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Job Hunting
Some
good sites to look at for jobs:
TES,
eTeach,
fish4jobs.
OR
Education
Monster
UK
teaching Jobs
Job
hunting is serious business and finding vacancies tends to be the easiest part.
However, having found the existing vacancies It makes sense to be prepared to
actually get a job.
Parts
of a
CV
CV
Structure
The
Interview
Hints
and tips to improve your chances
Questions likely to be asked...
Questions
you should ask
Bad
references
The
Curriculum Vitae ( Resume)
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Update
that CV
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Just
how old and dusty is this vital part of your career flight? A CV should be
updated as your experience and ambitions change, and it should be customised for
each job application you make.
These days a catalogue of academic qualifications and previous posts followed by
a couple of referees and a couple of hobbies won't get you anywhere. Even if you
do have total recall of your O-level grades and now defunct examining boards.
CVs should be word-processed and laser-printed in black ink.
Spell-checking is essential - rocky English and shaky IT skills may cause you to
be weeded out in the first round.
A CV should be about two pages long. Its purpose is to get you an interview so
it needs to be interesting. But the debate can wait until you meet the panel. A
third page, if used should only have the names of referees.
Headteachers are busy people. They may ask you to fax your CV, and they will
want to photocopy it for every member of the interview panel, so keep it short.
It should be clear too, with no fancy typefaces or distracting design.
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Parts
of a
CV
Personal
profile -
Under your name you should start with a personal profile. There are some jobs
where the trendy thing is to write it in the third person: 'James is a positive
self-starter and his great leadership potential...' But frankly it sounds daft
and worse still it suggests you think the panel may be daft too.
A two-sentence paragraph is enough to give a flavour. It should be relevant and
honest, so if the school is in special measures, you might say you like a
challenge and you're a teamworker.
Career - The next section, a summary of your career to date, should be in
reverse chronological order. Say what you did in each job. For example: 'Head of
year six at Cleghorn Primary since 1999. I introduced a zero tolerance policy on
bullying and ran a term-long skip-for-health marathon for the whole school.'
Personal growth - You may want to mention in or straight after the career
section that it was at this school you learned valuable teamwork/co-ordinating/leadership
skills. Interviewing panels want evidence of self-awareness and development. You
must be able to substantiate your claims, describing briefly the project or
experience you learned from.
Academic record - Your academic and professional qualifications should
come next, also in reverse chronological order. It's worth including subjects
and grades for A-levels.
Outside the classroom - Remember that most heads are looking for people
who will be part of the larger community, people who have had more than the
school to university and back to school experience.
So do write about any voluntary or youth work you've done. If you've done other
jobs, include those to, if . It's better to give an account of what you gained
from an experience than to leave an obvious gap. Time out for professional
development should be mentioned too.
Extras - You should include a section on what else you can offer.
This should include obvious interests such as musical, craft or sporting skills.
Don't forget any special skills you have acquired - sign language or counselling.
Before you go to the interview, think about your CV and what else you'd like to
bring out. It's an ice-breaker, a foretaste. It's not the whole story but it may
well set the course of the interview.
Create
a CV
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CV
Structure
Name
Address
Email
Telephone Numbers (home
and/or mobile)
Fax Number
Career
Statement (3 lines to sell yourself)
Career and Achievements to
date(in reverse chronological order)
Teaching qualifications
and training
Education
qualifications
Professional
courses
Interests
& Activities
Additional
Skills
References
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The
Interview
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Preparing for the
Interview....
The
interview/selection process can be competitive and it is vital that you
prepare thoroughly for the interview.
* Prepare
well
* Find out as much information about the
requirements of the job
*
Research the school thoroughly
-check out website
-obtain copy of school brochure
-find out about culture, expectations and core values at the
school
-look up their OFSTED report
* Ensure
that you know about the National Curriculum
* Prepare
detailed examples/scenarios to illustrate your skills or qualities i.e.
ability to deal with challenging class, knowledge of
subject area, abilities as a teacher/support personnel
* Prepare
a portfolio of projects undertaken or any examples that enhance your
skills
* Prepare evidence of personal skills (i.e.
initiative, communication, self-motivation and enthusiasm)
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It's
the end of the interview and the head asks whether you have any questions. You
come out with that bland and innocuous query you have been rehearsing: one which
doesn't compromise you and is likely to show the school in a good light so you
can appear politely impressed.
But should you be so easily satisfied, in what has become a sellers' market?
Demand for teachers greatly outstrips supply. The shortage doesn't mean you can
name your price but does mean you can afford to be choosy, especially if yours
is a shortage subject. Instead of being cravenly grateful for the prospect of a
job, make sure the school measures up by running through this mental checklist.
'No one wants a fusspot who produces a list of ten questions on a postcard at
the end of the interview,' says Michael Smith, senior consultant with SHA's
management and professional services. 'But make sure you find out what you need
to know during the course of the introductory session, the tour of the school
and the interview.'
*
The main interest of a teacher coming from Jamaica should be : does the school
have training status and will you be supported for the QTS
Questions
you should ask
* The vision. What are the values of the school? You should find out what
part it plays in the community and what its ethos is.
* The future. What is happening to the school roll? If it's expanding
there might be promotion possibilities. If it's shrinking rapidly and the school
is heading for a merger in a couple of years, redundancy could be on the cards.
* Your brilliant career. What are the prospects for professional
development? The school should have training school status, so that you will be
able to do your QTS.
* The inspector called. What is the school doing to meet the
recommendations in the last Ofsted report?
You will have read the report on the web already.
* Miracles take longer. When is the next Ofsted
inspection? You may not want to go through an inspection just a term or two
after starting your job especially if the last report highlighted shortcomings
in your subject.
* Spinning the tables. Are those exam results a fair reflection of the
intake? If the results are bad you might want to ask if there were exceptional
circumstances. If they are through the roof you might like to check for
Gradgrindian tendencies.
* Period pains.
What's the contact ratio? The pressure to keep class sizes down in primary
schools has cut secondary funding, according to SHA, and you may find your
expected 35:5 teaching and non-teaching periods ratio is in fact 36:4.
* The mixture.
How do you group the children in my subject? You need to know whether you will
be teaching sets, mixed ability or fast-trackers and what your range of work
will be. Ask what the schools special needs (including gifted) policy is,
whether it concentrates on in-class or withdrawal.
* Purse strings. How well resourced is my subject? If there's little
technical support, Miss Smith always has the key to the photocopier and the
blinds are so torn your OHP transparency becomes invisible, you may not be very
happy. Look about you for signs of spending or tightfistedness.
* His dad's coming in. What's the school's relationship with the parents?
Find out whether the head is accessible for three-way parental chats.
* I see you have an Amstrad. What
are the ICT facilities? You need to know. After
all, some schools issue personal laptops..
* Paper pressure. What are the class sizes? Particularly important at
A-level in essay-heavy subjects. Nineteen scripts on irony in Jane Austen eat
into that non-contact time.
* The trickiest one.
What role does the head play in school discipline? You don't want to give the
impression you can't control a class, but you need to find out if your head will
be supportive and what pupil sanctions there are.
With any luck some of the questions above will be answered in a pre-interview
discussion group which introduces candidates to the school.
Use your time with members of your future department to find out if the job will
suit you and to look at the facilities. It's a good idea to take your list with
you, but not such a good idea to produce it with a flourish and check the items
off in front of the interview panel.
'Use the time for questions at the end to check anything that hasn't been
covered. You can find out a lot by asking a general question about school
development and what the exciting things on the agenda are,' says Michael Smith.
Then, of course, if it's still not for you, you can shop around and take your
list elsewhere.
Questions likely to be asked...
About
You
·
What are your long term goals?
·
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
·
Why did you choose a career in education?
·
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
·
In what ways do you think you would make a contribution to this school?
·
What skills do you have that make you believe you will be successful?
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What 2 or 3 accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction?
Job
Related Questions
·
What do you know about this school?
·
Why did you choose a career in education?
·
What are the most important aspects of the job?
·
Talk me through the most important aspects of your career to date?
·
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement
at work?
·
What is the most difficult challenge/obstacle you have
had to overcome?
· If you had a particularly difficult pupil in your class
what other
strategies would you
introduce?
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Once you had done this and the situation had not changed what would
you do next?
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Hints
and tips to improve your chances
· Be
relaxed
· Be
yourself
· Appear
confident, but not too confident
· Be
conscious of body language
· Maintain
regular eye contact
· Dress
formally and ensure your appearance is tidy
· Know
your CV and be prepared for probing questions
· Be
punctual - ensure that you are clear where to find the school
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Ensure you are aware of the interviewers and their job titles
· Have questions prepared you
wish to ask
· Listen to questions and
answer accordingly
· Be sure you understand a
question before answering
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Have all necessary documents with
you i.e. CV/Resume,
references copies of
certificates
· Review your performance
during the interview
· Attitude is important -
stay positive and be enthusiastic
·
After the interview always listen to constructive feedback and comments
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Bullying
with bad references
Jill
Turner's suspicions have been confirmed. She now knows that the main reason she
is not getting interviews for headships is not her application but the
unsupportive reference from her headteacher.
She
is a deputy in a large comprehensive and, after four years, is keen to move on.
She has made nearly a dozen applications and been invited for only one
interview. She has not seen her reference but a friendly adviser in a nearby
authority has endorsed her fears.
"They
were going to interview you until they got your head's reference," he told
her, "but that put them off." He suggested she tackle her head about
it. He has a policy of not showing references but agreed to let her look at one
version: it was predominantly positive. But she is convinced that the reference
he actually sent was much harsher. That belief is reinforced because the head's
secretary says she didn't type any of the last four sent out.
It
is the latest in a saga of problems between Jill and her head. For the first
year they got on well and he saw part of his job as grooming her for headship.
Then she questioned some of his decisions in senior management meetings and he
cooled towards her.
The
hostility peaked when, speaking for other members of the team, she challenged an
internal promotion the head wanted to make. "It's a Catch 22," she
says, "if he writes a reference it will be damning and if I don't have him
as my main referee, appointment panels are going to assume I'm trying to hide
something."
She
has no right to see her reference, but there is a piece of paper somewhere with
words about her on it and, if she can get hold of it, she might be able to
challenge its veracity.
More
insidiously damaging is the "word in the ear" reference that differs
from what is written. This is the case for David, a senior local authority
officer. He has seen his written reference -blandly unenthusiastic but not
directly damaging. The chief education officer who wrote it has many contacts
and David believes he has telephoned them to prevent his being interviewed.
Like
Jill, he has been given feedback - from a consultant hired by the authority to
help with the appointment - which strongly suggests it is his boss who is
blocking his way. Again, there is a history of disagreement between them.
What
can Jill and David do? Legally, very little, though contact with their
professional associations could help. A reference is an expression of opinion
about a person's suitability and is thus difficult to challenge. Their best
practical strategy is to be open in their application about the relationship and
suggest that the panel should not give undue weight to their first referee's
views.
Some
governors may not be influenced; others may see it as an expression of David and
Jill's independence and determination.
But
candidates for jobs should not be put in that position. References should be
open and discussed with the candidate. Appointment panels should refuse to
countenance comments that the referee is not prepared to stand by when
challenged. This need not make references too bland to be useful: anyone in a
position to write them should have the courage to tackle difficult situations.
The
open reference is an important professional development opportunity that enables
candidate and referee to have serious dialogue about the future and to plan
training or development experiences. The process reduces the scope for unskilled
"reading between the lines" that remains part of appointment culture
in many places.
The
dilemma would be resolved if education abandoned the practice of pre-interview
references. Other sectors use them only as a final check on the suitability of
candidates they want to appoint. A referee who knows the panel and has already
spent time with the candidate could only provide facts that are easily justified
and would not distract the panel with opinions that owe more to personal
animosity than professional perception.
This
would help Jill and David to avoid feeling powerless and enable them to reach
the start-line for promotion on their merits.
It
would also avoid some of the agonising that good referees undergo to ensure that
what they write is honest, fair and helpful to the appointment panel and their
colleague. One thing is clear: no referee should be allowed to thwart ambition
for any reason other than genuine belief in the person's lack of ability to
fulfill the post in question.
That,
in turn, imposes a responsibility on the referee who feels unable to support an
application to say so and to do something constructive about the candidate's
shortcomings. Hiding behind the secret reference or the confidential briefing is
a form of bullying unsuitable for our highly accountable times.
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