German And Math Teacher
(Female, Age 28) from Roseville, MN
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 28 who works as a German And Math Teacher in Roseville, MN. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | German And Math Teacher |
|---|---|
| Salary | $41,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 45 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Roseville, MN |
| Years Experience | 3 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for MN Virtual Academy, an online school serving kids in grades K-12. I have 6th-8th grade German students and 9th-12th grade math and German students. It employs about 70 teachers and has roughly 1200 students. It is sponsored by the Houston Public School District.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I am responsible for creating live lessons for students, working one-on-one with them, setting the class pacing, and maintaining communication with students and families.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
6 days sick leave, 4 personal days, 403b, dental insurance
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I’m as well compensated as any teacher
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work from home, but I also work with others virtually. I like this, for the most part. It is nice to have face-to-face contact, but I love the freedom to schedule my own hours even more.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work at home in a dedicated office. I like it because I have a space for work, and because I have freedom. I don’t always like trying to balance work and home, but I”m getting better.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 5
Benefits: 6
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 4
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 8
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Personal time – breakfast and driving my daughter to preschool. |
| 8am to 9am | Preparing for the day – checking email from students and responding to any questions that they asked. I also look over my schedule for the day and make sure that I don’t forget any one-on-one meetings with students or live class sessions. |
| 9am to 10am | This was our general faculty meeting. Today we broke out into department meetings and I went with the math department. There are two new teachers in the department, so the other experienced teacher and I answered questions about how we did our class and our policies regarding late assignments and tests. We also discussed getting students ready for the state-mandated testing in the spring. |
| 10am to 11am | Personal time – playing with my infant daughter. |
| 11am to 12pm | Live lessons for Algebra and Algebra II. I showed a prepared power point and worked through examples of course material. I also had mini-quizzes and activities for students to participate in. At the end I wrapped up by having a chance for Q&A and letting the students chat with each other. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Personal time – lunch |
| 1pm to 2pm | Office hours – this is a time for students to come in and ask any questions they have about the day. When students weren’t in my virtual office, I checked email and took care of attendance and grading. |
| 2pm to 3pm | This was the end of my office hours, and then I took some personal time with my infant daughter. |
| 3pm to 4pm | This was time for more email, contacting parents, and preparing the next day’s presentations. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Personal time – household work and dinner preparation. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Personal time – dinner |
| 6pm to 7pm | Personal time – playing with my daughters |
| 7pm to 8pm | I spent this time doing more work on the next day’s presentations, answering email, and grading. |
| 8pm to 9pm | Personal time – getting my daughters into bed. |
| 9pm to 10pm | Personal time – personal email and projects |
| 10pm to 11pm | Bed |
| 11pm to 12am | Bed |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Education job board in my state
What was the application process?
Emailed resume, transcripts, and license
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I interviewed once over the phone with the HR director and the principal. Then I interviewed face-to-face with the same two people.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I was asked about my experience in education, why I felt qualified to work online, and my comfort level with working from home.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
No – it would have been nice to have had more time to work with the technologies and programs used, but I was hired shortly before the school year started.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes – there was training with the specific programs we use for education.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes – I was well rounded and knew subject matter well
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
yes – it was in-the-field experience
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend him or her to get a teaching degree, and to become as familiar with online learning as possible. He or she would benefit from taking a course focused on technology in learning, especially if it included online learning. It would also be a benefit to have taken coursework online.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
This person would need subject matter knowledge to instruct others, comfort with technology since online teaching is done pretty much completely by computer, and time management skills since there’s no day-to-day accountability.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes – a BA and a teaching license
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
I hated it my first year, and you might too, but give it a year or so – it’s so different from what you might expect that it takes a little bit to really like it.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes it is. I want to be a teacher my whole life, and that’s what I’m doing now.
What are your current career goals?
To continue to be a teacher, but to pick up more certifications, such as coaching or gifted & talented.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It’s a growing field in education, and I’m glad I’m in it!
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | teacher | one year | 36000 | Teaching math to at-risk students in a charter school in downtown Minneapolis as well as providing tech support to teachers. |
| Prior Job 2 | long-term sub | one year | 120/day | long-term substitute in the fields of Spanish, math, and sciences |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.9 | Concordia College Moorhead | BA German |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.9 | Hamline University | MA Teaching |
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