Just finished the last day of my second interview - fairly grueling, with 5-6 hr days on Friday and Saturday and outside prep time last night of well over 5 hours. It was educational. It's pretty iffy whether I'll get the job - I think there's a fifty-fifty chance. One thing in particular was a problem - during the 30 minute lesson, an interviewer said I was sighing all the time. I know I have a tendency to do that, mostly when I'm tired, but I didn't realize at all that I was doing it during the lesson. That upset me, and she wasn't gentle. That is definitely something, along with my closed body movement, that could keep me from getting a job. But I still felt I did well, and even better, it convinced me that it ispossible that I could teach, and that I enjoy it. I'm not very accustomed to that sort of work - standing in front of people, organizing my thoughts on the fly - and thus any sort of progress is a real boost to my confidence. It may be that I won't get a job this round - I hope I do, of course - but I think it is a good idea to pursue teaching, if for no other reason than to force myself to try another way of behaving.
Now I have to decide two things - whether or not to put myself up as a candidate for the job that will start in March that I explained earlier - working for a company that seems better than the rest and that I might be more likely to get - and whether or not take the final interview I have planned this Thursday. The first I need to decide in the next couple of hours, and yet I'm still on the fence. The other I will decide after I hear back from the first two companies, one on Monday and the other Tuesday. I think it is likely I won't go to that last interview, but I may change my mind,
For now, though, I finally can take a look around and enjoy myself here in Toronto. I'm exhausted today - I've been up late and up early several days in a row - so I'll most likely take it easy today, but tomorrow I'm going to at least check out the Hockey Hall of Fame and the nearby sites like the CN tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the world. I'll also be able to spend more time with my hostelmates, the best part of this trip so far. I actually find myself looking forward to coming back to the hostel after the interviews because I have such a supportive group here. I learn quite a bit about Europe as well, as I'm the only North American around most of the time. Even if I don't get a job out of this trip, it will have been worth it for the people I've met and the things I've learned about teaching.