My goodness. I don't think I've ever written a job application and received an invitation to present myself quicker than today. I had decided I'd apply for a history prep course teacher's position, because the job description fit me better than well.
The company asked for an informal application via email, which I finally sent them today, about 10 a.m.. The deadline, according to the job ad, is on the 13th (which is Sunday), so I didn't expect to hear anything from them until on Monday, at the earliest.
You can imagine my surprise when I answered my phone this afternoon (around 5 p.m.) and it was a cheery sounding woman calling about my application. She asked me a few questions (like the topic of my thesis and so on) and told me I was invited to give a sample lecture next Tuesday. Whoa! That, my friends, was some quick action! Seven hours from sending the application to a sort of a job interview and an invitation to give a sample lesson. Seven hours! Yay!
So, come next Tuesday, I'll be lecturing for about half an hour about any aspect of 19th century history (the catch being that there's only one person listening). Wow. That should be a piece of cake. I was given advice that the lecture should show my expertise on the matter (no prob, in a week I can become an expert on anything, heh), give proof of my presentation skills (should be no problem either) and on top of it all it should be motivating. Aren't I always? :) I already chose a topic, which I can easily connect with the actual university entrance exam (I had to study the same subject for my exam way back when...) and which will sound interesting. I hope. :)
All in all, I'm feeling pretty good about this - I hope there are no better qualified candidates around... The lady on the phone said that they only invite a few of the best candidates to give a sample lecture, so I'm already one step ahead. Whee! The job's not going to involve more than 30 hours of teaching though, so we're not talking about fortunes here, but hey, I'm not complaining. I'll take anything I get and if the job fits my specific field of education, I'm going to be even more glad about it. So, keep your fingers crossed for me on Tuesday!
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5 comments:
Johanna,
Good luck with your lecture, I know you will do a good job. Now about the bed thingy you referred to in your earlier blog, the proper term my dear is cot. That is what we paramedics place our patients on to transport them to the hospital. Ah the thankless job of a paramedic, glad to see they get no more respect in Finland than we do in Newton.
Greg
Wow, that sounds really good. Good luck with the interview!
Wow, that's great! I remember it took very little time from them to contact me too last year (and then again the actual decision process was a bit of a disaster and I didn't hear of my selection until very near the actual starting date but that's another story). Was your contact T.R. or someone else? She sure is cheery...
I'm sure the sample lecture will be a piece of cake (What? You are not going to tell how Mr. Darcy is the very culmination of the 19th century maleness?) and I'd be happy to hear your first hand impressions right afterwards (remember you doing the same for me a year ago?) :) The usual place?
Thanks for your support, guys. :)
Greg - in real life I do respect paramedics, but since this was a dream in which I had a breadloaf growing out of my neck, the realities of the situation were a bit crooked... :) Besides, I don't like anyone calling me Mrs, since I'm not one. Thanks for the word, though, I couldn't for the life of me come up with it.
Tytti - yup, T.R. was the chirpy person on the phone. And you know, I did momentarily think about lecturing about the world of Jane Austen's novels, but then I thought about it a bit more and chose the easier path of the history of the railroad travel. :) I'd be happy to report all my blunders to you over a cup of coffee after I'm done with the sample lecture. Same place, time to be announced later. ;)
Top Position Fast was actually the information I was looking for when I found your blog. That was fast is certainly a great topic Johanna... Are you interested in trading links between our sites?
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