Today's the day. It's the last day of term and this afternoon I head off to The Gambia with 4 teachers and 24 students for a fortnight of science teaching in 4 Gambian schools. I'm nervous and excited and being pulled about as far out of my comfort zone as it's possible to go.
Still no word from the interview I had last week, so it looks like I'll be staying put for the foreseeable future and I guess next year will bring a whole new set of challenges and surprises. Looking forward to a break first though. :)
Friday, 27 June 2014
Friday, 20 June 2014
Almost there
Today feels very much like the end of term. It's not, as we still have another week to go, but today is the last day of teaching this academic year. Next week all the students will be attending various activities as part of our second annual ArtsFest and all the teachers are involved too but thankfully none of the fun and games will be happening in my area!
My main job over the next few days is to empty lab 2. Over the summer the computer room next to my prep room is being converted into a physics lab and lab 2 is being refurbished and handed over to chemistry so I have to get everything useful out of there and into temporary homes. It's a big job, but strangely satisfying (so far). Of course once we return at the end of august I'll be moving a lot of stuff again as I get my new lab 1 kitted out and ready for action.
No word yet from the interview I had earlier in the week. :(
My main job over the next few days is to empty lab 2. Over the summer the computer room next to my prep room is being converted into a physics lab and lab 2 is being refurbished and handed over to chemistry so I have to get everything useful out of there and into temporary homes. It's a big job, but strangely satisfying (so far). Of course once we return at the end of august I'll be moving a lot of stuff again as I get my new lab 1 kitted out and ready for action.
No word yet from the interview I had earlier in the week. :(
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Interview
Well, in the end I wasn't the only job applicant and yesterday, along with 3 others, I went along for an interview.
It's always interesting to have a look around another school and mostly I really liked what I saw. Sadly the bit I wasn't so keen on was the science department. I think it has potential but some serious money needs to be spent on the labs. It's a much smaller school than I have ever worked in before - about 330 pupils, 6 science teachers, 4 labs. In a way I think that could be very nice as you'd get to know everyone quite quickly and it was emphasised that everyone is expected to get involved in school life beyond their own department. That could be a good thing, I don't know.
The interview process itself consisted of 3 separate interviews with the Head of Science, the Principal and the Vice-Principal. This was the first time I've ever been interviewed by a Principal! All 3 clearly had different aspects that they wanted to find out about. The Head of Science was obviously interested in my credentials as a technician and my skills, the Vice-Principal mainly asked about ways in which I could benefit the school as a whole and my skills and experience outside of science, and the Principal seemed to want to find out who I am as a person, I suppose to decide whether I would fit in.
I felt as though I made a good impression but the one thing no one could tell me was what the hours or salary are likely to be! Those are fairly major considerations and it does seem odd that they couldn't even hint at a ballpark figure. It sounds as though there's a bit of a restructuring of the staff going on at the moment which I guess is fair enough, but if they did offer me the job there's no way I could accept if they can't give me those sort of details.
Last night after I got home I had a call from my best mate (Head of Biology at the school concerned) who told me off the record that I'm definitely the Principal's preferred candidate but that everyone is going to sleep on it and I may hear something by the end of today.
However... I have now been offered a big juicy carrot by my current school. I knew that going for an interview would shock them into action and they have proved me right. It's a carrot that I won't get until this time next year but it's a good carrot. Can't really say too much because it's all a bit unofficial at the moment.
So now we wait.
It's always interesting to have a look around another school and mostly I really liked what I saw. Sadly the bit I wasn't so keen on was the science department. I think it has potential but some serious money needs to be spent on the labs. It's a much smaller school than I have ever worked in before - about 330 pupils, 6 science teachers, 4 labs. In a way I think that could be very nice as you'd get to know everyone quite quickly and it was emphasised that everyone is expected to get involved in school life beyond their own department. That could be a good thing, I don't know.
The interview process itself consisted of 3 separate interviews with the Head of Science, the Principal and the Vice-Principal. This was the first time I've ever been interviewed by a Principal! All 3 clearly had different aspects that they wanted to find out about. The Head of Science was obviously interested in my credentials as a technician and my skills, the Vice-Principal mainly asked about ways in which I could benefit the school as a whole and my skills and experience outside of science, and the Principal seemed to want to find out who I am as a person, I suppose to decide whether I would fit in.
I felt as though I made a good impression but the one thing no one could tell me was what the hours or salary are likely to be! Those are fairly major considerations and it does seem odd that they couldn't even hint at a ballpark figure. It sounds as though there's a bit of a restructuring of the staff going on at the moment which I guess is fair enough, but if they did offer me the job there's no way I could accept if they can't give me those sort of details.
Last night after I got home I had a call from my best mate (Head of Biology at the school concerned) who told me off the record that I'm definitely the Principal's preferred candidate but that everyone is going to sleep on it and I may hear something by the end of today.
However... I have now been offered a big juicy carrot by my current school. I knew that going for an interview would shock them into action and they have proved me right. It's a carrot that I won't get until this time next year but it's a good carrot. Can't really say too much because it's all a bit unofficial at the moment.
So now we wait.
Monday, 9 June 2014
Job Application
I applied for a job last week. I've no idea if I actually want it or not, but at the moment I seem to be at a bit of a career crossroads. If I stay where I am then the only way to get any sort of career progression (and hence more money!) is to head down the teaching route - initially as a TA alongside my technician job and then ultimately perhaps going for QTS and moving into teaching full time or working as some weird teacher/technician hybrid. I'm still very unsure as to whether teaching is the right path for me, so my only other option is to look elsewhere for a Senior Technician post.
The job I applied for is one I normally would have ignored. The advert is for a general technician, said 'full or part time' and there was no indication of salary or working hours given which generally suggests to me that it probably wouldn't be worth my while. However, I happen to have a bit of background information on this one.
You see, my best friend is the Head of Biology at this particular school and is very keen for me to apply. At the moment they have a full time technician and a part time assistant. The full timer is now retiring and it looks as though they are waiting to see what sort of applicants they get before deciding whether the part timer gets more hours or whether they appoint a new full time technician. I also happen to know that as of 24 hours before the job closed, they had no applicants at all (mine was a bit late!).
In theory this could put me in a strong position. I've got lots of experience and I know that physics specialists tend to be a bit of a rarity. If I get an interview, and like what I see, I could try to push for a better salary and see what happens. Even if I decide I don't fancy it, or they aren't offering a good enough deal, the fact that I've applied for something else might give my HoD the kick up the backside he needs to get on to HR and sort out my contract and start the process of deciding what my TA salary should be. Could be onto a win-win here!
The job I applied for is one I normally would have ignored. The advert is for a general technician, said 'full or part time' and there was no indication of salary or working hours given which generally suggests to me that it probably wouldn't be worth my while. However, I happen to have a bit of background information on this one.
You see, my best friend is the Head of Biology at this particular school and is very keen for me to apply. At the moment they have a full time technician and a part time assistant. The full timer is now retiring and it looks as though they are waiting to see what sort of applicants they get before deciding whether the part timer gets more hours or whether they appoint a new full time technician. I also happen to know that as of 24 hours before the job closed, they had no applicants at all (mine was a bit late!).
In theory this could put me in a strong position. I've got lots of experience and I know that physics specialists tend to be a bit of a rarity. If I get an interview, and like what I see, I could try to push for a better salary and see what happens. Even if I decide I don't fancy it, or they aren't offering a good enough deal, the fact that I've applied for something else might give my HoD the kick up the backside he needs to get on to HR and sort out my contract and start the process of deciding what my TA salary should be. Could be onto a win-win here!
Friday, 6 June 2014
Group 4 headaches
As part of the science part of their IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma, our lower 6th students have to complete something called a Group 4 Project.
We take the whole group off timetable for a couple of days, and they have to work together in small teams to carry out an experiment and then report their findings to the rest of the group. They are marked on their teamwork and presentations rather than the quality of the experiment.
In the past we have always given them around half a day to plan their experiment and draw up their requisition list and then we as technicians have a week to get the equipment together before the experimental session. This year, however, my HoD decided to let them start the experimental work on day 1. I can see some benefit as they are getting to try out and develop their ideas, but from a technician point of view it is turning out to be a nightmare!
Roughly every 90 seconds I'm getting a knock at the prep room door and usually find a queue of 3 or more students all wanting stuff. They're only asking for little things each time but it's adding up to one big headache especially as many of them are not physicists and don't really know quite what they want. I had one very sweet lad come down from biology who said 'I need something, I think it's called a power pack'. You should have seen the look of terror on his face when I asked what voltage he needed and whether he would like stepped or continuously variable. Then I had to show him how a croc clip works.
They've gone to lunch now, but will be back in about an hour. I'm tempted to lock myself in a cupboard and refuse to come out!
We take the whole group off timetable for a couple of days, and they have to work together in small teams to carry out an experiment and then report their findings to the rest of the group. They are marked on their teamwork and presentations rather than the quality of the experiment.
In the past we have always given them around half a day to plan their experiment and draw up their requisition list and then we as technicians have a week to get the equipment together before the experimental session. This year, however, my HoD decided to let them start the experimental work on day 1. I can see some benefit as they are getting to try out and develop their ideas, but from a technician point of view it is turning out to be a nightmare!
Roughly every 90 seconds I'm getting a knock at the prep room door and usually find a queue of 3 or more students all wanting stuff. They're only asking for little things each time but it's adding up to one big headache especially as many of them are not physicists and don't really know quite what they want. I had one very sweet lad come down from biology who said 'I need something, I think it's called a power pack'. You should have seen the look of terror on his face when I asked what voltage he needed and whether he would like stepped or continuously variable. Then I had to show him how a croc clip works.
They've gone to lunch now, but will be back in about an hour. I'm tempted to lock myself in a cupboard and refuse to come out!
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