In my first week I had three interviews for three very different jobs.
The first was as a tutor with Sylvan Learning Center. They hired me and I've
been working there a few nights a week. Next was an ESL teaching position, but
I never got a call back. The third was for an aide at a special education
preschool (Renfrew Educational Services), which I was offered, but turned down
because I was hoping for something bigger. Something with the Calgary Board of
Education.
The CBE is a monster. They are the only school district in Calgary, so
they are huge. They actually do a good job at educating kids, but they have
quite the bureaucracy, which always gives people something to complain about.
Most teachers I have talked to say that it's not the best place to work for,
but their compensation and benefits are incomparable. Apart from teaching at a
special education school, this was my only ticket to teach in Calgary. It is
very competitive to get on board with CBE. Here is the process:
1. Apply online for a
job as 'Teacher'.
2. Get a screening
interview. Your responses are typed out by the interviewer into a system that
runs on a number of hoity-toity algorithms that will determine whether or not
you are qualified to teach for the great and powerful CBE.
3. You are sent a
letter. If you pass the screening, you are added to their sub list. If not, you
are not allowed to reapply for two years.
4. Try to sell yourself
to every school you sub at so they will hire you if they have an opening. If
you do not sub, you are not known.
5. Schools will choose
candidates to interview from the pool of subs/applicants, favoring those they
already are familiar with, obviously.
6. Boom, you're in.
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| Creepy alien statues that make up the CBE logo |
It's not exactly 'Boom, you're in', though, is it? I was lucky enough to
know someone with a contact in recruiting and scored a screening interview. I
went into a room where a man asked me questions and typed my repsonses.
Hopefully the computers will deem me a worthy candidate, but I won't get my
letter for two weeks. I feel like my interview went really well, but more
importantly, apparently, is the fact that I am a man and can teach elementary
(my masters degree qualified me for K-12. Ka-ching!). I've spoken with several
teachers and administrators who all have said that any man in special education
at the elementary level will be a shoe-in to find a job in the district.
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I had seriously just written that when I received a phone call from my
contact in recruiting who told me that they are officially hiring me. Apparently my offering was acceptable to their hiring gods (which are depicted in the statues in the logo), and the recruiter pulled some strings to make it happen for me now. I heard later from a friend that at her school a teacher couldn't get a sub and Lori had to call someone and tell them they could work even though their paperwork hadn't been fully processed. I really just feel blessed for what happened. Some people apply and reapply for years without ever even getting an interview, so this is exciting for me. I just have a lot less to write about getting a job in Canada.
Congratulations Keith!
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