I can’t remember exactly how old I was, 19, maybe 20. I’d been working there for about a year and it was my first registered job, which means that I was a trainee teacher before. This was a place that I really liked to work at. The atmosphere was great, I got along well with my co-workers, my coordinator (to whom I am so grateful for) and even the secretaries.
It was summer, most teachers were on vacation. I was teaching one-to-one and was also responsible for placement tests. My coordinator and I stayed in touch and she supported me from a distance.
One day this student came looking for a one-to-one program. She needed a teacher to help her with the test she was going to take in a few months. As the program would be created from scratch, my coordinator and I agreed that payment should not be the same. I had to talk to the school owner and negotiate with him.
I had a meeting with the school owner and we didn’t come to an agreement. The discussion was civil, he didn’t seem upset. I was not teaching that student. What I didn’t know is that I wasn’t teaching anyone else anymore at that school.
The following day or a few hours later, I can’t recall, the accountant calls me to go to his office and give him some documents because I had been dismissed. I talked to my coordinator on the phone and she advised me to go there and try to talk to the school owner. It was useless. He barely looked at me and said ‘I don’t want to talk to you, teacher’. Yes, he used to address all teachers not by the name, but calling them ‘teachers’.
Some months before the infamous talk with my boss, I had started working at another language school. The pay was better and there were benefits. I was very happy to be working for those two institutions.
It was probably a good thing. If I hadn’t been dismissed, I’d have kept working at the school that paid less and offered no benefits and for one simple reason: because I liked it there.
Rejection hurts.
In today’s episode, I will talk to a teacher who doesn’t even understand why she was fired. You will also see a fun new segment. I hope you have as much fun watching as I had making this episode.
I would love you to help her. Any tips for her new job?
T.