I recently applied for a new job in a field that I used to work in (and still do privately). I now teach but for various reasons think I would be much happier doing what I used to do. A recent opportunity has arisen in a post that I would really like to do. I feel I would be much more suited to this post, good at it and also would stand a better chance of being promoted in the long term. I've never really felt completely at home teaching and sometime feel that all the skills and training I have from my previous career are a bit wasted or at least poorly understood where I am just now.
I applied for the new post and was lucky to get an interview. However, I have a bit of a dilemma about getting time off for it. I will need the whole morning off work. We are very short staffed at the moment. I really don't want to have to tell my boss in advance that I have an interview, as I don't think it will be received well and if I don't get it, it will potentially be very difficult. My only other options are to ask for the time to be changed (I have e-mailed asking this but haven't heard back yet) or making up a fictional appointment or illness, so lying. I would feel very uncomfortable doing this and don't want to leave on bad terms if I do get the post, but if the time can't be changed, I may have to do this. I am trying to weigh up what would be the 'best' option - tell my boss that I have an interview for a post in my 'old' career and risk things being made very awkward for me afterwards if I don't get it, or invent an appointment and hope that they understand when I explain and that I don't leave on bad terms. What do people think? I've been agonising over it for days and have lost objectivity slightly!