"Too many covenants expect a failed apprentice to simply be a lab assistant. I wanted to be something of my own."
"Very well," Christophoros smiles kindly, "considering your relative inexperience as a teacher, what I would offer you is a position as a junior teacher. You would be in charge of teaching their letters to the younger students, as well as Classical Greek to slightly older ones. Duties would also include some general oversight of the students, to make sure they behave when outside classes. The school year is from September to June, with the usual recesses for Chritmas and Easter, so in total you would teach about six months per year."
"Your wages would be two pennies per week, as well as room and board at the school throughout the year. I or one of the more experienced teachers will provide you with more advanced learning if you wish it, spread out through the school year. The school's library will also be available, should you prefer to study on your own. If you decide to offer your assistance to one of our patrons, it will need to be during the summer when there are no classes. You will be free to negociate whatever arrangement with them. You will be free to refuse their request for assistance, for you will be part of the school's staff and thus not directly one of their employees."
"Does that seem fair to you?"
((OOC: The wages are consistent with what specialists are paid according to Covenants. Christophoros plans on offering senior teachers wages of 3 pennies per week, which is the equivalent of what Companions would cost. Note that room and board, plus the access to a library and teaching, are actually worth more than the wages themselves.))
((OOC: I was thinking of calculating the school's expenditures just like an independent covenant would. Does that make sense? It would allow me to calculate how much it earns and how much it costs to hire staff. Does that make sense?))
"Yes, that seems quite fair."
OOC: that does make sense.
Christophoros rises happily, "Well then, welcome aboard! If you want to join me when I go back to the school in two days, we can introduce you to the magi and other covenant staff. Or, if you prefer, you can joins us in early August so that we can have some time to prepare for the arrival of the students in the first days of September."
"I'll go ahead and join you in a couple of days, no point in delaying."
The next appointment to arrive is Cyra- a rather plain young woman who is wearing a black dress which at first glance appears to be academic robes but is in fact not. She looks you straight in the eye, shakes your hand and the first thing out of her mouth is "It is nice to meet one of the few men who doesn't think you need a p#^!s to have a brain!"
Christophoros raises an eyebrow at this, before commenting, "Indeed, I don't believe that one needs to be male in order to benefit from a proper education. Or to dispense it, for that matter." He then proceeds to offer her some refreshments, as he did with the other candidates. Once this is taken care of, he continues to the interview itself.
"On the other hand, I expect all of my teachers to display a certain decorum. I hope your language won't be so colorful when it is time to address your students, or their parents for that matter. In the same vein, it will not be considered proper to criticize the way our students have been raised, nor to incite them to attitudes that their parents might frown upon, outside of academic subjects. I hope that is clear?"
(If that does not generate to extreme a reaction, he will continue the interview with the standard questions about her abilities.)
"Define incite. I'm not going to try and talk politics with children, but if a child asks why a woman is teaching I will explain that women are as capable of men instead of that mealy mouthed explanation that is so standard about a woman's place including the instruction of children."
Christophoros switches to debate mode, "Of course, you would certainly be allowed to answer such questions, so long as the asnwers are formulated in a way that won't provoke the student to queston their parents' way of raising them. It is one thing to say that women are as capable as a man of teaching them to read, write and think, but quite another to proclaim that men and women are create equal. You will be a teacher at a school catering to both boys and girls, and the parents will be aware of that. But if the students go back to their home and start questioning their role in the household, this will cause trouble for the school. He looks her in the eyes and is quite serious as he adds, "With all the unpleasant consequences it would have on the teaching staff. Am I clear on that?"
"Now, tell me about your academic studies and teaching experiences."
"I was admitted initially to prepare to study medicine, since there are universities where women are allowed to study the healing arts. I did learn some medicine while I was studying for my baccalaureate, as well as the classics, and some philosophae. I tutored some of the younger students to help with my finances, which I think offended some of the faculty, especially when I showed them up in ability to teach. There was also the incident where another student challenged me to a contest of swords, which I won. First blood only of course, but again, I think this may have caused a few problems. I can assure you that I would not accept such a challenge from a student."
abbreviating some conversation:
Philosophae between 2 and 4, artes liberals in the same range, classical Greek seems to be slightly better than Artes Liberales, and SQ between 13 and 17.
"I certainly hope not. Should a student challenge your authority to teach, you should send him to me. I will not accept such behaviour at my school." Christophoros pauses before adding, "And such challenges shall not be tolerated between teachers, either."
"Very well, then, I will consider you for a position as a junior teacher." He then proceeds to describe what the conditions would be, similar to what he explained to Samuel. "I will contact you in the next few days to give you my decision on the matter."
(Leontios would be the last candidate at this time?)
Which brings you to your interview with Leontios.
The young man enters the room with a confident stride, a strong presence and an air of leadership. "Master Christophoros, thank you for making the time to see me. I expect you will have received some notifications of my accomplishments from my previous mentor, I have upon several occasions sat to teach the lower students when a teacher was unavailable, and have twice been elected as proctor. But I am perhaps too proud of what I have accomplished, what questions do you have?"
"Please sit," Christophoros gestures towards a chair. "Can I offer you some wine?" Again, the schoolmaster makes sure that the pleasantries are taken care of before proceeding to the main interview.
"Indeed, your mentor did write me about your seeking a position with us as well as your accomplishments." He pauses with a smile, "I was certainly left with the impression that you were competent for the job, but would you mind me asking some questions about your schooling and studies?" He then proceeds to evaluate the knowledge of Leontios.
"How is it that you are applying for a position with our new school, established in the solitude of the mountains, rather than seek one out from a more established and prestigious school? Or even building out your own clientele and teaching on your own?"
"I see an opportunity here, not just to succeed but to be, if you will pardon the word, immortalized. I understand you have ambitions for this school to grow to the point of a university, and that will take time. You are an older man, I expect we can get the school grown within your lifetime, and I want to be there beside you, building it into a monument to learning and a respected institution. I am hoping that my foresight, commitment and ability will put me in a position to succeed you and be remembered in posterity as one of the founders of the institution we can make this school."
"I see," Christophoros replies thoughtfully, "but what if I live longer than you would hope for?" The schoolmaster smiles, "For I do plan to live for many years yet and this may prove to be longer than you may hope for. Are you ready to wait another thirty years?"
"Also," he adds, "you should know that the patrons of the school may select another to succeed me, in any case. So even if you do demonstrate 'foresight, commitment and ability', there is no garantee that you will my successor. And," he concludes, "The school may not become the respected institution we hope for."
"In short, if succeeding me is your main reason for applying for a position... Well, I'm not sure it is the best of reasons."
(Stats?)
Ancient Greek:4, Philosophae 2-4, artes librales 3-4, SQ:9-11
"Success is the motivation for everything. I'm sure you wish to live so long, and certainly it is not beyond the realm of the imagination, but the same issues face me anywhere I go in terms of my ability to advance, here the risks are slightly higher, but the potential rewards significantly more so."
"Very well then," Christophoros says, "that explains why you would like to join our school. Now," he asks with a twinkle, "why should I chose you over other applicants? What is the attribute, in your opinion, that makes you different from anyone else? That would make you the one candidate that is particularly suited to the position?"
"I will be committed, above and beyond any other candidate, to the success of the school, as I have consciously staked my own future success to the school succeeding."
Christophoros moves on to a different topic, "What is your opinion on the education of women?"
He stops, as if he has never considered this before.
"The only issue I could see is that they aren't likely to be admitted to a university, unless I suppose it is for medicine. Then again if they are paying for education, I say we educate them."