To be so upset and embarrassed

[WhoisRebecca]

I went for a head of department interview yesterday and was cut after my lesson, data task and student panel interview. I had been asked to prepare a ten minute presentation but I didn’t even get to deliver it, as I didn’t progress to the formal interview.

I’m a good teacher and it’s my own school, but I just didn’t feel the lesson went well as the kids were very passive and it’s really difficult in a on off lesson to know what strategies work with a class you don’t usually teach. I also packed too much in so it didn’t work well. Even though they’ve seen me teach many many times - it does go on that one interview lesson.

I haven’t had any feedback yet and I’m off today as my throat feels like razor blades- so people will probably think that I’m off because of the humiliation. There were 4 of us at interview stage and I think I’m the only one who was sent home early. I wasn’t at my best but I just keep questioning myself and feeling like a complete and utter fool.

I have worked really hard at this school and I just don’t feel valued - which I appreciate is silly of me.

Also, sometimes I interview for practice.
I move jobs a lot as is the nature of my industry. If I am going into an interciew period it usually takes me three or four interviews to get myself up to speed to deliver the interview to a good standard.
I would now, make it a project for yourself.
Project Head Of.
Now, write down your goal.
Now write down what you need to work on.
How will you practice it, where and when.
How will you gather feedback or critisim.
Who can help you
Draw a plan of action. What are the steps you are going to take.

See this one failed interview as the perfect data gathering test to understand what you need to get a head of role.

And well done you for taking the first step with this interview. You now have the necessary information to add to your plan about what you can work on.

Now to Project Head Of

Chalk it up to really useful interview practice. And know in your heart that you weren't on top form due to impending illness.

I retired from teaching some time ago and I can’t believe this sort of crap is still going on. It happened to me on one occasion as previous posters have mentioned. I applied for a position in a school I was doing supply for.They appointed an NQT because I was on UPS. They even had the cheek to then ask me to stay on supply with them as I was so ‘brilliant with a difficult class’. I told them where to stick it. It’s honestly not about you @WhoisRebecca. You probably did nothing wrong in your interview (what they let you complete of it!). They were set on this particular person and you were just making up the numbers. Schools are legally obliged to advertise the vacant posts, then short listing and interviews are supposed to make the process fair. It doesn’t. It would probably just be less stressful and humiliating for the other applicants if they just hired the person they want. Take plenty of time to get well and go back with your head held high.

That is shit though, I really sympathise. If you were an unknown teacher they didn't have a relationship with then I can see why they'd end the process early. But you're a member of that school community and knowing how much time and preparation goes into preparing for the recruitment process in schools, I think they should have interviewed you. Then you would know you'd had a chance to give it your best in all areas and wouldn't feel like crap. They should be supporting you to develop professionally, and the interview could have been a way they could do that. They could have used it as part of your feedback so you know what you'd do differently next time but you lost the opportunity to go through the full process and get the feedback. So I would feel the same OP.

Yes I’d have rather they had let me do my presentation (I’m usually good at presentations). Then I could have feedback on every part of the process.

I am worrying about setting work and being thought badly of for not being in - but I haven’t eaten all day apart from a packet of crisps and I haven’t got out of bed. I will hopefully feel brighter in the morning.

Thanks for all the positive and supportive comments, it really is helping!

Ah, it's always hard not to get the job but even worse if you know that you were off your game. It sounds like the nerves got the better of you today and you are doubting yourself. Its hard but you just need to pick yourself back up and go and sat some targets to help remind yourself that you are a good teacher...and build some experience.

Seen that so many times. Person who got it contacted the head ages ago probably and said they were looking to relocate and was anything coming up. Head knows and likes them and makes it known to governors that they will be a great candidate. They can't tell them outright that that's who they want before they've even interviews, but the governors get the message. Particularly if it's a demotion they will be thinking long term - that candidate already has proven experience of SLT or whatever it is so will be useful to them in the future too in that way.

They were always going to get it. I do think they were a bit mean to send you home early but maybe they noticed you weren't on top form and as they knew they were going to offer it to the other candidate they thought they'd save you wasting your time/energy or something.

Not read the thread but...

• I doubt anyone will associate your absence with the interview

• they wouldn't have interviewed you if they didn't know you could do the job. Why would they waste their time? So they think well of you and do believe you have the skills.

• I do really believe that an unsuccessful interview can teach you much more than a successful interview. It sounds like you learned stuff that will be helpful for your day to day work as well eg tweaking your lesson plans.

Anyway, job interviews aren't personal and they only offer a tiny snapshot at a specific point in time.

HoD interviews can be brutal, especially when it’s your own school and you work with these people. Sorry that happened to you - it’’s unpleasant of them that they didn’t take you through to the last stage, as they should have been considerate of the experience it would have given you, if nothing else. Are SLT generally dismissive like this, or do you get support?

It sounds like it was already stitched up before you even got to the starting line. It’s shit but it’s really, really, common. Ask for feedback so you know how to approach similar jobs in the future.

I think that was really off of SLT not to let you continue. It would have saved you face, given you experience and created a culture of valuing people. The only people this reflect badly on are SLT - not you.

What @Ohapal said.
It sounds like sour grapes but I too went for a HoD post at the school I worked at and an external candidate got it.
I couldn't help but chuckle wryly at the end of last year when the appointee retired and the head said that they'd really wanted them for the post. Says it all really!
Rest up and get better, then get back on the horse so to speak.

Go for it !

I bet the head already knew who would get the job 🤔

Hi OP. I also work in education. I’m so sorry that you’ve had this bruising experience, especially when you are feeling so unwell. I’d like to pick up on a few points if I may.

It takes courage to apply for an internal promotion and you should give yourself credit for this. The fact that you were shortlisted means that your application was strong and the people who work with you respect and value you. Please give yourself credit for this, too.

Don’t be as quick to assume that it was a stitch-up as several PP have. Yes, it was always going to be hard to compete with the successful candidate’s experience but you would not have been shortlisted if you weren’t a credible candidate. Their success may not be as rosy as they expect; having worked with several people who have taken backward steps for various reasons I’ve seen that it is hard, and to a person they find it very frustrating.

Finally, having been involved in a lot of recruitment I can tell you that it feels utterly shit to have to give bad news to colleagues that you really like and respect, so if it makes you feel any better there are probably colleagues who are feeling just as crap as you right now.

Take the time you need to rest. Set straightforward cover from textbooks or tell the school you are too unwell to set cover. They will manage. Get well soon and keep your chin up when you do go back

The interview process is completely different from actually doing the job - as a way of chosing people, it is not that great. I always do well in my actual jobs, but I can really freeze in an interview. Try not to link the two things - not doing well in an interview has nothing to do with your abilities in anything else than interviews.

Having experience on both sides of the interviewing process in schools, I wouldn’t ask everyone to prepare a presentation if there was a reasonable possibility someone was going to be cut. An exception to this would be if something in the earlier part of the process raised a significant concern, like a safeguarding concern, which couldn’t have been anticipated but would make it necessary to send the candidate home. Another exception might be for a very senior position like headship, but even then it would be more usual to just get candidates who were invited back for the second day to prepare a presentation over night. Obviously these both sound very different to your situation, OP, so I can’t think why they didn’t let you present. As others have said, the governor should not have made that comment either. Packing too much into an interview lesson and/or not meaningfully getting through the planned learning is such a common thing. I bet every teacher posting here has done it at some point - I definitely have. I would suggest asking for feedback as soon as you can as it might help you to process and move forwards. Good luck with your next steps.

How is your absence record, OP? And any other HR type history? Complaints from parents or students? Run ins with other staff? That's the only other reason I've seen with teachers not getting promotions, if it isn't due to their actual ability and there is no done deal with someone waiting in the wings.

This has just happened to someone close to me.
He was virtually promised the job, has a great relationship with the manager, great supervision and appraisals. When it came to the interview he got brain freeze on the second question, he knew what he wanted to say but couldn't articulate it ( until he left the interview and was walking back to his car!!) From being stuck on that he just tumbled out of control and couldn't get it back. Ir happens, it's shit but life goes on.

To me, I think it will help build his resilience, force him to look at where his weaknesses are and remember his strengths. When the job comes round again he will be mentally ready to attack it!
I hope you do the same and apply for that other job. It's worth throwing your hat on. If you don't get it you haven't lost anything but gained more of an insight to how you interview.
Good luck and I hope you do well!

They do this regularly, including with internal candidates and they did say they may cut candidates before the presentation/interview. I had spent a long time prepping for the presentation but they did make it clear at the start that we may be cut earlier.

Hopefully the feedback will help. When I was called in, the head, assistant head and governor were sitting looking sympathetic, so I’m sure it didn’t feel nice to them either.

You were unwell, and then had confidence knocked by their unprofessional behaviour.

I had an interview for Internal promotion the day after a car crash. Interview was also a car crash. I couldn't think straight. Then they pulled me up for being rude in ignoring one of the panel...I couldn't turn my head due to whiplash! Left the interview and went straight to hospital. Was hideous.
Zero long-term damage to career but took a little while for my pride to recover.

I’ve not had a day off this year apart from today. I’m very reliable. No run ins with parents, staff or HR history. That’s not the issue. It was either performance on the day or I just wasn’t the best candidate.

I am in the corporate world and have been mentored recently by two senior female leaders. Both said the same thing to me - always go for every job you are 60-80% qualified for. They said they got 1 in 3 positions applied for. The key message was normalise application and rejection; it should not be a source of shame, just learning. It sounds like you have good insight and when the sting has gone, you should ask for feedback from the interview panel and give yourself a clap for putting yourself out there.

They said you were being rude to the interview panel, and it was because you physically couldn't turn your head?

Schools are brutal workplaces, aren't they? Sometimes they forget that teachers are adult professionials and treat them like one of the kids....

That’s horrible @ThatAgileLimeCat !

I worked in a secondary school for eight years. I saw this happen many times. I also saw the same colleagues go for different promotions later and get them. One now is an assistant head at the school.

These things happen. We all have off days. The fact you’ve come down with an illness might be an indicator why you had an off day yesterday.

Tomorrow is a new day. 😊