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.

I'm not saying you're wrong at all, I'm just talking about what happens.

It happens all over the place, particularly in industries that are local and employ locally

Maybe with teachers or people who have been in the game for years. Pretty sure nobody will give me a second thought. I'm new to this and the school isn't anywhere close to my home. It's a TA role, it will be one day after I've been offered the first one.

It's not exactly the done thing in any organisation. What makes schools think they're any different than anywhere else.

It's a general TA not linked to a particular child.

They are but stand your ground. Explain you have further interviews and you will let them know as soon as possible.

It very well might do but to be honest, I don't really want to work somewhere that blacklists me because I need stability for my family. Surely people who work in schools are human and need to pay the bills too.

And they would get in huge trouble if this was found out.

OK, well best of luck with your interviews, and I hope you find a role that suits you. I'm really not talking about any kind of formal blacklisting, I am just being realistic about human nature I guess! Was trying to help.

In a perfect world, I would be able to risk the first job but we don't.

If I say to the first job that I have another interview and they say thanks but no thanks and then I don't get any of the others, what happens to my family. Do any of these schools care about me? I highly doubt they give any of the people they don't offer jobs to a second thought.

That's fine of course, but I have to think about my own children.

You're right. It is human nature and I'm sure it happens. I think I'd probably be old chip wrapping really quick.

Rightly or wrongly, of course Heads talk to each other locally (especially primary Heads) and share their woes unofficially.

It does, for teachers, but not for those in minimum wage.

I don't think it would be a breach of gdpr for a head to say to another head, oh Mary Smith was due to start on Monday but she pulled out, she got offered a perm role and we can only offer temp.

How does that breach GDPR?

Honestly @Houseflower, it will be fine. I was in exactly the same position last year. Got made redundant, applied for a few jobs, had an interview for a temporary TA role on the Friday the school broke up for Easter. Had another interview on the Mon for a permanent non-school job.

Got offered the TA role, verbally accepted but was told no paperwork would be sorted until after the holiday. Went to the second interview, got offered the job but couldn't contact anyone at the school until 2 weeks later when they went back. Emailed the head early on the Monday and she crossed-emailed me asking if I'd given my notice in. Well, no because I was offered the job after I finished work on the last day and didn't have anything confirmed in writing!

I just explained my position re: finances and she was fine about it, understood where I was coming from, wished me well and I assume just offered the position to the next person.

I worked myself up so much about it as I've never turned down a job before and spent the whole school holiday fretting but at the end of the day, they will understand that a permanent job trumps a temporary one.

Good luck! 🤞

It is a shame that your time in HR didn't teach you that there doesn't have to be a signed contract for one to exist.

If the terms of the job are set out clearly, either verbally or in writing, and the offer is unconditional or all conditions have been met, the contract is formed the moment you accept it, either verbally or in writing. If you subsequently change your mind, you are in breach of contract. However, as per my earlier post, it is highly unlikely an employer would be able to succeed with legal action for this. In order to do so, they would need to show that they had suffered a financial loss as a result of your breach.

That’s wrong advice. TAs & teachers can change their minds. We had a teacher ring up and cancel part 2 of her interview as she had accepted a different post. Take the permanent post.

This 👆 Just be honest with them.

How did you get on?

There is absolutely no legal comeback if you accept then change your mind. It's commonplace in many industries - no idea if that's different in schools. But it does feel a bit immoral to do it to a small, public organisation and might be messing other people up.

I'd come clean and say you have a couple of other interviews lined up which are permanent roles (needn't mention the money at this stage) and ask if they could give you a few days. Hopefully they can hang on for a short period before turning down any other OK candidate?

Or just accept and then decline a week later - and try not to worry about it. Yes it's putting people out - but the school can phone the second best candidates and offer them the job, unlikely they've all found something else. People here are saying it might give you a bad reputation in the local area- but I really think school staff have more to keep them occupied than gossiping about someone they offered a job who then declined later.

Might only be a problem if you wanted a job at the first school, at a later point......

Please please please proofread what you write as a TA. I'm not being snide. It's genuinely important that you use standard English and correct punctuation to support students.

Many fixed-term roles are due to budgeting with the role being renewed every year. It's quite common practice for TA roles - it's often so they don't have to pay you for August too. Go with the role you think you'd enjoy the most and has the lowest amount of unpaid hours.

A role that pays you from 08:45-15:15 is vastly better than one that expects you to work those hours but pays from 09:00-15:00.

Of course you can ! What are they going to do? Fire you? Happens all the time. Most recruiters will have a 2nd choice in case the first falls through, for this very reason