My Goldilocks Moment

The interview wasn’t bad, it was just weird. I was ushered into a conference room with all the characters from the morning’s presentation, plus the Head of Accounting and Finance. (For some reason, Commercial Law is a department of the Business School, not the Law School.) My nightmare moment came when someone asked, “If you had a chance to do the presentation over again, was there anything you’d do differently?” Well, yes: I’d use a different body.

I never pretended to have any teaching experience, and their questions made it abundantly clear I’d have a lot to learn. But I’m interested in learning, and I’m eager to try something new. The problem, however, was that I’d also need to get my master’s degree at the same time. The thought of taking it all on at once was completely overwhelming. Ambivalence reigned supreme that night.

Next day, however, I got an email from the Department Head, Mike, asking if I could come by and talk about “options.” Turns out, he’d had someone in mind for the lecturer position from the beginning. (Not me, obviously.) He only posted the opening because it’s required, and hadn't expected anyone to apply. (I only found it because I was surfing the U's website at the right time.) And because of changes in their funding situation, he can’t hire any full-time staff who haven’t published. (None of this is sounding too promising so far, right?)

But they wanted to see if I’d consider working on a part-time basis until I finished my degree. (Yes!!!!!) I’d be able to ease into teaching with a very light load, and also try and get some research published. (Bingo! I hit the jackpot! So happy I practically levitated off my chair! It was exactly what I was hoping for, even better.) I told him we could probably work something out along those lines.

He still has to clear it with the Hiring Committee, but I’m guessing that’s not gonna be a big deal. They're scheduled to meet next month, but Mike said he’ll try to get an answer sooner if possible. I’m pretty psyched – this feels just right.

Cheers,
Sandie