hmpf | HOLY.FUCKING.SHIT

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HOLY.FUCKING.SHIT

Just got an invitation for an interview for the three to six-year university position for which I made my Ph.D. proposal thingie in the last few weeks.

WHAT DO I DO NOW????

(Also, wtf am I doing right, now, that I apparently did wrong the 1.5 years before?)

*boggles*

*frets*

ARRRGH!

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Um... woot?

Especially the question mark.

Because now I need to decide if I want to risk the job I *got* for the job I *might* yet get.

I think you should try for it. Otherwise you'll be kicking yourself and wondering "what if" forever and a day.

Plus, your current employers don't have to know about the interview, do they?

These things always come annoyingly in clusters. I was interviewed for two jobs at the same uni once, and was immediately offered the lower-paying (and generally less desirable) one first. I decided to be completely honest and asked them to wait a day or two until I heard the outcome of the other interview, and they kindly agreed. My request was cheeky, for sure; but I explained (honestly) that because hubs was going to school, the difference in salary was something I couldn't afford to ignore. Luckily I was duly offered the higher-paying job, but I've always been grateful to the people in the first department for being so decent about it, and being willing to wait a couple of days before I gave them my response.

Not that this is analogous really, but just to say... I do really appreciate your dilemma!

Edited 2011-01-27 16:19 (UTC)

Thing is, I'll probably have to sign the contract here before I even go to the interview. So, if the university decided they want me, I'd have to back out of a contract I just signed a week or two earlier. I'm not even sure if that's legally possible; and it certainly doesn't strike me as fair to my prospective employer.

Leaving aside the question of whether it's legally possible, then...

Is there any possibility of simply being honest with your current employer, and saying that you have the opportunity to interview for the job of your dreams, and that it's too much to pass up? (But that if it's not offered to you, you're happy to sign your current contract?)

Maybe this is highly unrealistic, but then again it depends on the people you work for. (I work for the civil service now, where it's *understood* that people will job-hop, so no one takes it personally. I've even known supervisors who actually keep an eye open for better opportunities for the people under them!)

I think if they do 'corner' me before I've heard from the uni I'll have to. Not sure I should bring it up before then, though. Although I feel really bad about it.

Dude, GO TO THE INTERVIEW. If you get the job, awesome, you have choices, you can choose whether or not to accept it, and you may be able to conditionally accept it - most job offers come on the understanding you may need to work a leave period with an existing job if you have already signed a contract with the comic museum job.

If you don't get the job, you lose nothing and you don't have to wonder.

Err, addition to this - you don't have to tell the job you have WHY you're asking for time off to go to the other interview. I don't see why you need to risk the job you *got* to attend the interview for this job?

with the museum when there's a chance I may have to back out of it again almost immediately afterwards. I think I'll have to sign sometime in the next couple of weeks - i.e., probably before the university interview. So the university's decision is going to be made maybe a week or two after I've signed the contract here.

I'm not even certain it would be legally *possible* to back out of the contract. And it certainly wouldn't be fair to the museum people if I did.

Well the fairness issue is one I can understand even if I think you need to put yourself first in this instance. However, at least in the UK, I've never heard of a contract of employment that doesn't include a "notice period" even if the contract is for a fixed term? Like it's often somewhere between a week and two months depending on how long you've been there/what the job is, etc.? I don't know how it works in Germany but in the UK, you'd be legally entitled to back out of the contract as long as you offered them a fair notice period so they could hire someone else.

Yeah, there is such a thing in Germany, too, but I'm not sure if it's true for my kind of contract because it's this one-year trainee thing. Not sure if the same rules apply there. Will have to find out. But I would much prefer not to have to back out, anyway!

I don't think that starting to work there and backing out after a month would be a good option, though. The uni job would start on the first of April; the museum job on the first of March.

I also need to find out what the pay at the uni would be. It's only a part-time job (50 percent), so it would probably be quite low. Then again, museum trainees are usually only paid about as much as part-timers, so the pay could be similar in both jobs. And the uni job would be for three to six years instead of one to two, so *that's* quite attractive.

Decisions... WHY SO DIFFICULT?

An interview for a fantastic Uni job? Without the shadow of a doubt I'd say... GO FOR IT!!!

If you're unsure about the new job at the comics museum, before you sign the contract with them maybe you should just tell them that you're still waiting to hear back from some other interviews you took some time ago and therefore you would like to know the implications if you were to sign a contract now and then be called by one of the others in the near future. Maybe the museum guys won't have any objections if you decide to back out after a few weeks, provided you are honest with them in the first place.

Just my two cents here. ;)

***
P.S. - on a totally unrelated note, it looks like I'll be coming to Frankfurt either on the 11th-12th February or the weekend after that. If you're around on one of those days, can we meet up somewhere in town and hang out for a while (in a totally relaxed and unstressful way)? I'd LOOOOVE to see you in person and I'm *finally* coming over to Frankfurt after years and years of absence. What do you say?

Fortunately, the interview isn't on any of those days! ;-)

I'm definitely free on those two days, and the weekend shouldn't be a problem either.

>What do you say?

I say: AWESOME!!!!!

Also, my Skype still doesn't work, so if we want to chat (before, after, whenever), we'd need to use IM, I'm afraid. (Kind of OT here, but I just noticed we haven't chatted in what seems like years. Probably just *a* year, but still, that's too long, too!)

Oh, and do you still have that spare copy of Skellig? 'Cos I'd still be veeeeery interested in that... ;-)

My spare copy of Skellig is here waiting for you, as are Ben Browder's autographed pic and all the other things I wanted to send you, but are definitely coming with me on the plane to Frankfurt instead, hehe.

I'm currently checking flights for 17th-19th February, as the person we're supposed to be meeting told me he's away on the previous weekend, so I'm 99% sure hubby and I will be travelling on these new dates. The meeting will be on the 18th and after that we have plenty of time off, so YAY!!! :)

Hey there! I confirm that our trip to Frankfurt will be on 17th-19th February (with a meeting with our supplier in Langen on the 18th). This means I can finally meet you, YAY!

It's ages since I last travelled to Frankfurt and this is the first time I have to reserve a hotel there. Do you have any suggestions of a some hotel that's quite centrally-located and not too far from a train/bus connection to Frankfurt Main Airport? I think hubby and I will be taking public transport to get from the airport to the city and back, because we only take taxis when we need to reach someone quickly, otherwise it's better (and cheper) to travel by train or bus.

Can't wait to meet you and have a good chat with you face to face (finally)! And don't worry about my husband: he's used to meeting my internet friends and listening to me talk of Life on Mars and other John Simm-related stuff, so it won't bother him if we stay on the same topic for hours on end, LOL! ;)

We need to make PLANS!

How much time do you have, and when? I'll be free completely on the 18th and the days after, I think (great timing there, your visiting *just* in the last couple of weeks of my unemployment! *g*)

Kann mich den Vorrednern nur anschließen. Falls es eine Kollision gibt, dann sei ehrlich. Wenn sie nett sind, haben sie Verständnis. Anonsten erstmal abwarten und Ball flach halten. ;)

Ich kann mich irren, aber in der Probezeit aufzuhören ist soweit ich gehört habe kein Problem. Informieren solltest du dich trotzdem, klar.

Viel Erfolg, freu Dich über die Chance, dann ist die Angst vor dem vorstellungstermin nicht so groß. :)

Yay!

1) Go to the interview.

2) Your new job should have a probation period - here in the UK at least you can get out of a new job with only a week's notice, as a general rule, until you've been there three months (your new employer can also fire you with a week's notice in that time). I'd be surprised if they tied you down to a month's notice or whatever straight away. Although I know nothing about German employment law. Anyway, it's easier to hire someone new again when you've just completed an interview process - chances are they'd be able to get in touch with one of the people who just wasn't as good as you and get them instead, should you get the university job.

3) Celebrate. Be happy, not doubtful. This is good! :)

When I'm not terrified. ;-)

Wow!!! Actually I was quite sure that would happen after you had got the job at the museum! (somehow, it's always like that). And of course, go for it! There'll be ways to get out of the other contract if you get it, I'm sure.:)

Yeah, seems like it! chamekke, above, has a similar story, and I know of a couple more, too. Odd, isn't it!

BTW, I just spent a night without sleep because suddenly the mere *possibility* of having to teach, soon, terrified me completely. I'm sure I'd learn, but... *shudder*

moving to a small town, and leaving the city where I've been pretty happy for the last ten years or so would also be... less than calm-inducing.

Tonight, before I go to bed, I'll have to medidate on the thought that, really, it *isn't* that likely they'll actually offer me the job, to calm myself down. ;-)

moving to a small town, and leaving the city where I've been pretty happy for the last ten years or so would also be... less than calm-inducing.

Understandable. This things always make me nervous as well. Although, currently, I rather have the fear I will never have to worry about that because I'll never find an 'interesting' job in the first place ...

Tonight, before I go to bed, I'll have to medidate on the thought that, really, it *isn't* that likely they'll actually offer me the job, to calm myself down. ;-)

I always told that to myself, both in order to calm myself down, and to avoid being too disappointed. Apart from the horrible interview I told you about, I also had two in which it was really close, and I keep telling me myself that should be reason enough for me not to give up hope.;)

Yeah, seems like it! chamekke, above, has a similar story, and I know of a couple more, too. Odd, isn't it!

Yes, I noticed her story. Somehow this really seems to be typical, but at least her employers were accommodating. I think most people would be understanding, actually, in your case.

BTW, I just spent a night without sleep because suddenly the mere *possibility* of having to teach, soon, terrified me completely. I'm sure I'd learn, but... *shudder*

Oh, you'll learn that quite quickly. After all, teaching students at uni can't really be compared to school teaching.;)

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