Securing your first post – The School Visit
As a trainee teacher, applying for your first post can be an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. You have already put a lot of hard work and dedication into your course so far, and now it is time to take that next step and apply for your first job. The position where you will start your career and undertake your Early Career Teacher (ECT) programme.
When applying for any job, in any sector, it’s important to have completed your research on the company first – and this is especially important when applying for a job as a teacher.
At interview you will be asked why you want to work at the school you have applied to, and it is important to have your answers prepared. The best way to achieve this, is the visit the school and collect information to be refer to during the writing of the application and during the interview.
You may also want to visit the school, to decide if it is the right fit for you.
Its important to research the school that you are interested in. You will want to understand their values, ethos and culture and whether or not, it is a good fit for you. You can start by looking at the school’s website, social media and Ofsted reports.
Remember the application and interview process is as much about you choosing the school, as them choosing you.
Before you start, think about what geographical area you want to be in, and then find out where positions for that area are advertised.
For example, if you are looking for a position in Cornwall than you might look in a national publications such as The TES, Schoolsweek or sites such as EducationJobs and the same would apply if you were looking for positions in Sheffield or Newcastle.
Different geographical areas may also have specific sites, where teaching jobs are advertised. In the West Midlands for example, many schools use WMjobs which could give you access to positions from Stoke on Trent, to Birmingham to Worcestershire. The site will allow you to select a location and a mileage range, i.e., Wolverhampton, within 5 miles.
In England alone, there are around nine million learners attending nearly twenty-five thousand schools – and that number does not include post-16 providers. Somewhere, within all these schools, there will be the school for you.
Once you have selected your geographical, area, It is time to start contacting schools.
Most schools will expect you to make a visit and many of these will be at the end of the day to allow potential candidates to still undertake their existing role.
For you, as a trainee teacher, at this time of the year, you are likely to be on placement and your provider will be telling you about how many days of your placement you need to complete to pass the course (120 days this year 2023). Keep an eye on this number, especially if you have been absent from placement with an illness and it has been more than a few days, as this could have an impact on your programme finishing in time for a position to start in September 2023.
When contacting schools, most will still take a telephone call, and this is usually the best place to start.
If a school has an active application for a position, they will have developed a procedure for telephone call and emails. When you call the school, they may give you an email address to confirm your visit and/or acknowledge your call.
Look carefully at the application for an indication of how they are organising their visits.
The school might handle visits in different ways. They may invite you to contact them, with statements such as ‘visits to the school welcome’ in which when you call or email, have your own suggestions ready; ‘yes I could come and visit at 3pm next Tuesday’ or they may offer an open session, which is the same time for everyone.
The open session is my preferred approach, and if I was interviewing you, you would expect a given time slot, for all potential candidates.
In this time clot, you would receive a presentation on the school, the position and the interview procedure. After the presentation there would be time for questions and a walking tour.
During a visit, try and stand out for the right reasons
- Research the school. Is it part of a multi academy trust (MAT) which one? Where are their policies located? Is there anything you want to know about these policies? See Chapter 3 Beginner Teachers in Ordinary Classrooms – Securing your first post for more on this
- Dress as if you are going to an interview
- Arrive about five minutes before your visit, to enable you to sign in and have your ID checked
- Take your DBS and another form of ID; your passport or driving licence
- Wear your ITT provider’s lanyard
- Prepare your questions in advance. If these questions are answered as part of an presentation, write the answers down.
- Do not ask questions about elements which have been covered or about information which is freely available, it will look as if you have not been paying attention
- Although you may usually make notes on your phone, now is not the time. Use a tablet or pen and paper to make notes. Many schools do not allow phone usage on the premises because of their safeguarding policies.
- On the walking tour, be polite to pupils, thank them for opening doors and if possible talk to some pupils on your tour
- On the walking tour, ask the tour guide about the school. Some schools may ask pupils to be your guide or it may be a member of staff.
- Ask questions and engage in conversation with staff about what it is like to work at the school. Why do staff like working there? How long have they been there, what support and training do they get? You may refer to some of this information in your application and/or at interview
- Ask pupils what they like about the school. What are their favourite subjects? What are they proud of? Again, you may be able to refer to this information in your application letter and/or at interview
- You may want to get an indication of work life balance, but be careful how you ask about this, it can be sensitive.
Once the visit is over, consider carefully if you would like to work there, and what you liked about it.
Did the school for example talk about your ECT programme and how you would be supported and did the school give you an indication of when and how you would undertake your Planning, Preparation and assessment (PPA), and did this fit with your ways of working? Did you feel comfortable? Did the school talk about the class/classes you might be teaching?
Could you work in this school, if you were offered a position?
If it is a yes, onwards to putting together your application, if not, back you go to the teaching appointments websites.
If you would like more information about securing your first post, from school visits, to preparing your applications and attending interviews, then you might find Beginner Teachers in Ordinary Classrooms – Securing your first post useful.
Michelle Prosser Haywood
March 2023
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