Thursday, February 25, 2016

Finally Interviewed

After two scheduled interviews that never panned out, I finally had the chance to interview for a new private school opening up in Abu Dhabi.  I could barely sleep through the night, for some reason I thought I would oversleep and miss my interview.  I awaken every morning at 5:30, so I don't know why I was so worried about oversleeping.  Lol! Today I woke up around 4:30, I tried to force myself to lay in bed and not get up until 5:30.  I could no longer lie still, so I got out of bed around 5:15 and begin to prepare.  It seemed as though time dragged until 7:00.  

My interview was via Skype and they called in at 7:07 am.  Overall, I felt like I did well.  I know I could have done better but I have this overwhelming calm wrapped around me.  I pray that this means I will get the job.  I will not hear anything until the end of next week, so I should have an update by March 4th.  Please pray along with me that hear I good news.  In the meantime, I'm still going to pursue any and all teaching jobs that interest me.

Until next time!

Sunday, February 21, 2016

The Interview

Well here it is 12:42 on a Sunday afternoon and I so want to cry but the tears won't fall.  I'm just so disappointed.  Today was my scheduled interview with a new private school in Abu Dhabi.  I woke up early, prepared myself, prayed and was sitting down in front of  my computer 30 minutes before my interview time.  I was nervous and excited that my stomach begin to ache.  By the time 11:20 came around, I was ready to get the interview started.  I waited anxiously 10 minutes after the scheduled time, waiting for the call to come through.  After 10 minutes, I checked my email again to check the day and time and I was indeed correct with the day and time.  After taking a closer look, I noticed that the time was 11:20 am UAE time.  I couldn't believe that I didn't see this before.  I guess I was so glad to finally receive an interview, I just focused on the day and time and not the time zone. 

So I immediately sent both an email and Skype message letting them know that there was a mix up in time and requested a new day and time.  After sending both messages, I calculated the time and noticed that my interview was scheduled at 2:20 am (11:20 am UAE time).  The latest I've heard of interviews taking place was 11:00 p.m., so maybe my intended time was actually 11:20 a.m. (EST).  I decided to sit in front of my computer and wait in hopes that the interviewer was running behind schedule and I would receive the call shortly.  I waited for an hour and did not receive a call.  I sent another message and email, letting them know that I was logging out but still very much interested in rescheduling an interview.  Things are not going as I had hoped they would, but I'm still hopeful that I will receive an offer.  I guess God is teaching me patience, something I'm not too good at. 

Until next time...... 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

When Will My Time Come?

Yesterday I was in a little bit of a funk, there were a few times where I wanted to shed tears.  I've been applying to schools since early November and I haven't had one interview yet.  After reading about others securing interviews and even receiving offer letters for the next school year, I couldn't help but to feel a little envious.  When will I have the opportunity to be interviewed????  Yup, I had a good ole pity party for myself, but it didn't last too long.

I remembered reading a post on one of the many groups I'm involved with on Facebook, and the person said don't wait on recruiters/agencies, if you want to teach abroad, contact the schools directly.  And so, that's what I did.  I sent my resume directly to several schools yesterday.  I even looked into schools in Kuwait, yes you've read correctly, Kuwait.  I'm finding that more and more Black educators are traveling to Kuwait to teach.  I visited one particular school's website and I was very much impressed with the diversity among its teachers.  Am I totally sold on the idea of moving to Kuwait?  No.  However, I'm not totally against it either.  As I stated before, I have to open myself up to other places if I want to become an international educator.  Of course my desired location is UAE but I'm open to other countries in the Middle East.  I would also love to work in South Africa but I haven't found anything as of yet.

Before I go I have to let you know that this morning, I received an invitation to a Skype interview for this Sunday.  The interview is for a new private school in Dubai.  I can't get too excited because I've been in this position twice, only to have the interview cancelled or postponed.  I will remain hopeful and pray that the interview does take place and that I interview exceptionally well!  Pray for a sistah!

Until next time...