Would bad behaviour as a student disadvantage you if you applied for a job there when you were older?

[branchesofwillow]

Wondered about this recently, this post has nothing to do with me or anyone I know just curious about it. So my question is if you decided to apply for a job at your old secondary school for a teaching post could bad behaviour when you were a student there influence the decision during the process?

I think there would be very few people there who would remember it’s at least 3 years whilst you were at university, staff change and existing staff know people grow up.

God, I hope not!

I worked somewhere once where the HoD for English had been permanently excluded only about a decade previously.

Absolutely - if anyone who worked at the school had anything to do with you as a student.

I work at the school that I kind of attended for sixth form. I say "kind of" as I mainly skived off until I was asked to leave. Although it was a couple of decades ago so there can't be many staff there who remember me as a teen.

Well it depends doesn’t it.

How long ago? How serious was the behaviour? Was the person who is now involved in the decision a member of staff then? Is the person who was most impacted by the behaviour still around? How much of a shortage of your subject is there?

If 5 years ago you hospitalised the Head of English then you will probably struggle to get a job as an English teacher now.

If 25 years ago you didn’t hand in your French homework then it probably won’t prevent you from getting a job as a maths teacher now.

I didn't know if word would get around and if staff who were there when you were a student are still at the school they might say something.

People can misbehave but be likeable. When the bad behaviour is nastiness, perhaps targeted at other students (vulnerable children would be an example) then that would be harder to move on from.

I’d hope not. But I’d agree with the above comment- anything from Y10 plus that was just pure nastiness to others would unfortunately influence my decision, yes. Silliness, skiving, class clown- no.

I was a terrible college student when doing my A levels but returned ten years later and studied to post grad level and lectured there for a few years. Whilst I was there, my old French A level teacher was still working and I did some freelance work promoting the language services the college offered, so I had the opportunity to apologise!! I then worked elsewhere for a few years but later returned for far too long! And have recently left again!

My kids go to the same secondary i left in 1996 and still many of the same teachers. A few schoolmates are teachers there now too

I think it depends; if you're 17 and applying for an apprenticeship as a TA/similar I'd expect to be asked questions around attitude and maturity. If you're now a fully grown adult then I wouldn't expect it to be considered. If it's something you're worried about maybe it's not far enough behind you/them.

Absolutely yes! But only if the same staff/ head that taught you were in the shortlisting panel. (I’m a Head of Department- and have had this happen, but the other way around, when a delightful ex pupil applied for a job in my dept and based on my experiences with her as a pupil, she was invited to interview. She got the job!)

What kind of bad behaviour? Details matter.

It would depend on the behaviour and whether any staff remember you. At my secondary school there were a few very long-serving teachers.

@Postdatedpandemic

I worked somewhere once where the HoD for English had been permanently excluded only about a decade previously.

The current head of English at my old secondary school was in my year at the school, and he was an absolute shit! Obviously managed to pull it together at uni though!

No.. .. Go for it nothing to loose.

It depends. I think people can change massively. So who you were at school doesn’t necessarily reflect on who you are as an adult.

I made a joke at work once about how I was good at copying lost of information down quickly because I did a lot of lines in detentions at school and my manager was amused and said they couldn’t imagine me ever getting detention.

@branchesofwillow

Wondered about this recently, this post has nothing to do with me or anyone I know just curious about it. So my question is if you decided to apply for a job at your old secondary school for a teaching post could bad behaviour when you were a student there influence the decision during the process?

Surely it would depend on how serious the bad behaviour was. As I said in another thread when I was at school in the 60s the Head girl was seeing a teacher, they married after she finished her teacher training and she came back to teach in the school!

In my dcs secondary school one of their English teachers was a complete messer when he was there..suspended on one or two occasions. I know his family. He is a great teacher and very popular now in the school doing lots of extra activities, trips etc. I am of the firm belief that teachers need to understand all sorts of children not just the "good" ones so we don't need too many teachers who were perfect in school themselves. Also children can be going through family crisis and act out or just be immature. I think a wise principal would be looking at the overall picture.

Not in mine . When I started there about 17 years ago , there was a really cheeky year 9 , always pushing the boundaries. One year he wasn’t trusted to go to sports day . Years later he came back as an NQT . He had obviously matured a lot . Can’t judge him on his year 9 persona .