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What should I do about my current job when I'm moving soon?
I'm a college student who currently works as a nanny. I've been a nanny for the same family for about a year now and I've really enjoyed working for the Mom and really care about her, her son and pets. She pays me really well for not having to work very much and it's been perfect for my school schedule.
Before this I'd worked at several other places in either retail management positions or graphic design, but none of them worked out. Although I'm a good worker and very intelligent (straight A honors roll student) I've had a hard time with my past job positions. At my first job I did very well and was promoted to management in less than six months, but was forced to quit when I came down with a lung infection that caused me to be hospitalized for a while and took me some time to get back on my feet.
After that job affairs just went kind of south. I took three different retail positions, where I did well at the first, but was laid off six months into it. The second and third jobs I really had a difficult time with. I never seemed to know what I was supposed to be doing and when I requested further training, management at both places acted as though they didn't have time. I would wind up doing my job duties incorrectly due to this and would make myself look bad. The second job I was fired from after three months after I asked some coworkers to help teach me what to do (after requesting it from management and never getting it) and they taught me to do things incorrectly to get me in trouble. I wound up finding this out later on (from a neighbor who also worked there) and that it was because they felt like I was taking their hours.
The third job I was hired on for management and things started out well. Basic tasks were explained to me efficiently and I grasped them right away but then the more intricate (and also important) tasks would be skipped over as the manager didn't seem to want to train me in them or two other managers who were also hired on and quit quickly after. I hung in there but things just got worse, as people constantly quit I was left with more and more tasks to fulfill and just couldn't do it all. I started being held responsible for moving very heavy furniture and decor up and down ladders and onto displays and walls. I'm a very petite female that weighs less than 100 pounds so moving furniture was difficult for me and I was scared to death every time I had to climb an XL ladder to put things away in the attached warehouse on shelves that were 50 feet high. I quit after four months and lots of sprained ankles, swollen knees and cuts on my hands.
The next job was a web design job and I felt I did well there, but the job bored me to death and I wound up getting laid off three months into it after the company's profits took a nose dive and they let go of half the staff.
Then I got my current job which is my favorite job and much less stressful than the previous jobs I took. I love being a nanny and I feel like part of the family as we're all very close.
Here comes the bad part: I'm transferring from my current small college to my dream school in a month, which is several hours away. I'm ecstatic to have been accepted and have also received a nice scholarship that will help with some of the expenses. I haven't told the Mom I nanny for yet as I still need a job (as I have a car payment and insurance to pay) and I loathe the idea of having to find another seeing as how badly my past jobs have gone. I've been waiting as well just in case something falls through and I wind up not being able to go. I want to at least keep this job until the end of the month to save up as much money as I can, but by not telling her I'm taking away time she could be using to find a new nanny. If I do tell her I realize she'll be hiring on somebody new and I'll probably lose out on the money I could have saved up until the point I move. I don't want to be selfish though and leave her high and dry by keeping this job until the very list minute.
I don't think I can continue working for her after I move. It's just too long of a distance and even if I made the drive I don't think I'm going to be available for multiple day stays like I can do now (as I go to school and live locally to her so I just stay at her home and then leave to go to school for a few hours and then come back). I'm also taking on a double major in January so my work load is going to be crazy. I'm also afraid I won't be able to find anything in my new city or at least nothing before bills start coming due, in which case I'll need this job...augh what do I do?!
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The very first thing you have to do is inform the lady you are currently working for that you will be leaving at the end of the month. You should have done so at the beginning of the month as finding another Nanny at this time of year is going to be hard and stressful enough on her. Having to do so on short notice is not fair to her.
She may get lucky and find another college student like you to care for her child though she will need time to find her. At this time of year students have plans to go home for the holidays and semester break. This would mean that for the next month she may also have to find alternative care for her child until students return to school. So it is important to tell her now.
As for the other things you write about; they are pretty much non-issues. In that they can be fairly typical for the type "A" personality which I believe you are who likes to over achieve. You take on part-time or full time jobs, you don't say which appear to have a great deal of stress or are not challenging enough in one instance. Yet you are still maintain Honor Roll Status.
This is typical of s type "A" personality person. You will never be satisfied with just getting by. You will have to go the distance then 10 yards more. This will do you well when you finish college and find a job in the career field you have studied for. I do caution you to manage this personality so it does not manage you.
As for working in your new location; have you considered contacting a Nanny agency for work their or the school to see if they might have some requests for a Nanny. You seem to enjoy this work and it will give you the time to study you need while earning money.
Of course there is always the possibility of a small student loan to cover what the scholarship doesn't so you can use what you saved to pay your bills while you look for a new job.
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I hope you know that you're kind and caring for taking into account the mom's situation.
Most importantly, imagine if you were the mom and were left last minute to find a nanny as great as you. It would be unreasonable to have the mom do that, even when you can make good money.
It's courtesy. Yes, she needs you, but you need her for the time being as well. Let her know as soon as you can and also look for a new job near your school or, in fact, you can find jobs within your school that will allow you to pursue your double major, while being able to pay your bills.
Moreover, the employers within schools will not treat you as bad as your previous jobs and you can make friends with your co-workers who are students just like you.
I worked all throughout university and was able to pull off my specialist and double minor, so you definitely can do it too.
Best of luck and hope everything works for you.
Cheers,
Hitch.
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Hi there! Congrats on going to the school of your dreams! I understand your dilemma. Of course you cannot keep this job since you will be so far away. It will not be convenient for the mom. For any job, the right thing to do is to give at least 2 weeks notice. But I know what its like to be a mom and how hard it is to find good child care. I think that you should give at least 1 month notice to give this mom enough time to find another great nanny such as yourself. If you have done good work for her and she likes you, she is not going to fire you. She NEEDS you. If you give her only a two week notice or no notice, she is going to feel deceived, hurt, and you will leave her in a jam. You are going to need her to make recommendations for future jobs. Do not burn your bridges. When you come out of college and are looking for your dream job, you don't want negative feedback regarding your previous jobs to hurt your chances of getting hired. So this is what I would do. Good luck telling your boss and good luck in school!!!!
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