I went for a TA job interview yesterday .....

[poppy1973]

Didn't get the job told by the head that the only thing that let me down was my lack of recent experience in a school !!!

They knew when they shortlisted me that my application clearly stated when I last taught in a primary school and I had taken time out to have my family. Feel such an idiot, as I should have responded to the head over the time by stating this. Why, oh why, did they sort list me for a TA interview then ???

The person who was training to be a T.A. got the job I believe. What a waste of my time, why oh why, do primary schools do this and waste peoples time. I told this to my dh who is also a headteacher, and he laughed and said that is the way it is !!!

This is really putting my off applying for any more jobs.

I should have perhaps been listed in going back to work section !

Maybe if they have 2 candidates that are equally good on all points, the recent experience is what gave them the edge to get the job!

The one that got the job had volunteer experience working within the school, so they knew her and obviously liked her. Apart from that no other experience working in a school. My 8 years experience working as a teacher and qualifications in the field they were after obviously didn't mean anything to them ! The head that they couldn't pick any fault but that I shouldn't do anything different in the next interview I go to, but just go and do a bit of volunteering in a school.

They weren't wasting your time, you applied for a job and were short listed...that's a good thing! And should act as a confidence booster for the next position/s you apply for.

So basically, they get to employ someone as a TA and get an experienced teacher working for free to try and get recent experience - they're not daft are they?!

Sounds like you got very good feedback from the head if you ask me. Wasn't a waste of your time at all. If the other person interviewed really badly you'd have got the job. Do some volunteering!

You got great feedback, you were on a level with the other candidate but when it came to a decision her recent experience gave her the edge.

I'd be thrilled and very encouraged with this feedback (once I got over being sad I didn't get the job). Next time you'll probably get it - especially if you do some volunteering in then meantime as suggested above i.e. listen to your feedback and act

Oh I don't know, I think you have got a point being a bit upset tbh. Would have thought an experienced teacher would have been a better choice than someone who has just done some volunteering in a school.

It must be very dispiriting and feel like a waste of time.

But don't let it put you off applying for any more jobs. Use this as experience - hopefully you will have better luck next time.

When you shortlist, you often have 1 or 2 candidates who's applications are the best, then the next one or two, then the next. They probably looked at yours, thought "Great! But no recent experience in a school, bit of a drawback." Still worth interviewing in case you wow them or in case the others are terrible

In the end, those with the best applications, are often the best candidate and so they go with the one they thought. The reason you didnt get the job is, in a nutshell, we didnt like you as much as her. But they have to give you a more concrete reason and so they have ended up saying something that was on your application.

Our school tends not to employ qualified teachers who are returning to work after having children as TAs because they know (from bitter experience) that in many cases they are just trying to get some recent work experience before they leave to get a teaching job.

I appreciate this is not necessarily the case with you.

Don't be disheartened. I was a Primary school teacher and had 12yrs out to raise my family. I wasn't idle in that time as I ran baby signing classes for 8yrs and volunteered in my children's school, however when I started applying for jobs I realised my experience was out of date. I applied for TA jobs to get my foot in the door and after 4 applications and 2 interviews I thought I'd never get back into a school. However my 5th application was successful and I work in a lovely school and I couldn't be happier. I've been there a year and have been given extra responsibilities already. So it's worth hanging in there :) Good Luck

It does sound very positive and like you will get the job in a future application.

If it cheers you up at all, I had already secured my first teaching job (after changing career into the sector) when I went for an interview elsewhere out of interest to see how it compared to the one I'd been offered (as I was a bit worried that I'd simply accepted the first one offered) and they told me I was unemployable due to my lack of secondary school teaching experience! I reckoned I was the 2nd best candidate out of 4 on the day, and they hired the least experienced, least confident person -- which I had to wonder if it was because they would have more luck bossing her around than me, never mind the clearly outstanding candidate!

I am very happy at the school which hired me.

Hang in there.

That's lazy head teacher code for: "There was really nothing wrong with what you did in interview, we just liked someone else more. Nothing personal."

Phineyj,

That's really bad form and very frowned upon in education. After accepting a verbal offer, you can't back down on it without a very good excuse, and if the 2nd school had offered the post, which you would have had to turn down, you'd have been blacklisted as a time waster. Not to mention having your name passed round other local head teachers as black-listed.

You were lucky to escape that behaviour with your job offer intact frankly. If your new head knew you'd pulled that, they'd have been perfectly entitled to withdraw the job offer.

Don't do it again. Seriously.

(Union Rep speaking here!)

zingally I take your point but in any other sector it would have been quite normal. I was yet to realise how many odd practices there are in education recruitment.