I didn't get the job because I wouldn't commit to a 6th year contract.

I usually lurk a little and don't post a lot...this is my first post in a while. If you had told me a month ago that I would be so disappointed about not getting a job, I would have laughed at you. It's just a job, right? I would have almost sold my soul to get out of my last school, so I thought that ANYTHING would be better. I don't want to sound too negative, I know I don't know all the details and I'm just speculating, but I wanted to reach out to experienced teachers and see if they've heard of this before. I'm in California. I've been teaching for 13 years but I just transferred states, so I'm trying to find something for the Fall.<br><br>I interviewed for a job in another district up north and I really liked them. I loved the principal and the older teachers (not many younger teachers in this school), and I felt like the kids were well-behaved when I did my demo lesson. I actually felt really good for the first time in a few months.<br><br>They offered me a job, but only if I committed to a 6-year contract. I let them know that I wasn't comfortable committing to that many years without knowing the school/student dynamics better and they rescinded the offer some time later.<br><br>I called the principal and asked if they had found someone else, and they said no, but they really needed someone to commit to that many years. I understand 2, maybe 3 years, but SIX? I've never heard of this before. Is this normal? I don't want to assume anything negative about the school, but my spidey senses were tingling a bit. Do I just shrug this off and move on or do I ask around?