Initially, I had an exceptionally wonderful first impression in my first interview. The owner of the school seemed genuine and heartfelt, and I could tell she really loved what she does for the children of the school. After receiving an offer of employment, I had to decline due to the exceptionally low salary (I have a Bachelor's, Master's, and 7 years of teaching experience). The owner reached out and asked for a second conversation, wanting to see if we could negotiate the salary that I was looking for. This was flattering, and I accepted a second "interview" right away. I was then asked to come in to visit the school and meet some of the teachers and students. The visit went well, but I did notice there was very little professional development, training or curricular rigor in place. This was an area of concern for me, but I kept an open mind. I was asked to come in for the following week to work (for pay) with the students and see what I would need as a teacher (resources, materials etc.) should I accept the position. At this point, the owner had offered me $4 extra an hour as a salary negotiation. I inquired about benefits etc and was told there were no benefits, no RRSP's, and a total of 5 sick days for the entire year. I was also told that teachers were expected to collect EI during the summer as they were not paid. I did a full-day trial the following week, and was put in charge of a classroom of students with varying grade levels, cognitive and verbal abilities, and behaviours. There was minimal structure, and I was told on many occasions by the owner herself that she was trying to get one of her teachers to quit. This type of talk seemed unprofessional and alarming, but I continued to keep an open mind. During a point in the day, another employee was set up to talk to me, and offered that she could answer any questions about the school, "except don't get (her) started on the pay". This seemed to be a red flag for me considering she had been with the school for years. Upon the conclusion of the day, I told the owner I would be in touch that evening and that I required some time to think about accepting the offer. Keep in mind that I would be taking a $22,000 pay cut to do close to double the work that I do currently at my current place of employment as a special education teacher. I sent a polite email expressing my gratitude for the trial run and visit, but that I would have to decline as I would not be able to commit long term due to the low salary, and little room to grow salary wise in the coming years. As a teacher, I am used to the salary grid, however, as a private school, they do not pay on such a grid. I expressed that out of respect I would not want to commit short term, as I felt that would be unfair. The email I received back was short, rude and questioned why I didn't believe I could "grow" with the school. I replied immediately and reiterated that my financial responsibilities could not be met with such a salary, and it was no reflection of the owner or the school. I received an email a couple days later asking for my email to send me pay (as promised) for the day worked. I expressed that it was not necessary to pay me, and I was grateful for the experience. Zero response back, and zero pay. As much as I initally loved the idea of the school and the owner, I felt as though my choice to decline the offer was met with hostility, and after reading numerous other reviews on here, I would have to say that I feel as though I made the right choice in not accepting the position.
