going for a new job - am I brave enough???

[KBear]

I want to apply for a school secretary job at a local school (not the one my DD attends). It's full-time (I currently work part-time) but only term-time so 40 weeks a year. DD in Yr 1, DS at nursery so life is getting easier as regards their needs, DS going to school Sept 2006. My folks and DH share care of the kids at the moment when I'm at work.

Big decision - do a job I know I'll love and be good at (singing own praises for once) or do I stay here in a job I don't enjoy, working with people I don't like because it's secure, I've been here 15 years, it's comfy, I know everyone....and the money full-time is only a bit more than I earn part-time so money not the incentive here.

Help me decide ....

kbear - go for it, you know you want to

yes, but I'm scared.....

what are you scared of?
that you might enjoy it?
even if you don't - you're in no worse position.

Apply - during the interview process you can decide whether it's really that terrifying. You've nothing to loose by applying.

well going from working part-time to full-time is a bit jump BUT it's local and currently I work in the city so I'd be home five minutes after I left work instead of 1.5 hours. All the school hols off is appealling. Must write a list of pros and cons and see how it pans out. Definitely going to apply though and might get swept along by fate!!!

Anyone a school secretary that can put me off/encourage me???

My mum was a school secretary for over 20 years. She loved it and was part of the furniture at the school. She saw children go through the school, then saw their children go through too.

Being in a job you don't like with people you don't like is soul destroying. And all that commuting? If you add the commuting time to the working time how near to your full-time hours is it? You're gaining 3 hours a day.

Go for it, you can always pull out even if they offer you the job.

The sec at my kids' primary school has been there forever and is a gem, but she has to work with a complete cow of a head. She appears to manage by just ignoring the cow-ness (and the school would collapse in a heap without her, so she can) but the personality of the head is key to how much the sec enjoys the job IMHO. The sec also has to be prepared to put her foot down as far as not-strictly-school-business is concerned (eg the PTA have to take care of all their own admin because she has enough to do with LEA nonsense).

If the head is nice, go for it. If not, think on!

Good luck anyway.

Thanks everyone - it is alot to think about. At the moment I'm out of the house for an 11 hour day 8am-7pm. I would be out of the house from 8am-5pm so gaining two hours already so I would be home in time to cook for the kids instead of my mum having them until 7pm. Also bedtime for DD is about 7.30 (in winter more) but it would mean more time with her.

Oh, head spinning but as has been said, nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I love a busy job, I can handle pressure and love kids. I know lots of things will be different but I've reached a point where I can see myself retiring from my current job and never having tried anything else.

DH is supportive so that's one hurdle less.

Watch this space - handing in application on Monday. eeeek

Well good luck with it. Maybe once you have an interview and meet the people you'd be working with you will have a clearer idea of whether you really want to work there.

I'm glad to hear you're going for it! I have a job in a school, admin but not school sec. It's fab. Term-time only, 20 hours per week, occasional days in the school holidays for stocktaking. Walk to work instead of driving.

Gave up another part-time 52-week job for this one but when I costed it out splitting my remuneration over the full amount of time I spent out of the house for both jobs, taking into account cost of travel, etc. I'm slightly better off in this job than the last one, even though in that my hourly rate was 50% more!

Good luck

I'm just filling in the forms now to take up there on Monday and I've got butterflies - isn't it ridiculous. I've always worked in the City for big firms so this is a big difference but I have a really good feeling that I will love it if I'm lucky enough to get it!