I just got a Facebook reminder that this day 3 years ago I moved back to Ireland after a year in Brighton. We planned on moving to Dublin but I had no job, house and moved back home to Waterford. I had been applying for jobs since April/May – both by email and I also sent a few by post too. By the 11th August, we managed to find a house but I still had no job and had resigned myself to the fact that I would be subbing for the first few months at least. I had no connections in Dublin so didn’t even know where to start when it came to subbing.
By the middle of August, I had an interview for a school in North Dublin. The interview went fairly well – there were a few tricky questions but I managed to answer them. I was told I would find out if I was successful (or not) the following day however I never heard back from the school.
A few days later, I received a call from another school (which I had applied for in May) offering me 6 weeks substitute work for a teacher who was taking study leave. I was delighted! I then travelled home to Waterford, and the following day received a call asking me to attend for interview at another school I had applied to (again in May/June). 3 days later the school that offered me the substitute cover for 6 weeks rang back to say there was a mistake and the teacher was no longer taking study leave. I attended the interview the following Tuesday and that night received a call to say I had been successful and secured a temporary position for the year. I was thrilled and started work a day later. This year, I was made permanent in the school.
I suppose the point of this blogpost is to give some hope to teachers who are applying for jobs. I know how difficult it is and it takes time to build up relationships with schools so don’t lose hope. If you don’t manage to secure a substitute/temporary position for a few months/the year during the summer, then you will get some substitute work and hopefully secure a more long term position then!
For further support, check out my job application and interview course. This course covers every aspect of applying for jobs and interviews including;
- Building your confidence
- Teaching applications overview
- Researching the school
- Looking at our schools
- Buzz Words
- The Standard Application Form (SAF)
- Letter of application
- CV
- Other documents
- Interview process
- Tips for the interview
- How to prepare for an interview
- Interview questions
- Re-interviewing
- Covid 19
- Believing in yourself
You’ll receive support through a private Facebook group and discussion forums throughout the module if you have any additional questions. Check it out here.