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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

The staffroom

Accepted job then changed ming

26 replies

Needmorewine · 31/03/2017 21:31

Hi
I have accepted an NQT position due to start in Sept. However after lots of wobbles I have decided to take longer doing my PGCE (flexible one) and then look for a part time role instead, after my DD has completed her first term in reception (so ideally start something in Oct 2017 or Jan 2018). I accepted over email but have not signed the contract. Where do I stand ?! Can they sue me?! Thank you!!!

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toomuchicecream · 31/03/2017 21:46

They can't sue you, but they can rightly be fairly fed up with you. Head teachers talk to each other.... You need to be quite careful how you phrase this to the school. If you put it like you have above, I would expect a Head to be pretty fed up. However, if your email said something like, "after consultation with my tutors it has been agreed that I will complete my PGCE over a longer period. I will therefore not expect to qualify until October 2017 and so regretably will not be able to commence work as an NQT in September 2017".

Just be ready for the Head to come back to you and offer to pay you as an unqualified teacher until half term, or to hold the position for you until half term. You might be better off saying you will finish in December to stop that happening, if you really don't want the post. However, if you like the school, you might also want to add a phrase about recent experience on your PGCE having led you to decide that you cannot commit to taking on a full time post at this stage and so you will be looking for a job that enables you to work xx days a week.

Needmorewine · 31/03/2017 22:03

That is really helpful thank you so much toomuch. Is it best to tell them ASAP do you think? My only issue is that the head at my final
Placement school knows the head of the school where I have been offered s job argh ! I wanted to keep doing my final
Placement this summer term
As planned but just not submit the final essays to my uni tutor until
After the summer. I'm worried if I hand in my notive while on placement, like you said the heads may talk and that will make my final
placement very awkward. What's the best way to broach that do you think? But then I don't want to leave the school with only two weeks before end of term to recruit ! Argh I'm such an idiot.

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DumbledoresApprentice · 31/03/2017 22:15

Definitely tell them ASAP. If they are annoyed about it it'll be nothing compared to how annoyed they'd be if you let them down right at the end of term. The Head will know lots of other local Headteachers so I wouldn't want to cause more disruption than absolutely necessary.

Needmorewine · 31/03/2017 22:19

Ok thank you will do. Now to work out how to phrase this !

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rollonthesummer · 31/03/2017 22:21

Has your university agreed you can do this?

Obviously, the heads will talk to each other. Within minutes in my experience. Just be careful!

Needmorewine · 31/03/2017 22:23

Yes this is fine with my uni. In so stupid for accepting in the first place and I was so happy to get a job offer but for heaps of reasons it's just not going to work.

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DumbledoresApprentice · 31/03/2017 22:26

I think toomuch gave good advice. I'd get in touch and say that you are really sorry to let them down but due to personal circumstances you won't be finishing your PGCE this summer as you had anticipated and will therefore be unable to start as a qualified teacher in September. They might offer you an October or January start or might decide to readvertise the role. I doubt they'll be too annoyed at this stage in the year as it's still relatively early.

Needmorewine · 31/03/2017 22:29

I really hope so. I am just very worried that the head of offered job at school will talk to head of next placement school and that my placement will be a disaster before it's even started !! I've had two absolutely brilliant placements and am nod kicking myself at potentially screwing up and future placements / job offers !!!

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Needmorewine · 31/03/2017 22:29

Thank you all so much for your advice

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wibblywobblyfish · 31/03/2017 22:32

I work in school HR and I would be really annoyed, an ad in the TES costs thousands, not least to say the hours spent screening applications, organising interviews, notifying candidates and so on. When someone, especially an excellent candidate withdraws at this late stage and sets us back to square one it's very frustrating an a huge waste of limited resources. Word does get round so I would word your withdrawal very carefully.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 31/03/2017 23:12

Will you stil want to work in the same area geographically when you finish your pgce?

If so, I'd think VERY carefully about doing this. Heads talk. Your appointment has cost the school money and the later you tell them the harder it will be to find someone else. They are not gonna by to be happy.

What did uni say? I'm amazed they're not counselling you against this.

Finola1step · 31/03/2017 23:17

Word of caution. PT teaching jobs are often very difficult to find if you haven't completed your NQT year and have a few years under your belt. Apart from if you do supply through an agency.

Needmorewine · 31/03/2017 23:23

Yes same area. I will have to just be honest, apologise and let them know ASAP I suppose and take my chances. My uni understand - flexible PGCE so timescales Change. I wish I wasn't in this situation but I can't do much about that now.

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ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 31/03/2017 23:30

Ok. Definitely let them know asap then - and take advice from uni about how to do that, probably by explaining you won't be qualified in time.

thatdearoctopus · 01/04/2017 11:56

I would only do this if you absolutely have no other choice. As others have said, Heads discuss this sort of thing all the time, and if you know that these two already know each other, it will definitely come up.If you're hoping to work in this area in future, it won't be a good start.

rollonthesummer · 01/04/2017 12:02

I really hope so. I am just very worried that the head of offered job at school will talk to head of next placement school and that my placement will be a disaster before it's even started

They 100% will speak to each other, so be very careful how you approach it.

thatdearoctopus · 01/04/2017 12:07

I'm afraid you might be regarded as flakey and unreliable - not attributes that future Heads are looking for.

JigglyTuff · 01/04/2017 12:19

Given all that ^, is it really worth jeopardising your whole future career for the sake of a few months?

JigglyTuff · 01/04/2017 12:21

sorry - that weird symbol is supposed to be ^ but it's gone italic

PotteringAlong · 01/04/2017 12:30

Honestly, don't do it. The next meeting of local heads it will be mentioned, your name will be mentioned and you will be knackered for ever more. It's a term. Unless there is no way at all you need to start work as you agreed.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 04/04/2017 18:38

What did you decide? Have you contacted the school?

Needmorewine · 04/04/2017 18:53

I emailed along the lines of what toomuch suggested as unfortunately I don't have much option and I felt it would be very unfair to do it for a term then resign leaving them in the lurch with short notice, at least now they have until Sept to find someone.

Not heard back yet but guessing they are closed for Easter.

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Lowdoorinthewal1 · 04/04/2017 19:15

Are you absolutely sure you can't finish? Pretty much everyone feels like they can't go on at this point in a PGCE?

Are you in danger of failing if you carry on as previously planned or it it just the workload getting on top of you? If the latter maybe give yourself a few days off and then re-assess. The is always going to be a massive workload, it may be better for you to really work on ways to manage it.

Working PT is hard in it's own way. You will work more than the hours you are paid for and you are likely to have less support purely due to being in school less and being seen as 'a part timer' rather than one of the main team.

I am old, been in the game for years, and I work just slightly part time so I can do my own school runs. I am in a school I love with the perfect SLT- sounds ideal? Yes, but it still SUCKS being part time. I miss out on a lot of stuff that makes being part of a school amazing messing about in the staff room after school. The grass is not necessarily greener.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 04/04/2017 19:41

leaving them in the lurch with short notice, at least now they have until Sept to find someone

I hope this doesn't offend you, but you don't seem to understand much about teacher recruitment, contracts, resignation dates etc. Has your uni covered that?

Letseatgrandma · 05/04/2017 01:16

I felt it would be very unfair to do it for a term then resign leaving them in the lurch with short notice, at least now they have until Sept to find someone.

Well-they will only have until May half term to find someone-and that person will have to have resigned by then or they won't be able to start until possibly Christmas.

I hope your schools take the news well.

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