Creative writing tutor?

Published by: Rediris on 20th Sep 2010 | View all blogs by Rediris
When I saw that the local authority advert for sessional tutors for creative writing courses I thought 'Yes!' and noted down the details.  What happened next could be the motive for murder!

I phoned the number given in the information pack. I then listened to a recorded message from a totally different faculty.  I phoned the central switchboard to ask for the correct number. A somewhat confused person gave me the number and then said she will amend the information.

I get through to the faculty to be told that the man I want to speak to has been made redundant.  There are no jobs at present as the whole adult education staff may be made redundant.   If they are not then they will be considering applications in December.  The staff, I am told, have known about this since April and they should have been told who is going last Friday but they were not.

So, my ambition may (or may not) be thwarted. 

Comments

13 Comments

  • Ivin
    by Ivin 1 year ago
    I have quite a few post giving writing tips if you're into writing any kind of story. Check http://authopublisher.com and click on writing tips.
  • Rediris
    by Rediris 1 year ago
    Ivin, thank you. I will look at your tips, but I wanted to apply for a post as a tutor for a creative writing group. When I phoned to find out more about the post it was to be told that everything was more or less on hold. There is more info in my first post.
  • Steve
    by Steve 1 year ago
    I wonder if this is an isolated local authority case, or whether the national government is preparing to dump adult education, and leave it to the private sector to pick up the pieces?
  • Rediris
    by Rediris 1 year ago
    I think it is part of local authority cuts in general. I have no doubt that the LAs will all make their own choices - some, for example, have already opted to switch off speed cameras. Given that so much is invested in adult ed via equipment and buildings it would be a great waste of public resources. I also have no doubt that some LAs will sell off sites to get a short term income. They really ought to think about who votes at elections!
  • Steve
    by Steve 1 year ago
    Education is the cornerstone of any society. Perhaps the overall thinking is that if the minds of the masses are left to rot, then they'll just vote blindly for whichever puppet makes the nicest speeches?
  • Rebecca Holmes
    by Rebecca Holmes 1 year ago
    Ouch! - though I must admit I've been really struck by the differences between my daughters' education and my own. When I was at school we were encouraged to put forward our opinion on all sorts of subjects, so long as we could back up our arguments. Now it all seems to be work sheets and prescribed answers. I'm not saying that's the case everywhere, just where my offspring ended up...
  • Rediris
    by Rediris 1 year ago
    Steve I agree that education is the cornerstone of society. Do you remember this, from Oscar Wilde's Importance of Being Earnest? "Fortunately, in England at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square." (Act I) Seems that the Upper Classes may still have the upper hand!

    Rebecca schools have changed so much especially in the last two decades thanks to government interference. Teachers no longer have the freedom to teach what their pupils need to succeed in life but have to teach to get the pupils through exams. The amount of paper work is almost impossible to believe! Some teachers teach all of key stage 3 - which means they will have approx 750 books to mark! So worksheets and prescribed answers are the only way they can cope.
  • Steve
    by Steve 1 year ago
    Education in England is purely academic. Haha. Free-thinking individuals walking about in the street is dangerous. When I was at school, there were a hundred teachers, say, and one admin secretary. Now, I understand, the number of admin staff at schools roughly equal the number of teachers. My Spidey-senses tell me that one of the key problems lies here. Same with hospitals... the ratio of admin staff to doctors and nurses is outrageous. I suspect that the first thing a hospital does when it receives money these days, is hire a bunch of people to decide what to do with it.
  • Rediris
    by Rediris 1 year ago
    The joke about more admin is that most schools have computers that are supposed to make things easier - registers, reports, letters are computerised,- so why do schools need all the admin? To handle all the extra paper work generated by the computers and to meet various legal needs.
  • EmmaD
    by EmmaD 1 year ago
    Everyone I know of involved in HE and FE is holding their breath to see what effect cuts and so on will have, and not daring to make plans or anything. Horrid. But that does sound like a peculiarly incompetent bit of admin...
  • Rediris
    by Rediris 1 year ago
    Emma "a peculiarly incompetent bit of admin..." is so accurate! The whole experience was peculiar. Given the circumstances, why they advertised the job is beyond me!
  • AlanP
    by AlanP 1 year ago
    I still fume that my little girl, some years ago, was taught some maths that was patently wrong. I challenged the teacher about this and was told that the correct principles were too complicated for them at that age. They would be taught the right way in future years. When I suggested that kids should be taught that which they were capable of learning and correctly, and once I was told that the curriculum demands that kids have teaching in this stuff now. I deduced it was some kind of, showing improvement kind of thing. It took some time to get this error out of her head when it came to doing it right!

    It's true that there are going to be some very unpleasant and painful things going on in many areas of life as a result of "the cuts". For myself I think it's necessary even if the methods are harsher than I would prefer. If a consequence is less interference from statistic toting politically driven pricks and a greater focus on proper education (as opposed to teaching) then something good may come out of it.
  • Rediris
    by Rediris 1 year ago
    AlanP that is just so 'national curriculum'! I also hope that some good will come out of the cuts - but I doubt it.
Please login or sign up to post on this network.
Click here to sign up now.