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Applying for your first job
You have decided to take the next step in your career, and you may be thinking ‘where do I start?’
You may be a current serving senior leader, or an experienced education practitioner; taking the next step in your career can be daunting. Not to mention, there remains competition; in North Yorkshire, 64 Headteacher and 51 Deputy or Assistant Head roles were advertised on NYC jobs in the 22-23 academic year and a Resourcing Solutions average of 8 applicants per role.
This competition is greater for secondary schools, with an average of 13 applicants per role. If you are exploring senior leadership for the first time, it requires planning, persistence, and resilience – all before you start the role!
“The grass is always greener on the other side”
It’s an old cliché but important questions to first ask are what is the motivation for my potential move? What is my passion? Do I have a proven track record in my current role? Does your current school give you the opportunity to fulfil your aspirations, and have you approached your current employer to explore these?
If you are looking for progression, there may be an option for taking on additional responsibilities for experience to support your application, or even an upcoming opportunity in your current setting for you to apply to.
On the other hand, there may not be an option for this, or you just wish for a fresh challenge in a different setting. If it is the former, we would again encourage a transparent conversation to see if a resolution can be facilitated. Sometimes the grass isn’t greener…
It is one thing to think you are ready for it, but successfully applying for a role requires you demonstrating leadership qualities consistently and resiliently.
We would encourage you to have a conversation with friends, family, and other informed stakeholders. Your friends and family know you well and can help identify your motivators; recruitment partners such as NYES Resourcing Solutions offer objective and informed insight and advice, with the benefit of being part of a trusted local authority and knowing the education landscape.
We have worked with a variety of settings, from rural, coastal and inner-city schools, maintained and academy settings and support the majority of North Yorkshire maintained Headship roles.
It is important to plan your career move as you would a house move, drawing up a list of needs, must-haves, could-haves, don’t wants. At the same time, be realistic with your expectations, which is why it is important to plan.
If you are seeking career progression, is there someone in your desired job role at your current school you can talk to, to understand their role and their career journey? Could they mentor you or give you the opportunity to shadow them?
It cannot be overstated how important it is to take the time to explore potential schools before you invest in completing an application for an opportunity. It may be these schools do not have any current roles, but in your busy role, taking the time to identify schools of interest can save you time down the line, particularly when the education recruitment landscape can be like buses – the jobs tend to appear all at once!
The first, most basic step is to study the school website, as well as the school or Trust benchmarking performance and financial data. Make a note of:
- Key staff, pupil numbers and demographics
- Ethos/mission statement/aims/values
- Departments – admissions, maintenance etc
- Inspection reports – most schools have these on their website and they are a good source of material which you can use for your application and interview
- Activities in relation to your specialisms/interests
Look at job boards such as NYC jobs, DfE jobs. These are free sites and will typically have the largest volume of roles advertised. TES is no longer the leading jobs board so you may miss out on opportunities if you narrow your search solely to them. Consider subscribing to our Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as local Facebook groups and school websites. At the same time, register for vacancy alerts and join our talent pool to be notified of suitable opportunities for roles supported by our Resourcing Partners.
Ensure your own contact details on these sites are up to date, accurate and appropriate and keep up to date with emails/messages/calls. Please don’t ignore calls about prospective roles as it could be your dream job!
Positively interact with your social media networks and go to any appropriate networking events. Liking posts, reposting, get your profile ‘out there’ and allow you to develop connections – they could be your future employer!
The next step (for live roles) is to see if you can either have a call with the prospective line manager as a minimum or visit the school. We understand how busy you are, but there is a lot to be said for visits; you can glean a lot about the atmosphere, organisation, ethos by arranging a short visit. Moreover, calling or visiting, and referencing this on your application, will make you stand out!
The application
We know application forms are long due to the requirements under Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), but a poorly completed, generic application form will not facilitate the opportunity for an interview. Schools are looking for evidence that you have taken time to complete an application and can fulfil the essential criteria for their position – they can spot generic applications and the shortlisting panel will always score higher applicants that have personalised and evidenced theirs to their opportunity.
Of the average 8 applicants for roles, the average shortlisted applicant is 3.6 per role, demonstrating the importance in submitting a strong application! If you are an internal applicant, don’t assume it’s a given; the recruitment process is a robust one and we have seen internal applicants not get shortlisted because they have not submitted a quality application.
Before you start
- Read the job description, person specification and any other supporting information carefully. Then read it again!
- Identify the key aspects of the role which they have highlighted as being essential and gather any information you can about the school
THINK
- What part of their mission statement do you find most appealing/resonates most?What can you uniquely bring to meet the person specification that other candidates may not?
- What evidence can you use to support your application against the person specification? Think of all the times you have had a positive impact or achieved something, even if it’s purely contributing to an initiative, within the wider school or not within a current senior leadership role. Gather data to back this up.
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- Class/year/key stage/subject performance data – it is good for you to have benchmarking data to demonstrate progress against
- Contributions to a wider school initiative around behaviour, outcomes for disadvantaged pupils
- Pastoral interventions
- Peer coaching or mentoring
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On a separate document, list these points and their impact which you can add into your application supporting statement or letter
Writing the application
- Write this in a distraction-free setting and don’t rush
- Ensure your email address is appropriate with no ‘gimmicky’ or rude words and that your phone number is accurate
- Ensure you utilise spell check. Consider getting a friend or family member, or us at Resourcing Solutions to review your application. Feedback can be daunting, but a key part of the role is the ability to receive feedback from others and reflect
- Make sure all compulsory parts are completed. This includes referencing ALL previous employment by MM/YY and accounting for any gaps. This is scrutinised by the panel as part of the process
- It is important to declare any information which may be relevant under KCSIE – do seek advice from uson this if required. Be mindful an online search is part of checks schools make, so consider your online profile
- Always provide two references on your application; one must be from your most recent Chair of Governors/Chair of Trustees/CEO/Headteacher (role-dependent). If you don’t want referees to be contacted until an offer is made, there is usually an option to declare this, but it can raise a red flag if you fail to provide any on your application. For Church Voluntary Aided schools, a third referee may be required from a faith perspective. If your most recent employment isn’t in education, a reference from the most recent education setting must be given
- Remember CVs will not be accepted instead of an application, though some schools may accept these alongside an application. Do check this and it may be helpful to send to a recruiter to summarise your skills and experience
The Supporting Statement
The Supporting Statement
- Take time to complete this. – don’t just put ‘see CV’ or ‘see above’
- Ensure all requirements of the application have been covered. Some roles may require you to respond to a given brief as part of your supporting statement or write it as a letter of application
- Personalise this to the school and opportunity. Most schools sift and shortlist based on the job description and person specification, which is why it is so important to cover the essential criteria here. If your school has a religious designation, make sure this is a key thread in your application and cast yourself forward to being the leader in a faith school
- Structure each point as you might an essay: STATEMENT-EVIDENCE-IMPACT. Then bring back to how these can be APPLIED in the context of the new role
- Utilise the language of the school/opportunity and keep referring to the person specification
- Talk about yourself as a person. Show your passion for education! Remember the standards, particularly the headteacher standards you adhere to go beyond your achievements – give a sense of your PERSONALITY, VALUES and LEADERSHIP SKILLS. Consider how your outside interests can support your evidence
- Reference any informal calls or visits and any observations relevant to the application – this demonstrates your commitment to the opportunity
- Keep your statement succinct - don’t feel you need to write war and peace. Leave something for the interview! At the same time, too short a statement may impede you getting shortlisted; balance is key
Submitting the application
Ensure you submit your application in plenty of time through the given means of submission. You don’t need to include scans of ID or qualifications at this stage. If submitting via email, ask for an acknowledgement of receipt and follow up if you do not receive one.
Do ask for feedback; we encourage panels to give this, though some schools may not have capacity to give it at application stage. Don’t shy away from asking for it as it is a key element to help you for future applications, even if not in the immediate future!
Lastly, should you change your mind or are successful for another position, don’t ‘ghost’ the recruiter or school. It is much better to be honest and transparent, otherwise your reputation may be impacted – the education world is a small community!
Good luck! Should you have any questions on the above, or would like any further advice, please get in touch with us at NYES.Resourcing@northyorks.gov.uk