Hi all,
I've been wrestling with this one for a few days, so I thought I'd post here to get some insight and advice. Here's the background:
I've been working with my current company since October. When I came to the company, it was just getting back up on its feet and I was one of three employees (aside from the Artistic Director and the Producer) who worked there. I did the first show with them and they asked me back for the rest of their season and also offered me a job in their office so they could keep me between shows. I accepted and signed separate Letters of Agreement for all of these things as they came up. I worked in the office while SMing their fall/spring season up until the end of June, whereupon I trained someone else to work in the office so I could stage manage for their summer season. At one point they were thinking of hiring me on as a full time employee (office work + stage management = full time) with benefits, etc., but at the very last minute (read: one day before I was supposed to sign the Letter of Agreement) they decided not to do this. It was mostly mutual as I was not terribly fond of working in the office, but it was still unexpected and caused me to re-evaluate working for them. In that meeting, they asked if I was still interested in SMing their upcoming season and I said I was. This was in June.
A couple of the job prospects my boyfriend was looking into also have not panned out for him, so we began thinking about moving simply because this city isn't working for us (commute is too long, we can't afford to live closer, family is closer where we're thinking of moving to, etc.). It took us a month, but we gradually decided that we do want to move.
I know I need to let my current employers know that I won't be able to come back for the next season, but we are going into tech week on Monday. Is it smarter to tell them earlier, during tech week, to give them an extra week of notice or should I wait until after we open the summer shows when they might be less harried and more relaxed?
I haven't signed anything for next season and my current Letter of Agreement runs out in the first week of August. Next season rehearsals don't start until October. I feel like this is still plenty of notice as it gives them essentially two months to find an SM for their first show.
On the other hand, I've been with them since the re-invention of the company and, even though that was only 9 months ago, I still feel guilty for some reason. I know I need to make this move for my own personal sanity and mental health, but I don't know how to handle it. This is one of my first jobs out of college and the first one that I've ever had to leave. Do I need to write a letter of resignation or will just speaking with both of my employers face to face suffice? Is this normal or will they be angry that I said I was interested in SMing for them and my plans have changed?
I read some of the other threads on leaving a job, but most of those folks had to leave jobs at major companies they'd been with for many years so I wasn't sure if the same rules applied.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
