this point but I am worried that by doing this shit kicker role that in the future it might make me look incompetant because I haven’t been teaching. Of course, my plan is to get into the place and then swoop on any of the teaching positions should anyone decide to move on but there is no guarantees anyone will be changing jobs, so it’s all up in the air. Also, there is no staff uniform or dress code and today I met the staff wearing all manner of things with various (numerous) visible piercings and tattoos so I’d never have to worry about my tattoos (and could easily get more!) but on the other hand, these places are incredibly rare so I fear getting spoiled by such liberal standards and will resent having to “conform” next time around.
Shiny Place offers better money but I know it will just be a job, one of those places you turn up every day, do your thing and leave. They seem to be looking for someone with half a brain and a heart beat and don’t particularly care who you are or what you do, just so long as you don’t rock the boat. I don’t have a problem with this, but it kinda feels like my school in Japan and I’d like to feel just a little like it actually matters who I am and what I do, and I’m not just there because I can inhale and expel air.
What do you think? Thoughts and feelings?? Better to take a job that pays well and just deal with the fact you are merely a cog in the big machine or take a job that won’t pay as well but that you get a degree of personal satisfaction from, despite the fact it may not be recognised in the future? Discuss!
P.S. Three nights without Miss Jones comes to an end tonight! I am so excited to see her. I will also feel much less confused once I’ve told her about all this, even if she doesn’t say anything I just need to vent to her. Plus, no sleeping alone = tops!!
Hrm. My thoughts:
Think ahead three months – where do you see yourself. If you take the earthy job, do you think it’s likely you’ll be looking for new work because you don’t have enough money to live on? It’s awesome to find work you love, but it’s gotta pay the bills….
*fingers crossed the right place chooses you!!!*
Eeny?
What a crock!
Have amended that ;o)
Personally, I’d go Earthy Place. Because life is too short to do a job that you don’t love just because the money is better.
Eeny/Enny It’s not like SHITTY money, it’s just not as good as I *could* make, plus I have a figure in mind that is my lowest pay I’d be happy with, so I am pretty sure they’d pay above that but if not, then it wouldn’t even be a consideration – I need enough money to survive and all.
Michelle, very good point. Life is too short!
Whoooops, that’s me ^^^^^^ Jen @ Jodie’s house (and subsequently, in her wordpress account)
Always, always go with what will fulfil you.
Job satisfaction and job fulfilment is so hard to find, as long as you have enough money to live off, as well as a little extra for tattoo’s, long island iced tea’s and trinkets for Jodie you have all you need.
As an aside I enjoy my job, but took the high paying job. I would gladly take a 20-30k pay cut, and still earn a comfortable wage if I had my current satisfaction level but less of the stress and responsibility.
I say Earthy.
Mostly because if I ever went crazy and decided to have children, I would want someone with tattoos and dreadlocks looking after my children. Plus I am a boat rocker, Shiny would probably fire me
i.hate.my.name also makes an excellent point. I too would want someone with tattoos and dreadlocks looking after my children. Someone running around in polo shirts would likely give both me and my children hives.