Back to the Chalkface

I can't believe my summer holidays have gone already.

But it wasn't all sun, sea and sangria during August - I made the sensible decision to get my first few weeks of work planned. In the final week of the holidays I made a couple of visits into school to re orientate myself with the classroom layout and deliver some of my personal belongings.

The first week of term started with a training day, which allowed me time to double check all my resources before having to confront a live audience.

Understandably they were quite a lively audience too, with lots of chattering about how well the holidays went and how much (or not) they were looking forward to embarking on the new school year.

The first couple of weeks the school was in the process of introducing new behaviour and pupil tracking systems. This meant a lot of confusion and unanswered questions for my established colleagues and an absolute nightmare of uncertainty for me.

Some of the pupils, no doubt sensing my uncertainty at the new arrangements, attempted to test the boundaries by baiting the new teacher. This is a problem many NQTs face during their first couple of months in the classroom. I regret to say that one class in particular are getting the better of me and really wearing me down.

When I accepted the job little did I realise how disorganised and poorly equipped the school was. Things that should be routine are an absolute ball ache of unnecessary petty bureaucracy. For example, if I want to photocopy something I have to take my own paper to the machine. Last week I had to buy my own paper for the copier because the school (unbelievably) ran out. What sort of school runs out of paper?

I'm not enjoying it one bit at the moment.

This term could break me.

Tips for Getting Your First Teaching Job

As I mentioned earlier I've been in the fortunate position of being successful with my first job application. That's the exception rather than the rule - most NQTs have to apply for at least a few jobs before they get one.

I was lucky that a job I was interested in came up locally, but I also put a lot of effort into getting things just right and making a good impression.

Here I outline some of the key considerations, based on my own successful experience, for securing your first teaching post.

Timing is crucial:
Most student teachers start looking for a job during their second placement from January onwards. This early there is competition from qualified and experienced teachers, who want to move from one to school to another for whatever reason. The later you leave it the fewer qualified teachers you will be competing with.

In a state school a teacher has to hand in their notice by 31st May if they want to escape to a new school that September. This means a lot of jobs come up in June at about the same time a student teacher qualifies.

Do not be disheartened if you haven't secured employment until late in your teacher training.

Most people will have jobs by the end of June so if you see something advertised in July, just before the summer holidays, you know the school is pretty desperate to fill the vacancy. In these circumstances it's not uncommon for vacancies to be filled after an informal chat with the Head.

Do your research:
You need to find out as much as you can about the role and the school. The school will send you an application pack with loads of information about what they're looking for and aspire to. Read it cover to cover. You should also download the school's prospectus and Ofsted report. Read these documents cover to cover, taking the time to highlight and understand important recurrent points. Find out the names of key personalities at the school.

You must also show awareness of current subject-specific and whole school issues. Read up on the latest educational buzz words and big ideas.

Tailor your application:
Look at the job description and make sure your letter of application (or whatever it's called) covers all of the essential and desirable characteristics. You can drop in a few words or statements directly from the job description, just to reinforce the point that you have actually read it. Relate your past experiences to what the school is looking for - these offer crucial evidence to support what you're saying. Be sure to drop the school's name into appropriate sentences.

Do not use a generic letter of application. The personal touch is recognised and appreciated by whoever reads it.

Seek a second opinion:
Once you've written your tailored letter of application ask someone to pass a critical eye over it. This could be your subject mentor or university tutor.

Get noticed:
Contact the school and make yourself known before you send your application in. This really does pay dividends. In my own case I visited the school for a tour and chat with the Head. That chat allowed me to gather information about the values and ethos of the school, facilities and organisation and what they wanted in the job applicant. It also meant I was recognised as one of the keen ones when I was invited for interview.

On the day I was interviewed only two of us had made the effort to visit the school in advance.

Be adaptable:
Everyone applying for a teaching job can teach. You wouldn't be eligible to apply if you couldn't, because you wouldn't have achieved Qualified Teacher Status.

Schools want someone prepared to give something extra outside the classroom. Think carefully about what you can offer the school in addition to your teaching responsibilities. You'll almost certainly be asked about it at interview.

Be prepared:
Chances are you'll have to teach a lesson or give a presentation if you're invited for interview. This is without doubt one of the most important lessons you will ever teach, so make sure you understand what is required. You should enquire about the class size, ability, lesson location and available resources - the school will expect a diligent professional to ask these questions.

Once you know all the variables you need to work on your lesson plan. Ideally you want a few short and snappy lesson chunks, which will stretch the higher ability children and are achievable by the lower ability children. Think carefully about how you differentiate your tasks. Consider how you can use a range of learning styles to make things interactive and interesting.

Leave plenty of time to gather/prepare your lesson resources. It sets a good impression at interview if you turn up with a few homemade activities for the children to complete.

If you have a chance rehearse your lesson a couple of times. You may be able to borrow some children from your placement school to do this!

Hand over your lesson plan to those observing you at interview.

On the day I was interviewed one of my fellow candidates failed to produce a lesson plan. His card was marked from then on.

Confident, firm and focused:
Once you're on stage in front of the children you need to blank out (as best you can) the thought of being interviewed. The people observing you will want to see a confident, firm and purposeful lesson. Better still if it runs to plan, although they'll understand you're in unfamiliar surroundings and working with children you don't really know. I had problems with the interactive whiteboard on the day of my interview, but I just cracked a joke and plodded on regardless.

The children are yours for the lesson and you need to establish your dominance in the classroom. As soon as any of the children are distracted you should whip them into line firmly. The people observing you will no doubt be impressed by your ability and confidence to take control in an alien environment.

Keep up the pace and don't allow the children to sit idly. Of course you'll have practiced this so there won't be a problem!

Job Interview

Invitation to interview:
It was a week past the closing date before I heard anything about the job I'd applied for. Sure enough they had liked my application and invited me for interview.

The letter gave detailed information about what to expect on the day. For the sake of anonymity I shan't go into exact detail, but the day was broken into two parts - a formal interview and the delivery of a short lesson. The letter also revealed that only four applicants were being interviewed for the post.

Preparation for interview:
I had two weeks before interview to get my lesson in order. I spent a couple of days devising a rough outline of what I wanted to achieve. I took my outline plan into my placement school for my subject mentor to double check. He thought I'd knocked together a good lesson, so I put the wheels in motion and prepared my resources. It was my intention to practice the lesson on a live audience at my placement school, but I never got the opportunity. Once my lesson was sorted I spent the last few days brushing up on the latest science education and whole school issues, with particular emphasis on Every Child Matters (ECM) and Assessing Pupils' Progress (APP).

I got an early night the night before my interview, sound in the knowledge I had checked and double checked the contents of my case for the following day.

The day of the interview:
I arrived at school 10 minutes early and was shown to the staffroom. A couple of the other candidates had arrived before me. After a few introductions it quickly became apparent that one of the others was actually on my course. All of us were applying as NQTs.

The Head came into the room and introduced himself. He recognised me from our earlier encounter when he showed me around the school. He explained that we were going to be split into two pairs. One pair would be shown the school while the other pair had their interview and short lesson. The pairs would swap over later that day. The interview/lesson running order had been determined alphabetically by surname, which meant I was third to perform. The interview panel was made up of the Head, Deputy Head and a Governor.

During the tour I managed to ask a few semi-intelligent questions about the school catchment area, use of support staff and homework policy.

I was given five minutes to set up for my lesson, which seemed to pass very quickly. The lesson was to be observed by the Deputy Head and Governor, who offered a few reassuring words before I wheeled the children in. I sat the children at the starter activities where I wanted them. Apart from pausing to briefly scold some chatty children the lesson flowed to plan. To my surprise it lasted 20 minutes exactly as it should have.

My turn for interview came around quickly. Understandably the candidates before me didn't give much away about the type of questions to expect. The interview lasted about 20 minutes and consisted of a series of questions ping-ponged between the three interviewers. One question was about ECM, which allowed me to recite a near perfect answer. I was also asked about what contribution I could make to the school's extra-curricular programme and some child welfare issues. I was able to reflect on practice at my placement school, which was a very similar environment to the school I'd applied to. From the signals I'd received, particularly from the Deputy Head, I was reassured that I'd put in a reasonable performance.

I returned to the staffroom and briefly chatted to last remaining candidate waiting for interview before he was taken by the Deputy into the Head's office. As she walked by me she quickly said under her breath to expect to hear from them later - I didn't realise at the time but she was dropping me a friendly hint on the outcome.

At the end of the last interview we were gathered in the staffroom and told to expect a decision later that day.

The decision:
After the interview I went for a bite of lunch and walk around town. My mobile rang and I answered to find myself speaking to the Deputy Head.

"We'd love to offer you the job," she said.

"I'd love to accept," I replied.

The deal was done and my first teaching job was secured.

My first job application and I got the job - that's a pretty good success rate!

Job Application

In the last few weeks before qualification I started looking around for my first teaching job.

I was adamant that I wanted a school just like my second placement and, as chance would have it, a promising looking job was advertised only a few miles away. I emailed them for an application pack, which I received a couple of days later. The job description was just what I wanted.

Sensing an opportunity like this was too good to miss I set about researching the school. I headed straight for their website and downloaded the prospectus, which I read cover to cover several times. I also downloaded their Ofsted inspection report, which pointed me towards the school's strengths and areas for development.

Most important of all I telephoned the school and arranged to be shown around by the Head.

I arrived for my tour after school the next day, having taken an early afternoon from my placement. The Head greeted me enthusiastically, beckoning me into his office for a chat about the school and role. He explained that the job had arisen due to restructuring within the school. We discussed his visions for the future, most of which I had already gleaned from my prior research. After 20 minutes chat the Head showed me to the lab that the successful applicant would inherit.

My visit confirmed that I wanted the job, so I feverishly set about completing the application form.

My subject mentor at my placement school double checked what I'd written. He declared how well written it was and that he'd be amazed if I didn't get an interview.

I approached the Head of my placement school and university tutor for references.

I submitted my application and waited.