So you have made that jump and decided to move schools for September, now you have to ensure you find the right school so you can enjoy your teaching to the maximum!
Here we have a look at how to go about finding the right school, secure the interview and how we can help you with the whole process to make sure you get it just right.
So what do you need to think about?
Before looking for your next job, you need to be clear in your mind about exactly what you are looking for from your next career move. If you make the wrong decision, come September you might be thinking that the grass isn’t greener after all. Certainly you don’t want to be going through the whole process again next year!
You need to be clear on what you have liked about current and previous schools, what you haven’t liked, what your strengths are and what you want from your next school. And of course there will be other considerations such as your travel time and what hours you are likely to be working each day.
So you now know what kind of school you are looking for, what are your options for securing those interviews?
– Search the TES for suitable jobs
– Use job boards to find teacher vacancies
-Use a teaching agency to find you a permanent teaching job
– Explore the possibility of doing long term agency assignment
Search the TES
This time of year there are lots of jobs advertised on the TES and there could still be ones that fit the criteria you are looking for so well worth a look!
Let’s face it though, the process to finding the right teaching job is not an easy one. School advertisements typically aren’t that useful and it can be difficult to get an idea of the school working environment, especially if you don’t know anybody that has previously taught there. Ofsted reports can be useful, but rarely answer the questions that you really need to know about whether the school is a good match for you.
Application forms are lengthy and tailoring your personal statement to the specification for each application can also be very time-consuming. The process is very much about whether you are the right match for the school and less about whether the school is the right match for you.
All this whilst trying to do a full-time teaching job that doesn’t excuse much time for anything else.
Using Job Boards to find Teacher Vacancies
There are several very good job platforms where schools and agencies post jobs such as Reed and Indeed. Many of these jobs you will not find on the TES. Typically the application process is simpler and using these job boards will give you access to a larger pool of vacancies
Young female primary school teacher working one on one with a schoolgirl at a table in a classroom
Use a Teaching Agency to find you a permanent teaching job
You can gain an advantage by using a recruitment agency such as Key Skills Education to help find you a school and to help you in securing interviews at suitable schools. This will save you the time of filling out lengthy application forms, tweaking your personal statement and trawling through job adverts.
The process is more about which school is right for you, so first of all you need to be clear about what you are looking for! With the expansion of academy and free school initiatives, there is far more scope for innovation and creativity in schools giving you more choice as to the kind of environment in which you would like to develop your career.
Not only are we specialists in finding the right opportunity for you, we are also experts in securing interviews based on your strengths. And that’s on the strength of your CV, so no need for personal statements and job applications.
Additionally, we offer one-to-one guidance through every stage of the recruitment process, using our local market knowledge to keep you informed of everything you need to know.
Explore the possibility of doing long-term agency assignment
Long term supply is not what it used to be. Now with new regulations temporary teachers have to earn the same money as their permanent counterparts, which makes this a very good option for teachers looking to find the right school to develop their careers.
Schools are often keen to explore this option as it gives them an opportunity to see whether the teacher is a good match for the school before offering a permanent contract. Likewise, teachers can teach in the school for a term or two earning the same money they would have done in a permanent contract and can decide during that period whether they want to accept a permanent contract at the school.
With this option, you will also benefit from the agency’s knowledge of the schools, interviews arranged for you and one-to-one guidance through the recruitment process.
Summary
The end of the academic year is close but there is still plenty of opportunities to find that teaching job for September. If you don’t have the time to look through job adverts and fill out application forms then we would love to hear from you. Currently, we have several permanent vacancies at schools we have worked with for several years. We can take away a lot of the anguish of finding a new job and put you in front of schools based on what you tell us about the environment you are looking for.
If you are hesitant to take another permanent teaching job and would like more information about doing a long-term teaching assignment for next academic year then please get in touch and we can discuss that with you.
