Why don't I get jobs?

Posted by: Ros on: February 2, 2011

• In: job
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Apologies for those who were hoping for a return to regular posting this year. The PhD is progressing but there is still much to be done and for a variety of reasons, none of it has been done in January.

One of those reasons has been that I have been applying for a job. I was interviewed today and didn’t get it. This adds one more to the long list of Jobs I Have Not Got.

These places have all Not Given Me A Job (this is not a fully comprehensive list; those in bold are where I got to the interview stage):
St Ebbes, Oxford (twice)
St Andrew the Great, Cambridge
St Nicks, Sevenoaks (three times)
LymingtonRushmore Holidays (three times)
St Dionys, Parsons Green
Christ Church, Cockfosters
St Barnabas, Kensington
Holy Trinity, Lyonsdown
Knowle Parish Church
Bishop Hannington Church
St Leonards, Exeter
Lichfield Diocese

These places have Given Me A Job (this is a fully comprehensive list):
Fairmile Court Conference Centre: Assistant Chef
Fort Pitt Grammar School: Maths teacher
St Andrews, Oxford: Parish Assistant
Westminster Seminary: Greek Teaching Fellow (part time)
Tyndale House: Admin staff (part time)
Other than the teaching job and my current part time admin job, these have all been 1 year posts.

By contrast, everywhere I have ever applied to study has offered me a place.

So, here’s my question. Why don’t I get ministry jobs?* What is it about me that makes me so utterly unemployable? I need to know, because I’m fast running out of options to study more and I think a job in academic research would be the quickest route to ruining my mental health on a permanent basis. I work hard; I’m a fast learner; I’m good with people; I’m a great teacher; I have lots of things I’m really, really good at. I won’t teach your kids Sunday school classes or run your toddler group, but other than that I’ll do whatever you need me to. I won’t undermine you or threaten your authority but I’ll push you to be as good a minister as you can be to your congregation.

*I don’t have a particularly good record of getting other kinds of jobs either, but I think my inadequacies as a school teacher who can’t coach second 11 hockey would probably cloud the issue here.

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