To think that this can't be right

[Houseflower]

I am applying for a job as a teaching assistant and have applied for 5 or 6. I have had one interview which sounds good but is fixed term. I find out about this later this week. I have just found out that I have 2 more interviews next week that are permanent and better money.

My sister who works in a school said that if I get offered the first job and accept it this week, then go for the interviews for the others and get offered a better job then I aren't allowed to ring up to turn down the original job.

I am older and have worked in many other workplaces and this often happens. I was told it was different in teaching and it wasn't the done thing and would give me a black mark against me for future jobs.

Does this really happen? I find it hard to believe that someone would talk bad about me because I made the decision to give my family more money and more stability.

You can do it but it is considered very unprofessional. Recruitment is hard in schools- costly and time-consuming. A teacher who did this would be very poorly regarded.

They’re not a teacher…….

Surely a teacher is different though. Teaching assistants in our area are one of the lowest paid jobs,

Firstly you’re applying as a TA, not a teacher. Secondly, the introduction of academies has pretty much obliterated the old honourable, respectful ways of doing things. Teaching is now cutthroat and staff are just a commodity. Do what you need to do.

if they offer you the job, you are welcome to give them time to consider, explain you have another interview,
see what they say,
they can always choose another person from their list of candidates if you say no. they would be unfair imo to make you confirm immediatley

It's considered very very unprofessional as movement between schools is limited to very small windows of time. I haven't ever heard of someone being offered a job then suddenly turning it down a couple of weeks later.

would it be a couple of weeks later though?

it is a TA position.

of course you can change your mind imo

Lots of people accept job offers and then turn them down when they get a better offer. People do this where I work.
Teaching assistants are not the same as teachers. Like a previous poster has pointed out, the job offer will be subject to satisfactory references. This is a provisional offer so either party can retract the offer/acceptance.
Do what is best for you op.

Maybe they should think about that when only offering fixed term contract can’t have it both ways

frequently paid more per hour than teachers

It's normal in education for this to happen.

It's a common source of worry for teachers and teaching assistants.

You can ask for more time to consider, and particularly if it's a temporary position they are likely to allow this.

It's one of the reasons so many candidates pull out of teaching/TA interviews - if you are offered at a previous interview and accept then it's generally considered binding.

This is not the legal situation but a teacher/TA who accepted and then pulled out (except for obvious reasons like unexpected cancer etc) would have a black mark and education is a small world.

spare me. Recruitment is the cost of business. The OP needs to do precisely what’s best for the OP - have the contract job in her pocket and hope she gets offered the permanent positions. "Poorly regarded" 😂

I am a teacher and there is an expectation that if you accept you are committing to working with them, even if it then takes a couple of weeks to get the contract out to you etc... There is a 'rumour' that if you then turn the job down later that you get 'blacklisted' but I don't know if it is true. I think it is partly down to circumstance as I know of people who have done this. Someone due start in my current school has done just this and then later said that they would take the job and are now starting a term later (not sure what went on there). Teaching is different - you have to notify them when you apply for other jobs, regardless if you even get shortlisted or not. But you are not going for a teaching role, it is a fixed term, and your life is more important to you than your future employer will consider it to be.

Perhaps have an honest conversation with someone there? I can see the bind you are in. Good luck 🤞

It's happened in my school a couple of times with support staff. I only recall one teaching member of staff accepting then changing their mind and although it was seen as particularly bad form, the priority at that point was getting someone else.

Last term we were expecting two new TAs and neither turned up for work. One said 'she just changed her mind', the other just never responded to calls. There seems to be a very different attitude to manners regarding employment these days.

This is definitely the way it's done for teachers. They ask after interview if you would accept the job if offered. Then they ring at the end of the day with an offer or rejection. Very little time to consider. I have friends who have said at interview they have other interviews lined up and the school don't offer them the job based on that.

Teaching assistants - I'm not so sure. The issue for the school will be they only have 2 more weeks until the end of term so if you keep them hanging on until next week then turn them down, they will run out of time to recruit and will have no one in post for the start of the new academic year in September. They will likely have to take on a supply member of staff and recruit early in the new year.

Now some would say that's not really your concern and you should do what's right for you.

Others would think it's not the done thing. Is there any chance you may want to work at this school in the future? As this would affect your chances of that.

How would they even know?

Teaching assistants - I'm not so sure. The issue for the school will be they only have 2 more weeks until the end of term so if you keep them hanging on until next week then turn them down, they will run out of time to recruit and will have no one in post for the start of the new academic year in September

But they will have interviewed more than one person so if the first candidate doesn't accept, they offer it to the second best. They don't have to start again from scratch.

The advice being given is correct for "teaching ". Teaching assistants are not teachers and are support staff. Therefore treat it as you would any other job and if a better offer comes after you call and decline. They will then presumably call any other short listed candidates

You are correct that you shouldn't take a 6 month role if offered a permanent one.

I would accept the post if offered. There will be a period of background checks etc . If in the mean time you get one of the other positions you pull out of the temp post. If you don't you have a 6 month post to gain experience

Yes maybe it is due to the extra hours of free work that teachers do. That's another story and one I don't particularly agree with. However, for the purposes of paying my bills, it's low pay.

I'm new to education and while I know people talk, iI cannot believe that someone at first school will be ringing round the other schools telling them. I'm a nobody. If anything, it will mean I don't work in that school ever. Rest of the city, and I live in a big one with hundreds of schools, I highly doubt will even hear about it.

I've mulled it over and to be honest, it's fixed term so what do they expect. It's either really fixed term in which case they aren't offering me something sustainable or it's a fixed term but might lead on to something permanent. Well maybe try and get permanent staff in the first place and you might get better staff.

I used to work in another field where this happened all the time. In education as it happens, just not schools and dealt with interviews. Was I annoyed when someone pulled out, of course. Did I blame them for going for a better job and badmouth them. Nope! Just got on with it.

I've been offered the fixed term. They rang on Friday. I'm going on Monday to this interview so it will be just over 24 later to back out if needed and I'm not taking my things in for DBS until Thursday so I'm sure it will be fine if I need to back out.

I've worked in schools for many years.

We've often been told someone who has accepted a position has decided not to join us, and often the position is then offered to another candidate who they also liked, but was pipped at the post. I've never heard of a black mark against their name.

It's for a Teaching Assistant, not a teacher, two entirely different things, which will have completely different contracts.

Yes they may have interviewed more than one candidate. But in the last 3 rounds of recruitment my school have done, there was only one decent candidate and they had to go back to square one all over again. Sadly, it's a hard job for little pay and not many are willing to put up with that these days.

Ask if there is any chance it will be made permanent. Then at least they are aware are that is your goal. I'd just brazen it out and if you get the permanent one good on you.. It may be education but it is also business.

Well maybe this is the issue and even though not the schools fault as such, offering such low pay to teachers and TA's but expecting so much isn't massively working