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10 Ways to Make Yourself Unfireable
Tania Khadder | TheApple.com
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Unlike so many of your friends and family, you won’t have to deal with the unemployment office or cancel your cable — yet.
But instead of sitting smugly at your desk, you should be thinking about what you can do (right now!) to make yourself absolutely indispensable.
Having a job is not a civil right. Everyone is vulnerable to cutbacks. Now is not the time for complacency.
The good news is, there are lots of steps you can take to help safeguard your position.
If you want to be the last person they’d think of letting go, follow our ten tips.
neilkelvin
29 days ago
288 comments
Ever think that it's not the employee but maybe their superior who has the problem??? I think more articles need to be geared towards on how to be a good superior not the other way around!
I have done all the things listed above, but sometimes someone will be insecure and will cut you down to ur knees! I do my best but I see it this way, when God wants me out of my job He'll lead me out, it's not about performance!
ginkgo biloba
SFerraioli
4 months ago
4 comments
As a recent graduate who is looking for a full-time teaching position, I can easily relate to the advice in this article. During my student teaching, I was assigned to a 1st grade classroom and was always very helpful to the teacher. During the first week before school began, I was the only student teacher who stayed late to help my cooperating teacher set up the classroom. Another teacher, a speech educator, also noticed how helpful I was and how nice it was to have a teacher stay later than 3 p.m. I didn't leave until 6 p.m., and I enjoyed learning how to set up a classroom effectively. I was eager to learn and feel that, in the end, it will help me when I have my own classroom! Always be willing to help others and learn new things, and you will do well in life.
jones_sensei
4 months ago
50 comments
That last tip... tooting your own horn... is surprisingly important. Even if the other teachers know all of the things that you do in and out of the classroom, it doesn't help if th principal has no idea. It doesn't matter how much you have done you need to let them know.
In addition, you have to keep doing more; more ideas, more new projects, more to help the school. I have started keeping a record of all of those bright things that I have brought to the table, the extra training I have been to, the workshops I have presented to colleagues, every new, killer project that I have been a part of or contributed to. I learned the hard way that no matter how much a district asks for people who can be on a team and contribute to the team, if they don't see you as an individual contributor they don't see you at all.
esmith
4 months ago
2 comments
Money is Money! The district I work with is probably the same as any other. However, when the principal is screwing two different teachers on the side while being married who can you trust? Even our recent superintendent has his side lady, and he was married! What gives? I guess when you are at the top it matters not what you do, just make sure everyone below you does their job, gives more hours, works twice as hard, and doesn't complain to you. Sounds about how it is at my school.
teacherkerry
4 months ago
10 comments
Where I teach, your job is pretty safe if you have been at the district longer than others in your subject area. I mean, you still have to be good at what you do, but I don't agree with putting in even more hours. Plus, many of my colleagues have kids and just take their work home.
thc8891
4 months ago
2 comments
Here is a tip: Have two cars and keep one parked where the boss is parked so whenever he comes and goes and sees your car he knows you come in early and leave late which is the key. Sounds to me like being overworked and underpaid to add on work longer hours too and give up vacation time. Nice
theprof
4 months ago
4 comments
These are great tips, but they are a little naive. I followed most of them in my last teaching post; I even developed websites so that students would have 24-hour access anywhere in the world to my classroom work. However, none of these tips work when a BOE is determined to vacate 50% of the faculty. My former school system hired a principal whose sole job was to eliminate the highest paid teachers, even when students and parents objected, all to avoid tenuring and reduce the bottom line. Interestingly, the principal received an eleven thousand dollar raise for reducing faculty costs by 350K. Most of the faculty that was fired have not been hired in other districts due to cost cutting measures. Thankfully, I have part time university work, but I haven't found a high school teaching position in over a year. So, I am in the process of re-certifying in an area that is highly sought after, science. Do you know that I interviewed for several positions and because neighboring states have hiring freezes, these principals are bringing in their "friends" to fill positions!
CharlotteB
4 months ago
6 comments
This article highlights good work habits; they should be in place regardless of the economy.
rona31
4 months ago
4 comments
All that sounds great if you live in La La land. If your school or school system is having funding problems, most of these cutesy tips will not matter. America"s school systems are all about money. Staff will get the boot to save a dollar no matter how much you "suck up" or are highly skilled.
Wake up
ag_bergara_bella
4 months ago
10 comments
Article focused on the right skills - perseverance, hard work, integrity, creativity and initiative - to stay on top of things on the job. Kudos to the writer!
oreste2ndera2000
4 months ago
2 comments
To add to gossip. One should always be willing to defend their school/ job however small the issue is. In addition to your colleagues there are friends and parents within the school that will carry news to those in authority.
missymilby
4 months ago
2 comments
Great Article.
Mrs_Giselle
4 months ago
868 comments
He he, good one tcrafts.
tcrafts
4 months ago
2 comments
Let's move - have more years in the union to #1, because that is all that matters.