In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked the question ‘should I apply for this job?’ both by beginning teachers and more experienced teachers looking for a promotion post. It has led me to wonder why so many seemed consumed by this question, by a fear of making the wrong move. Is this another post-pandemic consequence born of concerns about becoming ‘stuck’ in a situation? Or perhaps it’s a reflection of increasingly slick school websites and briefer Ofsted reports making it more difficult to differentiate between schools? Maybe it’s a reflection of the time and energy required to make an application? Whatever the reason, it feels that somehow the stakes are higher than they used to be.
So, in light of the fact that I keep having such similar conversations, I thought I’d jot down some of my thoughts in a blog in case it is useful more widely.
Reflect on your values
Teachers embarking on a job-hunt need to reflect on their values. Do your research to try and work out if you and the school you’re considering are sufficiently aligned, whether it has an ethos you can get behind it. Most schools share a similar moral purpose, however, not all schools achieve this in the same way. Therefore, it’s also important to ask whether the way they enact their ethos aligns with your core values.
Consider the compromises you are personally prepared to make if/ where the policies or practises of the school run counter to your current vision of schooling and education. Are there things about the curriculum/ the in-house pedagogical approach/ the behaviour ethos that might not be your choice but are easily negotiated so as to make them palatable for you on a day-to-day basis? Are you able to reconcile these points of divergence with an understanding of the school context? Or are some of these things are actually a deal breaker for you? Asking these sorts of questions – the answers to which can often be found in the online policy documents all schools share publicly – may help you make your decision about whether or not to apply.
It may be that you have contacts from where you can gain insider knowledge. While it can be worth having a conversation to glean an understanding of the school, it’s community and the context of the available position, it is also worth treating the information speculatively. Watching beginning teachers ‘exchanging’ placements with each other every year has shown me that people do not view or experience schools in the same way. It’s about finding the right fit for you and understanding that the experience someone else has had of that setting might be very different from yours because you are different people!
Consider the team you’ll be working with
Finding out about the team/ department you’ll be working with can help make the decision about whether to apply. Ideally, you’d get to meet the department to assess whether you and they would be a good fit for each other (perhaps on a school tour pre-application). However, even asking questions about the composition of the department (how many teachers of your subject, how many also hold other responsibilities, are there any other ECTs etc.) might give you some insight into the community you’d potentially be joining and the support available. Of course, your colleagues don’t always need to be drawn from your immediate team. The existence of a centrally located school staff room may be an indication of opportunities to forge relationships and build wider support networks within the school. My own experience suggests that the mutual support you gain from your colleagues can help you weather most storms and your team really matters.
Test the practicalities
Practicalities need to come into the equation at some point. While you might make a calculation that a longer than average commute is worth it for the ‘right school’, term after term of an over 2-hour round-trip commute, does take its toll. Equally, applying to a school right on your doorstep might seem like a gift, but the novelty may wear off as you do your weekly shop under the gaze of your interested pupils. There may be other practicalities you need to consider, like the nursery drop off, being able to conduct your caring responsibilities for elderly relatives or attending regular medical appointments around your teaching role. These issues have a knock-on effect for you and your employer, so it’s important to think it through.
Getting real about the job market
At some point you have to make the leap in making a job application. Depending on your personal circumstances you can be more or less cautious about what to apply for – being able to uproot and move anywhere in the country, for example, may allow you to be more selective about the applications you make. Holding out for the perfect role is a risky move though. Even if your dream job is advertised it doesn’t mean you’ll get it. While you shouldn’t apply for something that feels really wrong for you, I’d caution holding out for the ‘perfect’ role (I’m not even sure that exists!). If you do hold out, it will likely mean either that you never apply for anything or that you’ll have an unreasonable expectation of your dream job.
Hold a mirror up to your hesitancy
If you’re holding back from making an application, it’s worth thinking about the reasons for your hesitancy. Is your caution coming from external factors (uncertainty about the role/ school) or internal factors (finding change uncomfortable or fear of the unknown). Where beginning teachers are concerned, the first teaching post will inevitably involve a degree of change. Even if the beginning teacher is successful in gaining a role in their Teaching Practice school, their status will change from novice teacher in training, to supported but largely independent practice as an early career teacher. This change of status will impact their role within the school, the expectations others have of them and their accountability for their own practice. In this context, there is never a guarantee that you won’t have moments where you think “what have I done”. It’s all about best fits.
Sometimes you don’t really know whether a school is right for you until you get to the interview and experience the interview day. During the day the interviewer should ask at some point if you’re still a firm candidate. Even at this late stage, if you’ve developed that niggling feeling that the job is not a good fit, you can withdraw from the process. As long as you handle the process professionally and with integrity, you’re not committed to the job just by making the application or even attending the interview.
Crack on
Obviously, you don’t want to waste your own or a school’s time, but it’s important to keep this in perspective. If you accept the offer of a teaching post, you’ve not married the school. This isn’t a job for life, until death you do part. As an ECT it’s a good idea to think about committing for 2 years in the first instance, but if the job ends up not being the best fit for you it is ok to move on.
It’s okay to feel anxious about change. It is unsettling. Sometimes the hardest thing is taking the first step. But at some point you have to take the leap and just crack on.
Becoming a History Teacher 