application for a job -and trying to get my daughter to school

[computer1000]

Please may I ask your advice/ opinion. I was looking for schools for my daughter 7+ and there is an independent prep school ( a bit far from us) which offers bursaries and I am really tempted for my daughter to apply because I think she would thrive there. However, there is now a vacancy going in this school which would be a promotion and an exciting step for me. I wander if I apply for 7+ and put my application for the job - will the Headmaster look at my application as "Oh, he wants to get the kid into the school...that is why he applied". Will my application look manipulative because of this reason? In this case, I would not apply for 7+ ( she can apply for 8+ next year) and just put the job application for now as combining two things might be damaging for my application? 7+ place is a hard decision for us anyway as we cannot afford fees, we can only consider it on a bursary basis...I would really appreciate your opinion. Thank you.

Just apply for both. Not in the same envelope obviously - I assume they'd go to different people/departments anyway. If they are honest/above board kind of employers, then they should look at both applications separately, and if they're not then you wouldn't want to work for them anyway, and you wouldn't want to send your daughter there. It may be that your application goes to the Head, and the one for your daughter goes to someone else entirely, so chances are it's not an issue. If the Head does know about both, then he/she may even see it as a good thing i.e. you like the school so much you want to send your daughter there.

I would apply for the job first. If you get it, ask about a place to you DC. I doubt they will be super formal for staff members, and as you say, there is always next year.

If they give fee remission, they will welcome your child - it's a perk of your job. If not, they will be happy with full fees from a non-awkward parent.

When I first got a permanent job at an independent school, I moved my eldest DD the following year (to Year 7, so she had to move anyway). A few weeks later, the governors expanded the fee remission for teachers so I moved my other two DDs. Apparently, the governors changed the policy because of me :).

Moving my daughters a year later gave me a chance to evaluate the school from the inside, warts and all.

I applied for my current school openly with the plan of bringing DS with me-it was a condition of accepting the job offer. Ds is only 3 1/2 though so was just starting at the beginning so was easier as there were no admissions procedures to worry about. It makes life sooooo much easier! Good luck