To think they could of at least given me an interview?

[taken4afool]

I have been volunteering at a school for 2 years while I completed my level 2 & level 3 teaching assistants course.

I qualified a few months ago and would love to work in the school, I have been working in reception year. On my course I needed to work 1 day a week in placement, but to get as much experience as possible I had been working 3, the teacher has been very vocal about how much she values me and that she would be lost without me, she has even asked (at least once a month) if I was not doing anything on a certain, if I could come in to help (which I always did willingly).

It is such a good school and due to my own children, working there would be perfect as no other school around for miles and I do not drive.

Jobs coming up are very rare, well one came up and my teacher told me about it, (it was in her class) I applied and the closing date was last Friday, and I have heard nothing. The post said that if the candidate has heard nothing by today, assume you have been unsuccessful. The teacher said that she would be a reference, but stated that the headteacher will make her own decision.

I am gutted as I have given a lot of time to the school, I have always helped extra when needed, I get on very well with the team and always being asked to help out in other classes.

My confidence has taken a real battering and I feel very low, my dh left me 3 months ago, but every time I went into school that was all forgotten as I loved what I was doing and built up good relationships with staff and the children. No one even suspected anything was wrong as I came alive in the classroom.

I appreciate there might have been better candidates for the job, but after giving 2 years volunteering, if I was not selected for an interview, I would of thought at least someone could of said to me, thanks for your application but you have not been selected.

Guess I am waffling now, sorry

I think if you're as involved in the school as you clearly are, then you do deserve some proper feedback. Email the Head and ask if he/she would mind giving you some feedback so you can improve on other applications - at least then you'll know. I realise it's hard not to take it personally but TA jobs are very highly sought after and there were probably ex-teachers applying.

I would feel gutted to. I would ask headteacher for feedback. It may well be about experience or qualifications

I'm sorry you didn't get an interview. I think it's so incredibly rude when companies don't tell you that you've been unsuccessful. It would only take a quick email.

Sadly, volunteering in a school doesn't always guarantee you will be considered for a post, especially if there are other applicants with a lot of experience. Often applicants for TA jobs nowadays include qualified teachers.

However, you are right, it would have been courteous for them to have said "I'm sorry, but we have had a lot of hugely qualified applicants, and you have not been successful this time."

Is there someone you can ask to double check if they've had to move the decision back a couple of days? If you definitely haven't been selected for interview you could see if you can get feedback on why you weren't the right candidate as well. I can totally see why you are disappointed if you have such a good relationship with the staff there and work hard, so YANBU.

Do ask for feedback as everybody says but maybe leave until Monday in case there have been any delays in the process and to give them a chance to say something to you.

YANBU to be disappointed, but are you sure they made a decision? Any number of things could have happened to delay it by a day or two.

I don't think it would be helpful to suggest that they might be unhappy with you or why haven't they fired you. I suspect as others said there were hugely qualified applicants but as you're in the school already it would be disappointing not to get feedback on your application.

I think pop your head into hts office. It could be that they are running late or something due to sickness or whatever. Fingers crossed for you

I know this must feel awful. I was in a similar position and the feeling of rejection and not being good enough is terrible. All I can say, is that, on one hand, I took on board the reasons why I may have been overlooked and also other people noticed that I wasn't treated particularly well by management and put in a good word for me elsewhere and this led to me having a brilliant job where I made some of my now very best friends, and a permanent job eventually. Hang in there, and be grateful you didn't end up working for someone you now have doubts about! Keep positive and good luck! x

I'll get flamed for saying this but if you want to work as a teaching assistant and your application and CV contained grammatical errors as bad as the one in your opening post it may have been rejected at the outset.

My thoughts were the same as Phaedra's.

despite the timescales they gave, they may not have yet had time to shortlist

i have just had an invitation to an interview for an application that had a deadline of three weeks ago. i would hang on until the end of the week at least before asking whether there is any feedback on your application

I'm inclined to suggest that if the closing date for applications was last Friday e.g. 10th, that there is a very good chance they haven't even sifted through the applications yet. If you get on with everyone well enough why can't you casually enquire? I would just ask.

I'd speak to the head (or ask your teacher if she knows). How awful :-(

When I was a school governor it was the governors who shortlisted for staff appointments so maybe it was out of the hands of anyone who knew you from day to day and went very much on the merits of your written application alone.

Also I would not normally pick someone up on their English on a forum, but you have said could of instead of could have twice in your post. I wouldn't be keen for my child to have a TA who habitually made that sort of mistake. When I was shortlisting I would notice an error like that in an application if literacy was a relevant skill. If it's something you might accidentally include it might be worth getting someone to proof read future applications.

I'm sorry you didn't get shortlisted. It is really disappointing. I think it's worth remembering that jobs like this can attract vast number of applications, so it doesn't mean you aren't really good. You obviously are as the class teacher rates you highly.

I think that as they know you it would be nice of them to tell you if you don't get an interview. Of course, the shortlisting might be taking longer than they expected. You could always just ask them.
However, it's a tough world in schools these days isn't it? Looking at it from a different angle - if they had say 10 applicants who had more experience, or more appropriate experience than you, how could they justify interviewing you? And would it even be fair on you to put you through the stress of an interview when they knew full well that you wouldn't get the job?
Don't take this personally Op, however hard it is, please pick yourself up and apply for some more jobs in other schools.

i would assume the OP would proofread a job application more closely, or ask someone else to look over it, than she would a MN post

I bet there has been a delay, especially if the teacher seems so happy having you in the class. I'd ask.

Sorry Op, I see you mention no other schools around and you don't drive. You might need to think about that as you apply for jobs.
The other thing about TA posts is that sometimes schools advertise the vacancy, then look at the skills the applicants have and see if someone is a good fit for a need in the school. They might even decide to employ that new TA and shuffle someone existing. For example, they might have a child with an additional need and an applicant with the right experience to support them.
I agree with others, shortlisting has to be an objective and fair exercise. It has to be done based on finding the people most likely to be able to do that job.

Thank you for your replies.

The more I think about it, the more them not letting me know would be the problem.

I think I will take advice on board and speak to the office next week.

Thank you, PetulaGordino, yes I always proof read my applications and get someone else to have a look. Had a really shitty day where everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, had a not nice conversation with my ex who has a knack of making me feel like crap, so emotional, so apologies for my errors.

Perhaps the head believes you being a parent of a child at the school would be a conflict of interest in some way.

Many TAs are ex teachers or have many SEN elements that they have learnt rather than just volunteering experience. Most will have had previous employment experience which is very different to being a parent helper.

Maybe they think that you'll continue to work for free in your volunteer role even if they don't employ you..same reason people who are paid at classroom support roles but teach and cover classes where I work never seem to get promoted.

But thats the synic in me.

i know a woman who was in your position - maybe the teacher's clout isn't valued by the headteacher? is the teacher you worked with/for liked? there's so much politics in the school i work in - perhaps there's stuff going on that isn't common knowledge etc