"Gold dust" school jobs

[Smartsub]

I am currently trying to recruit for support staff in school. I need kitchen, staff, admin and TAs. All term time only and all school hours. The jobs I've previously seen referred to on here as "gold dust".

We are getting hardly any applications and those we do get a poor. Admittedly the money is poor, but that's always been the case. Until a couple of years ago the difficult part was sifting through the 100s of applications we'd get for such jobs, now we rarely get more than a handful.

What's changed?

I’m a School Secretary in a private school (the only one). If I’m off sick or not there for some reason or another, I will quote what colleagues have said ‘it all goes to shit’. I have negotiated my pay well, there was another secretary, but she left to retire so I ended up with her work. I wasn’t having that and negotiated a pay rise.

I have just returned to work in schools as a TA after a long time out due to caring for my son. I love the job but the money isn’t shocking for what’s involved.

@Tron80 But we all know whilst your post is technically true the reality doesn’t match.
You really don’t need a lot of experience or specialist qualifications. Most places train you up if they think you’ll be a good fit.
I’ve worked with lovely supply TA’s who are barely understandable due to their heavy accents. Working with children with SEN including speech and language. Any supply teacher who stays long enough to firm working relationships with the children is snapped up.
Schools don’t charge you for DBS certificates so nor should any other organisation. Hopefully they would value staff more if it cost them £50 every time someone started.

I work in a SEND school and they definitely don't take on staff in the classroom qualified, let alone highly qualified. In the last year there have been a few whom have never worked in a school before yet put with children with complex behavioural needs without having been given the correct training (I will add they never signed up for the role they were put in!) and have ended up in hospital several times because of them.
Schools don't pay enough to bring in highly qualified employees unfortunately which is why they have to consider people starting out. The problem is I don't feel like there is any progression. You are worked to the bone and get absolutely no recognition for it.
I saw this thing earlier that said 'the happiest people at work do the bare minimum and because they do the bare minimum they don't get asked to do any more. The unhappiest people at work are those who work over, put in extra, go above and beyond, get work piled on them and still never get any recognition. Stop it!'
And it's absolutely right. But I don't know how to stop. I take pride in what I do and see that I am helping the children and families so it's hard to not do all the extra because otherwise it won't get done. BUT it pisses my off the we have a senior (grade) on the team and she is bone idle. Delegates all her work, sits on her phone all day, spends hours out the office chatting and she is paid alot more than the rest of us. She knows no ones job but she is apparently above all of us. Oh and shes in line for promotion but one that isnt going to be announced, nor does she need to apply for it. Its just been given to her, a manager role. Other staff have to apply for internal roles. She must be laughing at us how little she gets away with doing and nothing will ever be done. Believe me many people have tried. If you're face fits with SLT/SMT you can get away with anything!

If you're face fits with SLT/SMT you can get away with anything!

This and only this!
Cliquey environments, micro aggressions are all types of bullying.
These people will cover each others backs no matter what.

In answer to your questions. I'm in a popular market town in the SW.

I'm desperate to land one of these roles because yes I want something that fits in with my kids but I also want to do something fulfilling that makes a difference to the community I wouldn't say I have a proven interest in furthering the outcomes of young people's futures necessarily though but I was prepared to take a lower salary to do something rewarding and fulfilling. I wasn't expecting to have to jump through hoops or be exploited and I think from what I've learnt some support roles in this field are.

And I was given false hope. At my interview I was told its rare to find learning coaches with my skills (I'm bilingual, I have an arts degree and a business background with good IT skills) and I have SEN experience through family and friends but that doesn't count apparently.

I would have had to take childcare costs into consideration too as the hours included an hour before school for admin and lesson prep and fortnightly meetings until 4:30.

My biggest shock was that the school was open for key workers during strikes and the lessons were taken by support staff so teachers were quite happy to let staff on half thier wages pick up the slack.

I might take the catering assistant role to get experience because at least its not volunteering. But it wouldn't get the job centre off my case and I believe that job could be quite stressful too given they're so desperate to recruit they didn't even interview me but most of thier staff are on long term sick. And from what I've seen on this thread and others about what it's like to be a lunchtime assistant immediately not sure its for me.

So I'm keeping my options open at the moment.

I agree with all this 100%.

In fact, it's the best thread this week.