New job or wait for pay review - how to approach?

New job or wait for pay review - how to approach?

Author
Discussion

SV8Predator

2,102 posts

165 months

Tuesday 16th September 2014
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spud989 said:
I took over an English department with dire results in January,
You're an English teacher and you start with an ambiguous statement like that?


spud989

Original Poster:

2,744 posts

180 months

Tuesday 16th September 2014
quotequote all
Interesting. May look into that. The more I think about it, though, the more I'm tempted to move on after 12 months. The department I'm in won't 'need' me as much. I've steadied the ship, the results are the highest they've ever been by miles, and I've put in place a plan to maintain them (approximately, with any luck) through a strategic combination of standard WJEC English exams and Cambridge iGCSE courses, which I didn't do last year. I've installed some good people there, though! Need to find out more about the staff at the advertising school and why they're running a school with similar numbers with 1.5 fewer English staff - can't take a job on if they won't put money or resources into it. I made that clear at my last interview that I had to effectively be given carte blanche and, mostly, they obliged, despite the horrendous situation with staffing we were in from February onwards.

SV8Predator said:
spud989 said:
I took over an English department with dire results in January,
You're an English teacher and you start with an ambiguous statement like that?
Quoted in isolation? Of course. Everything is about context.

I'm a descriptivist, anyway. wink

PorkInsider

5,886 posts

141 months

Tuesday 16th September 2014
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I'm still struggling with the concept of telling your current employer about any external job application, before you're in receipt of a written offer and intend to hand in your notice.

What do you see as being the benefit in informing your current manager before, or during, your application?

Are things really different in the world of academia?

spud989

Original Poster:

2,744 posts

180 months

Tuesday 16th September 2014
quotequote all
As reference requests are normally sent to your existing school before you arrive at the interview, it's just the done thing. Reference requests are part of the process the panel goes through pre- and post-interview, rather than being a sort of 'confirmation of the interview decision', as I gather it tends to be in the private sector.

Else otherwise you could end up in a situation where you've not asked for a reference and your head gets a request for one on a Tuesday morning saying that you're due to attend an interview on the Wednesday and could he give his thoughts. It would really annoy most of them as it would be the first they've heard of it. Then if you don't get it you've sort of shat on your own doorstep a bit.

PorkInsider

5,886 posts

141 months

Wednesday 17th September 2014
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spud989 said:
As reference requests are normally sent to your existing school before you arrive at the interview, it's just the done thing. Reference requests are part of the process the panel goes through pre- and post-interview, rather than being a sort of 'confirmation of the interview decision', as I gather it tends to be in the private sector.

Else otherwise you could end up in a situation where you've not asked for a reference and your head gets a request for one on a Tuesday morning saying that you're due to attend an interview on the Wednesday and could he give his thoughts. It would really annoy most of them as it would be the first they've heard of it. Then if you don't get it you've sort of shat on your own doorstep a bit.
Ok, thanks.

STW2010

5,731 posts

162 months

Wednesday 17th September 2014
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PorkInsider said:
I'm still struggling with the concept of telling your current employer about any external job application, before you're in receipt of a written offer and intend to hand in your notice.

What do you see as being the benefit in informing your current manager before, or during, your application?

Are things really different in the world of academia?
I was struggling with this too, but as the OP pointed out it's because of the references. Otherwise the only reason for doing it would be to effectively threaten them into giving you what you want or a more extreme way of saying that you're unhappy.


Oh, and BTW teaching in a school is NOT part of the world of academia.

liner33

10,690 posts

202 months

Wednesday 17th September 2014
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In my experience of my Local Authority recruitment, references are sought after a successful interview and before a written job offer BUT its not unusual for Headteachers to call each other and have an unofficial chat even before short listing irrespective of whether they are a referee.

I'm not suggesting for a minute that this is how things should be done but how I have seen recruitment in practice

oldnbold

1,280 posts

146 months

Wednesday 17th September 2014
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My eldest daughter is a Biology teacher and has just started a new job at a large secondary school. The job application process is very different to anything I have experienced.

As the Op has said, references are sought ahead of interview. All candidates are interviewed on the same day and the successful candidate offered the job on that day and a decision from the candidate is expected the same day.

She obviously didn’t hand in her notice until the written offer arrived.

This process has been the same at both of the schools she has worked at so I presume that it's the norm.


spud989

Original Poster:

2,744 posts

180 months

Wednesday 17th September 2014
quotequote all
liner33 said:
In my experience of my Local Authority recruitment, references are sought after a successful interview and before a written job offer BUT its not unusual for Headteachers to call each other and have an unofficial chat even before short listing irrespective of whether they are a referee.

I'm not suggesting for a minute that this is how things should be done but how I have seen recruitment in practice
Absolutely. Once a teacher has blackened their copybook then in some areas they'll find it difficult to get a job again. Too many people have too many people in their contacts list from training meetings etc. Of course, such unofficial networks can also work in your favour too. But I imagine most areas of employment are similar in some respects.

spud989

Original Poster:

2,744 posts

180 months

Saturday 20th September 2014
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Update: the school seems great. Spoken to the deputy head and assistant head at length and also had a brief word with the head. They're very keen for me to apply and I think I will. I think I now need to inform my head.

The deadline is Friday. Add that to the fact that my current school is currently expecting an Ofsted monitoring visit within the next week or two (which could well be converted into a full inspection) and things are certainly going to be hectic.

spud989

Original Poster:

2,744 posts

180 months

Monday 6th October 2014
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Interview on Wednesday. Lesson is planned. Written out a series of questions for the interview myself - still more things I want to know about them.

Going to see what it's like. If they want me, and I like the feel again and the answers to my questions, I'll take it. Obviously there's a few ifs there.

Current school said they'd put me up 2 jumps on pay spine instead of one. No extra responsibility or anything. Would only be just over 1k pa, though compared to the 'standard' raise. Nice to fall back on, with any luck.

Going into it all open-minded. Too many variables. And I like a bit of control! Ha

spud989

Original Poster:

2,744 posts

180 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
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Update: got the job today smile

liner33

10,690 posts

202 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
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Congrats mate , I take it you are going to accept? Do you need a to give a terms notice?

shtu

3,454 posts

146 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
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Comparing the job-offer range you mentioned, versus the current place..

spud989 said:
upcoming expected 3k rise
and
spud989 said:
Current school said they'd put me up 2 jumps on pay spine instead of one. No extra responsibility or anything. Would only be just over 1k pa, though compared to the 'standard' raise.
Sounds like the right choice by a mile. Well done. smile

Slurms

1,252 posts

204 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
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Congrats

Great result.

spud989

Original Poster:

2,744 posts

180 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
liner33 said:
Congrats mate , I take it you are going to accept? Do you need a to give a terms notice?
Thanks, folks.

Already accepted! Got a slight raise within the range so I didn't have to start on the minimum too, which is good. You accept or not on-the-spot post-interview. I handed my resignation in today - if you leave at Christmas/January then you need to have resigned by (the end of) October half term, which is just over two weeks away. Only exception is headteachers, which is a full term's notice, I think.

25 miles each way to the new job, which will swallow some of the increase, but that gives me chance to enjoy the incoming TTRS more than my current 4 mile commute! Very happy, all told. Breaking it to my existing department today was very difficult, mind. They're a mixture of happy/gutted, if you believe them!

Edited by spud989 on Thursday 9th October 16:25