As I'm going through this job hunting experience, I'm still surprised by how much I continue learning. I feel I still haven't "learned my lesson" in so many different situations.
I still find myself "slacking off" a bit on the hunt when a potentially promising opportunity pops up. Only to have that scenario not pan out, and now I've lost a week or so of serious searching and applying time.
I still know that I sometimes speak too soon. For instance, when I feel quite certain that a certain potential employer will surely be contacting me for an interview. And then they don't. Or they take longer to get in touch with me than I initially announced they would.
This is my situation today. I had a brief phone interview with a company early last week, at the end of which I was told I'd hear from them soon to schedule an in-office interview. By Thursday afternoon I still hadn't heard anything, so I emailed my contact to inquire. She assured me I'd be hearing from her the next day to schedule something. Then I didn't get that Friday call or email. I told people I would. I didn't. I wonder if I'll hear from them today.
However, things are still on an upswing for me. I'm happy to announce that I am now employed with two different tutoring companies. One is Brainfuse - an online tutoring company. The other is a local branch of Club Z! In Home Tutoring. For Club Z! I will soon be able to tutor children in their schools, after school hours, who need help through the No Child Left Behind program.
Neither company guarantees working hours. I'm employed part-time with both companies. I entered a "preferred schedule" of 25 hours/week with Brainfuse, but there's no guarantee that they will be able to regularly match what I prefer to what they need. And according to the Club Z! director, there's no end of NCLB children who need regular help. So I assume I'll be able to match up regularly with a number of students each week. But again - I'm still learning that to assume can end in very disappointing results.
Theoretically, through my work with both companies, I could potentially earn what I need to contribute to my family financially each week. But that depends on a good amount of "ifs" being successfully fulfilled. Plus, there's no guarantee when the tutoring jobs will begin to come in. Brainfuse tells me it could take up to 3+ weeks before they match a schedule for me to their students' needs. As for Club Z!, I'll be attending a meeting later this week that will prepare me to tutor the NCLB kids. Still - not all the area schools have their NCLB programs set up for the year. Most, I hear, get things started sometime in November. Some random districts may already be up and running, but I'm not sure which ones. I need to keep my driving distances in check with Club Z! - I don't want to be driving all over the state if I don't have to.
So, yes - I am employed. But, truth be told, it's a bit of an anticlimax. Not because of what I'll be doing - I've tutored off and on for over 15 years and absolutely love it! But because it's with 2 companies part time instead of 1 company full time. So no insurance benefits for me or my family. Not that we absolutely NEED those benefits, since we all are insured with 3 separate plans. But they're not the greatest plans in each case. Ideally, a full time job with proper benefits is what I still seek and still need.
On the other hand, like I said, I really do love tutoring. And the schedule I'll potentially have, even considering it's 2 different companies, will still work very nicely for me in terms of being here for Sweetie and taking care of her needs. I'm also scheduled to take my Praxis II exams in less than a month. Once I pass that, I will be that much more qualified to apply for any number of future teaching and/or tutoring positions. Yes, things are definitely looking up!
I'm still learning. And I'll soon be helping struggling kids to become better learners. There's nothing better, to me, than working one-on-one with students who are struggling or just don't care - helping them to look at subjects with a whole new view. A clearer view. A more meaningful view. A view to their future, where they are taking control of their accomplishments through the knowledge they gain via their studies.
This is the path I'm meant to be on. All is good. That much, I know. Always learning, always teaching - I love it so. This feels right. Thank you, Universe, for conspiring in my favor to get me to this place.
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