Not even getting interviews for LSA and admin jobs in schools, whats going wrong?

[Overtinkerbell]

I am not native british but citizen here, I am giving this info as I do have an accent but I studied in english medium so I know English and can speak and write well but I speak with an accent.

I am in mid 40s, I had brief non-UK teaching experience ( for around 1.5yrs), I have a bachelor in science degree.Then I moved countries and did an admin job at a friends company ( in that country) and worked 5yrs, then I brought the same job to the UK (moved to the UK) and worked part-time remote. Just helping out with records, sorting excels, paying providers on time, logistics etc. I do have good excel and communication skills. Then I resigned and now working as a Lunch time controller in a secondary school.

I want to move up, from Lunch time job to LSA or admin, have applied to almost 12 jobs, one admin interview and unsucessful. In the interview, I had an excel task that I did before time and correctly. They commented'perfect' for all the interview questions only to hear I am unsucessful. I am not even getting interviews for LSA jobs, straight rejecting.

One of my friends who has done lunch time for 8yrs with no other experience,hesitates to write emails and very reserved, has scored an LSA job.

What is going wrong?. Are the schools looking for someone who talk like british?. Do they prefer one race? My teaching experience is non-UK so is that the problem?. I do understand that if a team has similar cultural background, they tend to bond well, I just want to know if thats the case.
What do you think?
Thankyou in advance.🙂

There are lots of grammatical and a few spelling errors in this post. If your applications have the same errors this will be why you aren’t getting interviews.

I wouldn't judge your English on how you write a Mumsnet post, I am sure you spell check your applications.

School admin posts are always in high demand, no doubt lots of equally qualified people also didn't get the jobs you tried for.

Just keep going and use the STAR method on your applications and you will get there in the end.

Lots?

I disagree. There aren't that many mistakes.

Competition for school jobs is always fierce. 3 of our 5 LSAs are qualified & experienced teachers who have chosen to take a step back, so having good English is only one aspect of securing a role.

How are you with teens or small children. Different groups require different aptitudes in my opinion.

Do you intend to stay in the UK? Perhaps they are concerned your plans will change and you will move on quickly.

I can see at least 15. I understand not taking care over accuracy in a MN post and I’m sure the op can write accurately but it’s wrong to say there aren’t that many, there are a lot!

You are applying for very sought after roles. Are you able to volunteer in an LSA role so they can see how good you are? I volunteered before securing a job as a teaching assistant. Good luck OP!

Lots of people after the same jobs?? That’s the most obvious answer. That’s lots of people are applying for the position and some of them are more experienced or qualified than you. Do you have any LSA experience or qualifications??
We’ve just filled a position, we had 10 applicants. Only 4 were interviewed. We chose those with me most experience.

I've counted 4-5 within the first sentence...

Yes but we can clearly understand what she is writing.

I mean, I actually work in a school. No one that works here has perfect grammar and vocabulary when writing emails. Including the people that were born in England.

I was actually talking about this to a colleague the other day. We were both saying that when we were younger we feel that our written English was perfect, the older we get, we start to forget some grammar rules. I'm 40s, she's 50s.

First of all, she is probably typing on a mobile phone.

Second of all, if perfect grammar and vocabulary were needed for school jobs, no one in my school would be working. I see mistakes in emails every day here.

But yeah OP, if you feel like you would like to improve your English, you can. There are always adult courses on. I think if English is not your first language, it's always good to keep studying it in some way. Either online yourself, or in a course.

I'm always learning Spanish. I never stop learning it. I keep learning it in different ways every year.

At my school we usually only take on people as an LSA with previous experience in a similar role. If their spoken English is accented, that is not a problem but poor language skills would be.

If we have effective meal time supervisors who understand and deal with children well, we might offer them extra hours to support in classes.

Generally we get a lot of applications but few that have relevant experience or qualifications. Working as a lunch time supervisor doesn't automatically suggest someone would be good working in class.

Have you tried signing up with an agency for teaching assistants? We use a lot of agency staff and some end up with permanent contracts with us.

Let's see you write a paragraph in a language that is not your first language, and we can compare.

I would say we can't know if it's a racist decision or not. If you live in a Reform voting area, very possibly. If you live in a multi-cultural area and the schools already have other staff of different races then probably not.
With that many rejections before interview I think you need to look at your CV and covering letter. Ask someone who has relevant experience to help you and be prepared to make major changes. Make it clear what your relevant experience, achievements and qualifications are. In your post you use the phrase "just helping out..." That's an issue many women have, of downplaying their responsibilities, so make sure you have phrased everything in an accurate but positive light. If you get an interview, as per pp, use STAR. Practise beforehand by thinking of likely questions and preparing answers. Above all, smile and be friendly - schools are hard enough places to work without someone who looks like they won't be a good team player.

The job market is tough and those jobs are sought after so you will need to persevere. Consider emailing the one you interviewed for and didn't get to say how much you were interested in the role and please consider you if any roles are available in the future.

Are you only looking at full time jobs? I know that at our place the full time school hours jobs are highly sought after but the ones that are just a few hours here and there tend to get fewer applicants. It might be a way to get some experience? Or else volunteering or doing a TA qualification at college? I think your English is fine! But maybe get someone to proofread your CV in case you’ve got a glaring typo on there somewhere.

I went back to work in school admin after 10 years of being a SAHM. Even having been the Chairman on my kids preschool for 5 years, then Secretary & SM coordinator for their PTA (incl organising the annual local fireworks) and then Finance Chair of Governors for 6 years - all voluntary posts, I had 17 interviews before getting a job. All but one were positive & the tasks easy.

As others have said they are very sort after jobs due to the term time working. Plus often schools have to advertise by law but often have someone in mind for the job - either already in another post in the school or volunteering there. As another poster said you could try for some volunteering in schools near you - they'd get to know your face and skills, you'd have some school experience on your CV & you get to know your way round the jargon & rules of schools.

Good luck

Are you tailoring your cover letter to each application? Also it might be worth asking ChatGPT to critique your CV to get feedback on it. Lots of schools with high EAL like teaching assistants who can speak the language of EAL pupils as the newest TESOL theory is that English-only isn’t as helpful as a bit of help in the native language. Are you targeting areas with a higher proportion of students who speak your native language because it could be a huge asset in many schools, depending on where you are.

Join an agency. Schools round here take anyone with a clear DBS as they’re desperate. Not sure why you’re struggling you can certainly spell a lot better than a lot of TAs out there and no disrespect to them.

What region are you in?

With the TA/LSA role - have you done a course? I have a friend who went from lunchtime supervisor to TA, but she studied to at least the level 3 before getting it, so that is probably what you are up against there.
With the admin, it could just be that they can get someone who has done admin in a school before and although you have admin experience its not relevant to the sector. In a good job market that might not matter so much, but the market is really tough at the moment.

They are slowly phasing Teaching Assistants out. Budget cuts, mixing year groups, hike in wage alongside NI contributions. More teaching assistants are needed but they are cutting them I’m afraid. More likely that’s the reason you are struggling and nothing to do with Nationality or SPAG.

From what you have written, I wouldn't jump straight to the conclusion that it's your accent or ethnicity. Plenty of people with accents work in UK schools.

Your written English is fine for everyday communication, but there are some few grammatical errors, missing words (such as "a" and "the"), and some sentences that don't sound quite natural in English (Then I brought the same job to the UK). We all understand what you mean but I am not sure that I would consider that acceptable in a school environment. If your spoken English is similar, it may be your overall communication rather than your accent that is holding you back. For roles such as an LSA or school administrator, schools are looking for people who can communicate clearly with pupils, parents and colleagues, and who can write professional emails and reports.

You could improve your chances of getting an offer by practicing interview answers, working on your written English, reading more UK formal writing - newspapers, fiction, school newsletters and emails etc., and asking someone to have a look over your CV and application forms. Small improvements in grammar, sentence structure and fluency will make a huge difference.

Keep applying. With a little work on your written English and interview technique, you will improve your chances of getting a job.

PS If the errors in your op were just careless ignore what I have written. I also have tendency to careless error when posting.

There is a difference between the level of English that is perfectly acceptable in everyday life and the level that is expected in a school environment.

As you are already in a school could you volunteer around your working hours to get more experience either in the classrooms or the office? Are you looking at primary schools or secondary schools or both?

I know people are talking about your grammar but one thing you do that a lot is comma splicing. Full sentences shouldn't be separated by commas. I do this a lot in my own day to day writing and I have a degree in English lit but I make an effort to not do it.

My friend couldn't get employed as an LSA because she missed out connectives in her speech as English is her third language. This was for a primary school. Having additional languages is seen as a benefit though especially if there are children in school whose parents do not speak English at home.

I would say keep trying. LSA/TA term time only positions are so sought after.