Advice

While Vellum gets to write the fun posts, I'm mired up in the less fun mundanities of Real Life. Thus, I come looking for a job, but I get no offers... just a come-on from the whores on seventh avenue advice.

I'm relocating to New England Metropolis at the end of the summer, which means that I need to give notice to my current employer. The plan is currently to hand in my notice this week, roughly 10 weeks in advance, which will give us plenty of time (in theory) to find a new curator and for me to train them.

However. I report directly to the board of directors, and the fact of the matter is, most of them are immature, bitchy and vengeful. It is not out of the realm of possibility that they might try to fire me now. I find this unlikely, because I'm the sole employee here, and without me, there is no museum. More likely is that they aren't going to bother to find a replacement, so the museum will likely limp to a close as soon as I leave.

Honestly, these things are not my problem. But it does raise the question of how I should write my letter of (eventual) resignation. I'm thinking short and sweet, and sticking to the facts. Believe me, there are dozens of reasons why I'm leaving, but I'm only going to mention the relocation. Then I plan to explain that I'm giving my notice very early (please note I have only been here 1 year) because I'm still committed to seeing the museum survive, and I want to make sure there's time to find a replacement, yada yada.

This all seems like the nice thing to do. But I have to ask - do I have to be nice? Would it maybe be in my best interest to just keep my mouth shut, and give them a month's notice? This idea rubs me the wrong way, but it may just be society's training that I'm supposed to be nice - and what good am I, as a woman, if I'm not nice?

The other thing that throws a wrench into the process is that I'm actively on the hunt for a new job. I've found a couple positions to apply for, but they need references. I have one from the other messed up museum I work for, but it would be much better if I could provide a reference from my primary job.

The last issue is that it's no secret I'm leaving. My friends and family know, the other museum knows, people I occasionally deal with here know... It's only a matter of time before someone spills the beans. It would be much better if that someone were me.

This all adds up to handing in my notice now and hoping common sense prevails over vindictiveness and laziness. But I've never actually had to resign from a job, nor have I ever given notice. And I'm fairly new to the job hunt, as well - the current one literally fell into my lap. Any advice or relevant stories would be greatly appreciated - especially when it comes to the letter itself.

-Vaulting