I am finding myself in a tough situation.

Anonymous

August 21,2022 at 1:38PM UTC

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I am finding myself in a tough situation. I am an educator with a Doctorate in Education, 25 years of experience as an educator, 13 as a Principal and 20 as an Adjunct Professor. I left a position (on a positive note) that I had relocated to at the end of the 19-20 school year - the Covid year - to move back closer to my family because of Covid. I have been searching for a position for a year and a half while teaching at several colleges part time. It’s been difficult - I’m either overly qualified (I would welcome the opportunity to return to the classroom) or the administrative position has already been spoken for. In essence, I would get to the very last step only to not gain the position. I’ve finally been offered an opportunity as an administrator. It took 4 weeks to finish a background check but I patiently waited. I was only cleared a few days ago but excited to start. It’s still taking long to finalize everything but I did have an opportunity to speak to the outgoing administrator. During our discussions I was told that, as principal, she arrives at the school for 6:45 early arrivals and remains until dismissal of the after school program at 7pm. I was quite surprised and I’m unsure how to proceed. I need a full time position but I’ve never heard of such an excessive schedule. It’s expected that the position, by definition is unpredictable. However, the school is at least an hour away from my house - I don’t mind traveling at all and have done so previously - but this never came up in the 3 interviews and we only discussed my availability for various school events after school. At this late juncture, I’m not happy about this development. I need the job but this just doesn’t seem reasonable. Any advice would be welcome.

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Alexis GladstoneAugust 21,2022 at 2:45PM UTC
Congratulations on your new job! You've been patient and it paid off. Here are some questions thoughts:
During the interview process did you specifically ask questions around expectations about the hours/what a day looks like other than the extra after school events? It's important to know if those hours are expected or if the outgoing administrator has made a choice to work this way. If you're unsure, who can you ask?
If it was a choice and not a requirement but the school has gotten used to someone around, what does the team look like, where these hours be able to be shared?
The way you've described it, it sounds like it was their way of working but definitely something I would want to get clarity on before starting.
Keep us posted.
AnonymousAugust 21,2022 at 6:58PM UTC
Thanks so much for your reply.
There were 3 interviews and a lot was discussed surrounding expectations for what the board and pastor were looking for to move the school forward. My experiences were used as a springboard to asking what I would look to do with the school. I didn’t ask about hours specifically because it’s usually expected that the school leader is there a little earlier and later than faculty and staff. I was told that there are events that take place throughout the year and I would have any problem with that and I said not at all - I expect there to be events where my attendance is necessary.
I agree it sounds like this individual chose this option. This came up because I asked to describe the typical day, with the understanding that most days are not typical. The response was there is an early at 6:45am early for early drop off and the day typically goes until 7pm because there is an after school program. I asked if she remained until that time and she said yes. I don’t know anything about the team. Unfortunately once the background check was supposed to be started, it took a month. Delayed follow up outside of my input took place, hence the extended amount of time it took. The only person I would be able to ask at this point would be the board president, who has been my point of contact. I do want to say how kind the individuals have been and the continued gratitude they’ve shown me at my acceptance of the position. But I am still uncomfortable … I feel that clarification is needed before I move further. I am eager to hit the ground running and have no misconceptions about the needs of a leadership role. I don’t want it to seem I don’t want to work because I do - I’ve been waiting for this opportunity but I am also concerned about these specific hours being an expectation. I do feel I need clarity as well. I am giving up at least 2 college classes to make this shift and I am someone who believes in transparency. I don’t want to put the school or myself in an uncomfortable position if I start and cannot adhere to this kind of daily schedule.
Alexis GladstoneAugust 21,2022 at 7:05PM UTC
It definitely sounds like you should have the conversation with the president to put your mind at ease. If you'd like a sounding board to help frame it feel free to reach out, though it sounds like you've adept at these things!
Good luck.
AnonymousAugust 22,2022 at 12:35PM UTC
Split those duties with your Assistant Principal. There’s no reason for you to work those long hours if you feel comfortable delegating the time and tasks. Sounds like the outgoing Principal didn’t trust anyone else to run the ship in her absence. By giving responsibilities to others, you are mentioning them to step into their next roles and that’s what good leaders do.
AnonymousAugust 22,2022 at 4:43PM UTC
Congrats on the job offer! So as an ex-teacher/school administrator, and having spent some time in a parochial school, here are my thoughts. As you already know, it’s assumed that the hours are going to be long. 12 hour days aren’t abnormal, but having 12 hour days 5 days a week plus weekends is. However, can you find out the reasons for the long hours? Are they perhaps ‘typical’ for the start of the year but then taper off? It could be that the principal is looking at their current typical day prepping for/starting the school year, and not, say, a typical February day. Next, I would ask what the teachers’ typical hours are, not just yours. If they stay past 4/4.30, why? Is it structures that the current head has put in place? Do they actually need to be there? Alternatively, do they leave the second school finishes? Is the team fragile and negative, causing staff to leave asap? Or are they ridiculously overworked, leaving a lot to the principal? Is the head teaching/is there sufficient staffing, or is the head being pastoral staff/finance manager/nurse/behavioral specialist/receptionist/etc.? If you haven’t already, I personally would try to do some reconnaissance. Can you possibly send a friend out to go to the church on Sunday on the pretext of looking for a potential school for their child, for example, and maybe talk to a teacher or two? You may get some useful information. Or if you feel uncomfortable with this, perhaps ask to interview some teachers before confirming your acceptance.
I can’t tell from your post whether it’s the hours you’re concerned about or whether you’re concerned about the reason behind the long hours. My personal issue would be understanding why the current head feels the need to work excessively and whether it is possible to change expectations over time. I had one job where I routinely worked 16 hour days, but was able to make systematic changes over time and eventually was able to delegate some work to employees wanting to grow and move into admin, reducing my hours closer to a normal 8 hour day (I had full autonomy, so was happy.) However, I’ve also worked in jobs with crazy hours where it was impossible to make any changes due to poor leadership/oversight - I left those roles pretty quickly. It’s going to be tough to take on a role where the current principal has made unrealistic work hours the norm, as parents, students, board members, and the pastor are likely to expect you to be available at least as much. Are you ok with it temporarily until you can grow and develop your staff and retrain the community on what is reasonable to expect?
On a different note, if you take the job and enjoy it, is there a possibility you could move closer to the school? A two-hour daily commute is a not fun in the best of circumstances, but particularly onerous when long hours are expected, and a real pain when you have evening events and can’t go home between end of school and the events. Research shows that a short commute is one of the primary indicators of happiness.
Anyway, hope some of the above help - I hope it works out for you!