Teachers - does this seem likely?

[SensitiveSkinn]

My H is a mainstream teacher teaching GCSEs, there is no head of his department & never has been (small department). He tells me he was offered a head of department promotion role verbally by the head teacher and they shook hands. They didn't actually create this role or write a JD or advertise - they just told him in the head's office that he was getting a promotion and creating a new job for him.

Now, they've gone silent on him. He's asked about the job but they are ignoring him. They've just recruited another teacher in his department (who is friends with SLT) and he is convinced they've recruited him to give to this person now.

I work in a v process driven sector and none of this seems normal. I worry about H wellebing and he tells me he is going to tell the head teacher 'to get fucked' and he's really really stressed about it. Paranoid actually - telling me he thinks this teacher is talking about him, that everyone knows, that people know they've 'fucked him over'.

I'm a bit confused. Does teaching really offer promotions with no process or open recruitment and then take those promotions away to give to their mates - again with no open recruitment? Does this sound plausible? Maybe I'm being naive but H seems a litle vulnerable at the moment and I'm worried he's misunderstood the original offer. It all seems so unprofessional and back-stabby.

I am assuming H is in a union? This is why educators are in unions, to get good solid advice. At our school all jobs are advertised, even if it’s internally. There are loads of school vacancies, it sounds like a perfect time to start looking for a promotion in another school.

Yeah - they once got me to cover someone’s responsibility unpaid for a year with the promise of promotion and when the time came they hired an external candidate.

Even though schools teach inclusive values to their students, their recruitment strategies are Stone Age.

I did.

He's allowed an opinion on how he was treated and to vent to his wife. That doesn't affect his ability to do his job.

Which you don't understand anyway. Why do you (repeatedly, now) say 'head of school year'? Heads of department manage the subject and lead the curriculum.

Definitely the type of thing to happen in my school. Union won't be able to do anything. He'll have to decide whether to put up with it or leave.

He sure is allowed an opinion

but given his wife appears very concerned about what he has said and his behaviour, I’m inclined to think my view that I wouldn’t want him to be the head of a dept is pretty bloomin reasonable!

I am afraid you would be highly disappointed by the majority of the teaching profession. I would estimate that 99% of us are capable of expressing anger when treated badly by our employees.

I mean employers.

And I wonder if 99% have very worried partners about their mental health

Life After Teaching exit the classroom and thrive is a good fb group. It helps you to realise just how many teachers are struggling. They're good for support for teachers even that aren't imminently looking to leave.

OP, in honesty it doesn't sound ENTIRELY plausible (having worked in schools for decades) - though it does sound like a lot of other posters have known this sort of thing happen, so maybe I have been lucky?

Is he state or private. Private schools are more of a law unto themselves with things like appointments. In the state schools I have known, SLT are generally careful to at least appear to adhere to due process while making appointments.

I think the alarm bells come from the fact that you know your husband probably better than anyone else does. If YOU sense his behaviour is off kilter, it probably is.

Would he agree to some counselling perhaps. At my school we can access a short course of 5 telephone sessions for free. A lot of us have accessed it to my knowledge - it tends to be pretty decent. But it does depend on what arrangements his school has in place. Otherwise, GP maybe?

Yes definitely plausible.

Yes I have known this happen.

some schools are better than others but this sort of thing definitely happened in at least one school I taught at.

they lost a couple of industrial tribunals over it.

Yeah, probably. It's pretty toxic nowadays.

im guessing you’re a drama teacher!

Nope, but feeling burnt out and watching colleagues and most of my team find it exceptionally challenging at the moment.

When SLT can't be trusted, on top of children feeling entitled to do as they wish and parents enabling them and questioning any professional decision, before teaching the curriculum, you'll find a staff body needing to concentrate on their mental health and many partners and families worried about it wishing something would change.

Oh I assumed the 99% have partners worried about their mental health was truly meant.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised. It's so toxic. Sometimes it takes escaping it to see. Or realising so many others feel the same. It's really, hard.

And yes it hugely affected my MH as, it has so many teachers I know.

" Does teaching really offer promotions with no process or open recruitment "

Yes - but years ago. I got one. Promoted to be HOD of a 1 person (me) department. I think the moves towards transparency and accountability have ruled them out.

I think it was to keep me there as I'd mentioned getting itchy feet and I would have been hard to replace as I taught a shortage subject. This was 40 years ago.

But heads do make implied promises/offers - which are verbal and can't be proved if it goes pear shaped.

It may be time for your H to start buying the TES on a regular basis?

I moved to pastures green when a different head made life unpleasant - different sorts of promises and threats.

My last 12 years were far happier. Hard to change but often worth it.

All the best.

The op sounds very worried and concerned about the mental health of her husband and thinks he “vulnerable”

he shouldn’t be head of anything at the moment. He probably shouldn’t be teaching atm

Quite normal in teaching, my school (large state secondary) always appoint HODs this way - and advances are made and never followed up on, just like with your husband.

Its always been that way in many schools, and was that way in many sectors back in the day - there are pros and cons to it, its not all bad.

I think it is possible that this did happen as he says but I would be very very worried about his mental health at this point. I don’t think that is a proportional reaction to what is essentially being offered a job and having it taken away.

@Clickjaw if you followed that logic most teachers including smt wouldn't be in school. Broken system.

If he had been somewhat doing the job of HoD anyway, then perhaps that's why it was offered verbally, but since then a "mate" of SLT has come along...

It's not something I'd stress about. If a head had offered me a HoD department then reneged on the agreement, then I'd see it as a lack of respect, and would be looking for employment elsewhere.

The school I work at used to be fabulous, but since becoming an MLT (Multi Trust Academy) the management are awful and it has become very corporate, with far too much money paid to pen pushers, and people promoted who are in the "clique".

What a ridiculous remark. He lets his feelings (quite understandable feelings, assuming the scenario is as he's described) out at home, and you think that means he shouldn't be in charge of anything?