Help Wanted

3/20/2012

HELP WANTED: salaried position (although  all new hires will frequently be treated as hourly employees)

REQUIREMENTS:  Baccalaureate degree with some post graduate training. Expertise outside degree area in management, motivational speaking, Psychology,  long term planning and human relations. Applicants should pay for their own fingerprinting and drug testing, and then apply at their local School Board office.

JOB DESCRIPTION:  The successful applicant will be able to multitask in a formal workplace setting 36 to 40 hours weekly plus an average of 10-12 hours working at home, frequently more, depending on work location and clientele. The successful applicant will be required to utilize limited resources, frequently bought out of pocket, applying them to a widely variant quality of input raw material to produce a product with characteristics dictated by persons who know nothing about the business.  Testing of said product will be required, with a standard level of function required regardless of raw materials input.

OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVANCEMENT:       Most hirees will remain in the same job level and description for the duration of their career, with only seniority raises, although the latter are now under scrutiny in many work locations.  During the first three years of employment, employees may be terminated by their immediate  supervisor for any number of reasons (including personal), none of which are  reviewable, appealable or contestable.     

CAUTIONARY INFORMATION:  Many outside the field consider themselves expert even if barely literate in the literature, pedagogy, or methodology. These will frequently be elected officials. Since this profession is compensated from public funding, be prepared to be blamed for waste, incompetence and to be the first target of budget cutters. In many  circumstances, management will appreciate your efforts and "have your back"; in other cases, your manager may be someone who wasn't competent at your job and was promoted to their Peter Principle level of incompetence.  You will be their shield, Judas goat and cannon fodder.  You will  also work with some colleagues who are burned out/incompetent/or lazy. Some, but by no means all,  workplace  organizations may  protect this deadwood, for whose inadequacies you may sometimes be blamed.   

BENEFITS: Although billed as a perk, the two month "break" will be the time you work the summer  job because of the low pay. Incentive pay, if available is usually determined by persons outside the individual worksite, and highly dependent upon the quality of  input raw materials, over which, as previously stated,  you have no control.

COMPENSATION: Depending on degree held, as much as $38,000 starting salary, but over the course of a 30 year career, this will probably not double even adjusted for inflation.   This remains open ended however, as at any given time, 37% of your colleagues will be contemplating leaving the profession, and 20% will quit after five years.  Finally if you decide after all the caveats to accept this job, and if you find it to be your calling, you will find it difficult to retire, because the intangible truth is, that for many of your clients, you fill the role of mentor, teacher, parent, shoulder to weep on, and you will love some of them and be the only stable influence in their lives. It's the hardest job you'll ever love.