Another Failed Interview

[MineMineMineMineMine]

I've had another failed interview and feeling so low.

I'm try to escape a teaching job and I am just so exhausted and burnt out and I need to move on but I don't know how to do it.

Over the last year I think I've had an interview every 4 or 5 months. I have often got an interview... But I don't make the grade.

They always have someone with more experience. It's like they want someone already doing the role (or for one job it was more experienced ex teachers dropping down so although a lower pay I was competing against far more experienced people)

I'm already on a lower paid non standard teaching job having tried to leave and I want to leave compeltely.

I'm bright, I have good qualifications, but I've taught for too long and am pidgeonholded. I've also got a mobility issue and am nearly 50 so want at most 4 days. So applying for these roles. But I'm not old enough to be written off yet.

What sort of job are you after OP?

You're absolutely not too old to be written off! It looks as though you haven't had many interviews if I've read correctly. I would mass apply on places like indeed or the likes of. Apply for a whole bunch of different things if you're burnt out. Hopefully that will generate more interviews and more opportunities. Good luck!

I had the same issue a couple of years ago, had 11 failed interviews. I ended up doing interviewing coaching and landed my dream job! Highly recommend.

Sounds as if you’re coming close so don’t be too disheartened. Did you mean one interview every 4-5 months over a year? That’s only 3 or so and unfortunately it’s a bit of a numbers game as there will always be a lot of competition.
What sort of role and salary? Will probably be hard to match a teacher salary for a more generalist role.
Unfortunately the sort of local and national public service roles that would suit an ex teacher are just not recruiting at the moment as there’s no money.
Have you looked at courses that might give you a bump? Wishing you luck.

Stop putting dates on your CV, ask for feedback after every interview and get some interview coaching. Good luck x

I think in total it's got to interview stage 5 times over last couple of years.

I honestly would apply for more I just don't see much I can apply for. I don't want to teach...

I want to earn 33-37 really (well a proportion of that) so don't need a full experienced teacher salary.

Im happy to drop if it means I'll work back up to it reasonably soon

But so many jobs at the 33k mark in the council / nearby seem to be aimed at experienced but unqualified staff. So I have more qualifications but not the experience...

Even looking at civil service I can see ads for meteoroligist, experienced analyst etc all quite specific... Civil service is often sold to teachers as a good move as it is skills based (although seems impossible to get in) but I'm not in a big city so it's just probation type jobs or qualified accountants etc.

NHS - obviously I'm not a HCP so it's the "assistant" type roles which seem physical or visiting houses which I can't do..

The University - applied for a role supporting/assessing learning difficulties which I'd have loved but the department was full of ex smt from teaching that had stepped down.

I have looked at L and D roles but it's a completely different career path it seems.

There have been some wfh charity roles but one wanted 25k for a learning manager... And wouldn't budge on full time.

Id happily do something compeltely different with training as part of the job. Someone on a group I'm on became an auditor which looked great. Using analysis skills, learn quickly, work at pace. But requires a training role willing to take an ex teacher.

Ed psych. Highly competitive but requires full time attendance. If I was younger I'd so do this.

I was far more employable 2 years out of uni than I am now. 😭.

I seem to be getting interviews for the ones I've gone for but not the job.

Yes I wonder if you're right about the lack of roles that would be a sidestep/step down just aren't there.

Id happily retrain but only options locally are social worker and mental health nurse. I'm sure I'd get accepted into the course.... But there's reasons why they're keen to recruit!! It would be out of the frying pan into the fire. If I could have done those roles younger and then now be moving to less people facing/more training others role at this age that would be perfect but I can't start there in those roles.

I often see jobs I'd like like mental health education or internal training but they require you to be a HCP.

I'm not wedded to training tbh. Is quite like to be less people facing, or less intensity of being "always on".

Have you thought about teaching in a hospital school? Do you have any children's hospitals or children's psychiatric hospitals near you? Including private psych hospitals? The young people are often there for a period of quite a few months and access education via the hospital schools while they are there
You wouldn't have to be a HCP...

Thankyou - I have seen those roles discussed and I know it's quite competitive when they're advertised. However I really don't want to teach children. I mainly teach adults currently and don't want to go back. I think that's part of the issue that after teaching for so long you're pegged as "a teacher" rather than all the transferable skills.

I'm also wanting a change to something with an element of wfh.

I don't mind going down salary wise if it's something else I could work up in.

I think I'm doomed.