Friends are all more successful than me. "Failed teacher"

[Flotraidroberts]

Hello;
I'm 28 and I class myself as a "failed" teacher.
I live in Chester and jobs are far too competitive. I've been trying to get a permanent teaching job for 3 years but can't. I've had long terms during this time but sometimes the school won't do the induction due to being too busy and if I don't get it done by the end of 2023, I become an ECT.

I don't mind supply, like Ive said, I have good feedback from schools, I've had long-term PPA covers but I just can't get the job. A school I was in a few weeks ago said they had over 90 applicants for a job!! And that seems the norm around here.

I'm currently on a long-term now doing PPA and have been in the school nearly half this academic year but the school haven't got the time to do the induction. It's stressing me out.

Anyway, my stress has increased tonight as my friend who finished her PGCE this year has just got a permanent teaching job and I feel happy for her but at the same time useless in myself.
Boyfriend is now questioning me about whether teaching jobs around here are actually hard to get or whether it's just me.

I feel just sad. I'm applying for a job tonight but I feel like motivation is going. I have had interviews and sometimes get to the final 2/3 but I just never get the job.

All my other friends have great careers and some are established teachers; It's got to the point where I am avoiding meeting up to save the questioning about how supply is going.
I can't move as I have a mortgage here in Chester;
I'm feeling absolutely lost at the moment. Surely at 28 I should be more established now?

I have one more term of NQT to go btw

Can you temporarily move somewhere that it’s easy to get jobs?

Have you considered setting up your own tutoring business?

@BluebelllsRosesDaffodills I can't, I have a mortgage with my partner here in Chester so I couldn't afford to move

@User112 I'm primary and I have thought about tutoring but I can't imagine tutoring would be popular for primary parents. I may be wrong though?

That definitely isn't the job market for teaching that I've experienced. I know you have said that you have a mortgage so you are tied to a location but you might want to consider how far you would be willing to commute and stretch your net wider to finish your nqt. I know of some schools in South Manchester, for example, that struggle to recruit. I'm in the south east (I know, too far) but recruitment is very difficult for schools so a wider area might help.

Do you get feedback from interviews? Are there any common areas that come up that you could seek some advice on?

Do your current school realise that it would be the old nqt you would be not ect? The two have very different implications for leadership (mentoring time etc)

Are you failing to get shortlisted? Or failing at the interview stage? Have you asked for feedback if the latter?

It may be worth staying in a “spare room” rental for a term in an area with more shortages. Spare rooms on Mon-Fri basis are often quite cheap, and then return to Chester for weekends, just for a term to get your NQT out the way, especially as schools won’t want to have 2 systems running for much longer now ECT is heading in to year 2.

We can't get primary tutors here (Warwickshire) for love nor money. So many children are 'approaching level' because of all the school they've missed with Covid. That might be a really good shout.

I'm a 42 year old supply teacher. I completed my NQT year in 3 different schools, part of it part-time. I now consider myself a career supply teacher (of course I have had long-term posts in various schools) and actually enjoy it.

You haven't failed; your career simply took a different path and, in many ways, you'll have more experience than them because of this.

@FreezyFreezy yes I get excellent feedback from schools, I also was "outstanding" during my PGCE placements; and I get asked back regularly; have long-terms; so I know I'm not a "bad" teacher;
It's more the attitudes of other people which get down - other people make me feel awful about supply - my friends don't see it as a real job. I'm just feeling a bit lost right now.

Moving and relocating is 100 percent not an option; it's not affordable for me

One of my friends even joked that I was "basically unemployed'

I'll look Into tutoring :) not sure where to start but I'll have a google

That is a bit of an arsehole question from your boyfriend; hope he’s normally supportive!

Supply is great if you can get it- I much preferred it to contracted teaching. Can you teach across the border in wales at all? It’s been a while since I’ve qualified- are the requirements the same for nqts in wales and England? Just thinking you’re close to Flintshire

@Verbena87 normally he is very supportive but he heard she instantly got a job and now thinks that is the "norm"; what he doesn't see is that she was one of the lucky ones that had a placement which had links to this school she got a job at and the headteacher basically wanted her to have the job (as far as she's told us); I've never been that lucky to be one of the "internals" per say

Wow, of course it is! 7+ and 11+ tutoring is insanely popular (in London at least)

@Squashedraddish yes I do like supply and the ease of it and if my NQT was done I'd be happy on supply; especially since partner is on a good wage so it's not like we have financial stress in that sense. But I do want my own financial independence as well.

I do supply in Wales as well and I love that Wales has the framework so I do do most supply in Wales; most of my long terms are Wales :)

I’m a teacher and you can have my job, I don’t want it! You are not ‘failed’!

Then your friends are being dicks

How far are you willing to commute every morning?
Depending on the distance you could apply at schools in greater Manchester. It would be a very long day but you'd get your pgce atleast

That was a bit unkind of your partner. And that particular friend doesn't sound like she's actually a friend, can you phase her out and concenrrate on real friends?

Tutoring is extremely popular for primary children. Good marketing and you'll be overrun!!

You could rent out your home and move elsewhere for a year or two

YANBU teaching jobs are brutal!

Sometimes it’s pure luck and sometimes they’re looking for something really specific.

I lost out to a guy because he’s done more travelling than me when he was younger and one time I lost out as someone got better GCSE results than I did 15 years ago (even though I had a uni degree).

I can now look back and be so thankful I didn’t get the jobs as I ended up doing cover which helped me realise what schools I’d want to work for and which I definitely wouldn’t! And of course a lot less responsibility.
I found a place that I just fit in so well at that they basically created a job for me and that made up for all of the failed interviews and feeling like crap in the past.

You will find something eventually.
Just enjoy getting all of your different experience and know something good will come up one day.

I know many NQTs who go for other roles like cover supervisors or head of year which all gives you good experience and gets your foot in the door of that school.

Was she doing the dance with no pants with the headteacher?