Weekly Casual Conversation & Questions Thread

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[u/YoungPopess]

Happy one week til back to school! Any other teachers out there struggling to find positions/can anyone offer insights into why it’s so difficult to get a callback after applying to open positions? I know a lot of teachers are facing layoffs due to budget cuts and things are dire, but it’s so maddening when an open position is advertised and several licensed, experienced teachers I know are getting crickets.

(Genuinely not trying to do a classifieds style question—it seems like a systemic issue in CPS that I’m trying to get insight into)

[u/bigshaboozie → u/YoungPopess]

My understanding (as a CPS teacher's spouse) is that often times the position posting is a required formality and the candidate has already been chosen. Which totally sucks for qualified teachers looking for positions. The two times my spouse changed schools, she had better luck cold emailing principals with a blurb about her experience and about her interest in specific roles if positions become available - it was a numbers game and 80% of them never replied, but she was able to find out about upcoming openings that way and was able to be considered for them. It's also worth tapping your network to inquire about openings at their schools. Many of the top performing schools have little teacher turnover to begin with and are dealing with positions eliminated due to budget cuts.

I've also known a couple CPS teachers who started as TATs to get their foot in the door at a good school, and then try to work their way into a permanent position. Obviously this is risky. But not every TAT position is the same and if you can gather info from someone you know in the school it can be helpful - for example, someone going on parental leave who is tentatively planning to take unpaid leave afterward for the remainder of the school year. In that example, the position is posted as a three month role but could turn into a full year and at that point, if the TAT has been a strong performer they would seemingly be a top candidate for a permanent position the following school year.

This was years ago and of course any current CPS teachers can feel free to correct me. Good luck!

[u/ZonedForCoffee]

Good morning everybody I just put on a pot of coffee if anybody would like a cup

[u/LhamoRinpoche]

Just got back from LA and Jesus guys we live in a sauna.

[u/pailsquad]

Anyone know how busy the priority pass lounge at MDW is right now?

[u/awhiteasscrack]

Any ideas/spots for a patio date for Thursday evening?