u/Ambitious_Draft_6987

Hi,

I'm hoping to leave my school and move to a new city. I want to start at a new school in September, but my interviews so far have been incredibly competitive.

I've had 4 interviews from 5 applications, so I know my application itself works, but I've yet to make it past the 'teaching/task' stage. There's always been 6+ candidates invited, and I've yet to make the afternoon shortlist, let alone receive an offer.

I'm scared by the possibility of handing in my notice on 31 May without a job lined up. Have people done this in the past? What are your experiences? Did interviews get more or less competitive after the cutoff? Do more jobs come out after the notice period expires, or do they dry up?

Thanks for your help.

I've been to two interviews for History jobs starting in September this year. Both times, I travelled across the country - spending upwards of £200 on trains and accommodation to deliver a lesson, do a written task, go on a tour... and get sent home without an interview.

Am I justified in feeling that this is all the wrong way around? Both jobs I've gone for have had 6+ applicants invited to interview, which seems like an awful lot for a shortlist. On neither occasion did I get a chance to discuss my lesson with the observer, nor have a one-on-one chat with anyone on the recruitment team.

I'm particularly frustrated because today, my observer - who wasn't a history specialist - sat in the back of the room and answered e-mails during the interview lesson I'd spent hours researching and preparing.

It seems to me that a much fairer (and less financially crippling for relocating applicants) interview process would be to interview the shortlisted applicants - perhaps online - over the space of a couple of days, and only invite the final few to the school to teach a lesson, meet the department and do the written task.

Am I wrong?