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Chapter 1
Applying for jobs
Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.
(James M Barrie)
The very first stage of progressing your teaching career beyond training is to apply for a job. While this may seem straightforward, there are several key points to keep in mind when going through this all-important process. To reflect that, this chapter explores:
- Choosing a location
- The maintained sector
- The independent sector
- Contract types
- Part-time teaching
- Job sharing
- Careers related to teaching
- Making your application.
Location, location, location: where do you want to teach?
Completing your initial teacher-training (ITT) course leaves you with many decisions to make. You have to decide not only whether you would like to continue your teaching career in education but, also, in which type of school you would like to work – independent or state, community or voluntary-aided, mixed or single-sex, inner-city or rural. You may even decide that you would prefer to work in a profession related to teaching.
Rather than falling into the first vacancy that comes your way, it is worth considering all the options available to you. What kinds of experience do you want to gain? Do you want to consolidate your training in a school similar to, or the same as, your teaching practice school? Are you eager for a complete change? Just be aware of the extent to which your first job can help to shape your career. It’s well worth avoiding false starts if you can!
Joining the mainstream
By far the largest percentage of all schools falls into the category of mainstream education, including state maintained and independent schools, voluntary-aided schools, voluntary-controlled schools, academies, city technology colleges and colleges of further education.
Maintained schools
Maintained schools are those that receive funding, or rather, are maintained by the state (as opposed to charging fees to cover running costs). As an NQT, you need to be aware of which institutions can provide an induction period. It is also important to be aware of whether your employer would be the local authority or the governing body of the school. If you are not certain about any of these answers, make sure you find out (by ringing the school in question) before attending an interview.
In England in particular, there is a range of school types in the mainstream maintained sector. It may not matter to you where you end up teaching, but it is worth finding out about the category of any school that you are thinking of applying to so that you know exactly what the context is in which the school operates. A school is not simply a school!
About School Categories
In England, there are three main categories of school: community schools (the local authority is the employer of staff and it owns the school buildings and land), foundation schools (the governing body is the employer, and can also own the school building and land), and voluntary schools (the governing body is the employer for voluntary aided schools and the local authority is the employer for voluntary controlled schools).
There are also specialist schools (any maintained school in England can apply for specialist designation), City Technology Colleges, Academies, Pupil Referral Units, Secure Training Units, Local Authority Secure Units and Grammar Schools among others.
When thinking about where to work, these are the key considerations:
Faith schools – While all schools have to have an element of spiritual teaching, joining a faith school carries specific obligations on the part of the teacher. You will usually be expected to at least respect, if not live according to, the doctrines and tenets that the school represents. There are currently faith schools in England of (at least) the following denominations (with a number of different faiths represented by the ‘other’ category):
- Church of England
- Roman Catholic
- Jewish
- Muslim
- Sikh.
Post-16 – these are very tempting for those with a real love of their subject. However, do think about how committed you are to this age range, because it could be difficult to adjust to secondary level once you have worked with the 16–19s, should you subsequently decide to work in a school. Another consideration is that post-16 colleges are totally independent of the local authority and the salary you can expect may be slightly lower than that of an NQT teaching in a school. There are also implications regarding the developments in the 14–19 curriculum to consider (check out www.dcsf.gov.uk/14–19/ for the latest information on this).
Single-sex schools – opinion about single-sex education seems to change with great frequency, as do ideas on the merits of working in such a school. Girls’ schools are very different places from boys’ schools and it would be worth spending a few days observing in each to assess whether single-sex teaching is for you. You may also like to consider the fact that you may be in the minority if you teach in a single-sex school of the opposite sex to your own.
Special schools – It is possible to gain employment in a special school for your first post, and if you are sure that this type of teaching is for you then all is well. However, it is often a good idea to consolidate your experience in mainstream-ability ranges first, before specializing. You can use this time to become involved with special education needs (SEN) at your school and gather skills and experience.
About Investors in People
Some schools are Investors in People (liP) schools, meaning that they use the liP framework to meet national standards. This framework helps schools to manage all they must do and achieve as well as any additional activities they choose to do. The core purpose of the liP Standard is to support the development of staff so that the performance of the school improves.
The liP Standard has three main principles:
- developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation;
- taking action to improve the performance of the organisation;
- evaluating the impact on the performance of the organisation.
These principles are supported by indicators and evidence requirements that would show that they are being met. You can find out more about IiP at www.investorsinpeople.co.uk
The independents
Independent schools vary in size and ethos just as much as maintained schools do. There are currently approximately 2,500 non-maintained mainstream schools (the broad term the Department for Schools, Children and Families (DSCF) gives to independent schools) in the UK, with over 650,000 pupils between them (roughly 7 per cent of the school-age population). They invariably involve the payment of fees, although the parental burden can vary tremendously as some children will be eligible for bursaries, scholarships and sponsorships (at the time of writing, bursaries and scholarships currently cost independent schools approximately £300 million per year). Independent schools do not come under the guidance of a local authority and are free to develop the curriculum and teaching styles as they see fit. That said, many do use the National Curriculum as a framework and offer the opportunity for pupils to prepare for and take national qualifications. In direct contrast to the state system, the headteacher of an independent school usually has the final say over the way in which the school is run, with a board of governors adopting an advisory and ratifying role.
About The Independent Schools Council
The Independent Schools Council (ISC) brings together the seven independent schools’ associations in a single unified organization. It serves to promote independent schools’ common interests. ISC schools undergo inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) every six years following a framework agreed with the Department for Schools, Children, and Families (DCSF). You can find out more about the ISC here: www.isc.co.uk; and the ISI here: www.isi.net
For the teacher, working in an independent school is a different experience from working in a maintained school. Although, in both kinds of establishment, an educational package is being offered to parents and pupils, in the independent sector market forces do seem to play a more central role. Naturally, when parents are choosing which product to buy, they are going to be conscious of the quality of education on offer. This can create a culture of exceptionally high expectations being placed on teachers by:
- the school management (wanting to keep the standards high enough to attract more clients);
- the parents (who are aware of value for their money);
- the pupils (who often understand their relatively powerful position at the centre of these dynamics).
Interestingly, the ISC reports that more than half of children now entering independent schools have parents who were educated in maintained schools. The ISC also reports that mobility between independent and maintained schools is very common among teachers.
If you do decide to apply for a job in the independent sector, be aware that pay and conditions of service vary throughout the sector. You may be eligible for additional pay as a member of house or pastoral staff in a boarding school, for example.
Get answers to these questions before accepting an offer of a teaching post at an independent school:
- Will you be able to do your induction at this school?
- Does the school adopt the same pay spine as the maintained sector?
- Is your contract comparable to one you would receive in the maintained sector?
- Under what circumstances c...
