When to announce a departure

[ChemEd]

I am likely going to be leaving my current school at the end of June 2023 (will be returning home to be closer to family). I teach IBDP chemistry. What is your opinion? Do I let my admin know now that I am likely to depart or do I hold that close to my chest and only announce in November when I'm required to disclose my intentions? Pros and cons please.

[PsyGuy]

THE GOOD

You dont tell them until June, or you dont tell them at all, just dont show up. Depends what relocation allowances and or bonuses, etc you need their assistance with. Youre not returning to IE, you dont really need their reference. A SLL IB hard science DT/IT even if your reference goes from positive to neutral isnt going to matter in DE. Spin it right with some family crises (youre goldfish died) and you can likely still get the positive reference.

THE BAD

You tell them in November and for the rest of the year youre on the outs. Youre leaving why invest anything in you. You get the positive reference and what your entitled to at EOC, at least you hope you do and you have time to smooth out any bumps.

THE UGLY

You tell them now and they dismiss you. Maybe they have a great chem IT they just got a resume for or maybe they are concerned chem ITs will be scarce next year or maybe they just have a lot of stresses and they would rather recruit a chem IT now rather than later.

The entirety of the Oct/Nov intent deadline is so that the IT can participate in IE recruiting. Absent that, any such requirement becomes one of convenience (what do you need their help with).

[shadowjack]

"The entirety of the Oct/Nov intent deadline is so that the IT can participate in IE recruiting. Absent that, any such requirement becomes one of convenience (what do you need their help with)."

LOL that is laughable. The entirety of the Oct/Nov intent deadline everything to do with the school having a chance to get organized for recruiting season and attract/hire the best possible candidates.

[PsyGuy]

Whats laughable is thinking that the IS/leader perspective is the one that matters to ITs.

[Heliotrope]

I only know three teachers that went back home to teach, but at least two of them needed a reference from their international school.
Plus, if you want to get back into international teaching, it would be good to have parted on good terms at your last IS.

There's no real downside to informing them in November. Whenever I did this there was no 'being on the outs' for the rest of the year.

[shadowjack]

@PG if the entirety of the Oct/Nov deadline is so that departing teachers could participate in recruiting fairs, then you are dead wrong. We have these deadlines so that we can take timely action to recruit and hire the best candidates available - something that isn't always possible in February/March. Maybe it's FOMO, or maybe it's just sound strategy. LOL

@Heliotrope

I usually let my directors know in August I am going to look and how seriously I am looking. Some years it's just looking. Other years, the right job pops up and away I go. But like you, I have never been ignored once my decision has been made.

[PsyGuy]

@SJ

No, your are wrong. The entirety of the Oct/Nov deadline for ITs it to secure references and meet contract obligations so that ITs can participate in recruiting without running afoul of their current IS. If it were not so, ITs would provide notice in the Spring far closer to the end of the year than the beginning.

[popgirl]

ChemEd wrote:
> I am likely going to be leaving my current school at the end of June 2023
> (will be returning home to be closer to family). I teach IBDP chemistry.
> What is your opinion? Do I let my admin know now that I am likely to depart
> or do I hold that close to my chest and only announce in November when I'm
> required to disclose my intentions? Pros and cons please.


Now seems early, and the November deadline is entirely reasonable, but it depends on your school and your situation. Are you returning home, or to another international job closer to home? Are your admin fair minded people ? Are you in a good school ? If so, just be open with them. You're leaving for good / understandable reasons. They're unlikely to hold it against you.

[secondplace]

Personally I would let my school know at the start of the school year if I knew I'd be seriously looking to move on. I would certainly stick to any intention deadlines.

I would expect them to do the same and only want to work in schools that do that.

Always remember that PsyGuy is a lunatic and any insights they may have should be read with this in mind.

SP xx

[expatscot]

I think it very much depends on the school and your relationship with the SLT.

I told my first school at the end of my first year that I wouldn't be renewing at the end of my contract. I knew I could do this because I got on well personally with the head, and he'd been supportive through the year when something happened that other teachers could have run from, but I stuck out.

I told my current school at the start of this year, before the formal requests went out. I'd made up my mind over the summer, I've been here quite a while, so it probably wasn't a surprise.

Personally, I'd always try to give as much notice as I could. That's for my own peace of mind - yes, the school might not 'invest' in you in terms of allocting jobs or PD, but then that in turn gives you more time to look for a job. I also think that if you play fair, then it's much more difficult (though not for really psycho leaders, obvs) for leadership to mess you around. And if they did, I'd prefer to leave with my own head held high than drop to their level.

[buffalofan]

The above reply is correct. I've seen faculty who would be very difficult to replace/recruit for announce early. This prompted leadership to convince them to $tay. In some cases is was not directly more money but extra benefits that were offered.

Flip side of announcing too early is that leadership WILL figuratively check out from you and your last year has a high chance of being awful because of it. It is VERY easy for admin to make your work life miserable if they want to do it. Ask me how I know...

Normally the best way to play it is to only announce when intent letters are due.

Regarding the "ugly" situation described by Psyguy, haven't heard of this happening in the schools I've been, but I wouldn't be surprised...in some countries local labor laws would disincentivize the school from trying to pull this off, but of course in many countries labor laws are on par with the tooth fairy for legitimacy...

[mamava]

I would say tell your admin by the deadline. Easy, peasy. At the schools I've worked at, people who are committed have let their admin know much earlier, but you (of course) need to know that your school is going to act with integrity and not screw you bc you told them earlier.

[MusicTravel30]

A school knowing what it will do for the next year, in November, is a pipe dream. Many are still scrambling and/or unsure even in Spring from what I have both seen and especially heard from countless teachers in many schools in many countries in various continents. Plus people make last-minute decisions all the time, pregnancies, illness, moving, family, emergencies, etc. so the schools have to do the same too.

Tell them a few months prior to June 2023 IMO.

[PsyGuy]

@ChemEd

Announcing early as @buffalofan discussed is a viable strategy for the IT that wants to generate some leverage into a better contract for renewal. Announcing early gives your position time for a better review and consideration of a potential offer since there are fewer HR considerations on the leaders mind. It could just as likely work the other way and just give the IS more time to consider and plan for dismissing and replacing the IT. Pursuing a IT appointment in May increases the number of potential candidates, but decreases the number of known candidates compared to one at the fall intent point in the recruiting cycle. An IS doesnt need a strong healthy pool of multiple candidates to replace a IT, they just need one. If they have such one IT available over Spring/Summer they may pull the trigger and hire that IT early dismissing the contracted IT prior to EOC under the rational that a good hire today is better than competing for a potential hire later. It can work to the ITs advantage though.
Getting a better deal didnt read like the LWs situation or intent in this scenario. The LW is going back home regardless of comp and short of a port key and moving the IS whats on offer isnt relevant. Theyre going home and thats just it.

The issue of loss investment in opportunity and PD doesnt really work that way given the timeline for IE and DE. Western DE typically starts their recruitment in late spring for the next AY so the IT isnt going to be doing anything anyway when most PD and advancement opportunities avail themselves earlier in the year. The scenario of having competing PD and recruiting in DE at the end of the during the same time just isnt a common one. An IS offering PD at the end of the ISs AY isnt likely offering good or valuable PD thats worth choosing over DE recruitment activities. Anything valuable and worth doing is going to be offered early in the AY so that the IS can maximize benefits from it.

Can not concur more with @MusicTravel30 , the whole having recruiting and personnel resolved early is nothing more than wishful thinking that burdens ITs. Ive never seen an IS have noting left to do but throw a ball against the wall or lay on a beach drinking something rummy from a coconut by spring/summer. It just doesnt happen, theres always some new pseudo-crises to be resolved and one that one gets fixed theres always another perhaps unseen but still there crises waiting.