“Rolling the dice with a teach-out“
By: Vincent Scaramuzzo, President, Ed-Exec, Inc.
Right out of the gate please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t believe any employee wants to see their school close and the students be left in a compromising position. But logic dictates that if employed, they should seek out new employment as quickly as possible to avoid being unemployed and in competition with others. However it has been my firms experience as higher education headhunters, in speaking with many employees who are in a “teach-out”, that they really want to stay to the end and see things through. Even though they know how the movie ends, they proceed forward. Why?
Here is why I think employee’s secretly love teach-outs:
- Educators generally care a great deal about their students. They’ve been abandoned enough by the announcement of a teach-out. They feel obligated to see things through with the students and watch them graduate.
- Retention Bonuses. Employees involved with a teach-out often have large retention bonuses that can payout at certain dates, with the final payment arriving when the teach-out is complete. These bonuses are nothing to sneeze at – it can be challenging to leave $20K or $30K on the table.
- Life is just a little easier. Most educator’s who work in adult or career education work their butts off. 12 hour days. Saturday open houses. Evening classes. It can be exhausting. For the first time, in a long time, they get to work some respectable hours without the pressure of another class start.
- No pressure to perform. Are they going to give it their best, probably. Are they going to get yelled at by upper management if certain number or ratios fall off, with the school closing, probably not.
“it can be challenging to leave $20K or 30K on the table…
No one wants or likes to see a school close. But I do believe it is a guilty pleasure for some employees. It’s a risk, leverage your success now for a new more stable position, or enjoy some of the perks of a teach-out and roll the dice when the end arrives. Right now many more seem to be rolling the dice.
Vincent Scaramuzzo is the President of Ed-Exec, Inc. A leading Education Executive Search Firm. He is also a contributing author to various education publications. As a specialist in the education field for over a decade, Scaramuzzo works nationally with Education Institutions, PK-12, and Educational Service Providers Nationwide. He can be contacted at vincent@ed-exec.com 860-781-7641.