Job Offer and still interviewing

[Namechange16]

Sadly I'm not in this position but I was thinking today: What if you accept a job offer but you are then offered an interview at a better school -- would you tell them you've been offered a job already? Would this make them want you more or think you're a twat?

It is very bad practice in teaching to go back on it if you even verbally accept a job. If you do it, you have to be prepared to never be able to apply there again and for the head to potentially speak to his other head friends locally.

Telling the second school you have a job offer may make them move quicker if they want you but it will look bad if you tell them you've accepted elsewhere.

It is all a bit of a silly situation. If I got a job offer and was waiting to hear on an interview I'd ask for some time to think about the offer and see how long the head would give me to get back to them, then hope that the second school's interview came through in time.

If you've accepted a job, you'd need to tell the second school that you already have a job and won't be available for interview.

If you think there's a chance you'd be in this position, you'd need to think really carefully about whether to accept the first job, or whether to explain the situation to the head and explain that you wouldn't be able to accept until after you'd attended the second interview (but they may at that point withdraw the job offer)

Is this a situation you're likely to be in?

I find this a bit annoying that teaching is one of the few professions where you don't get proper time to consider a offer/ attend multiple interviews etc the way that most jobs would. I understand why in many ways but it's frustrating for teachers who are in this position.

I'm applying for two jobs. If I got the interview for job 1, it's on March 9th. I'd prefer school 2 and the closing date is march 16th, so the interview would presumably be the following week. I don't think a school would wait 2 weeks for an answer.

So hypothetically, I think I'd keep schtum at interview 2 and then if offered the job I'd have to withdraw from offer 1. What would the other alternative be? It's very hard. I guess a pp is right, I could never go back to school 1, but I don't know how they'd work out I got a job at school 2 unless I told them.

When I was a teacher you would get blacklisted by the LEA for the area if you went back on verbally accepting a job offer- not sure if it's still the case but it was a definite No no to accept a job and then change your mind

God no, the deal is that you accept the job and that's it. Your name would be mud if you then went back on that. Advertising jobs and hiring is really expensive and headteachers talk about employees who dropped them in it.

Are you currently training OP? Please discuss this with your mentor. Accepting one job yet still interviewing for another is a definite no no. I believe you’d be in breach of contract and the original school could sue you for recruitment costs. Don’t kid yourself that they wouldn’t find out why you withdrew from your contract. Worst case scenario: you’d piss off both headteachers and be blacklisted from local schools.

The alternatives are to: decide which you want most and only apply for that; be up front with School 1; or contact School 2 and ask them to interview you earlier.

It’s an unwritten rule that if you accept a job, you don’t go to any other interviews you have lined up. Presumably both schools are fairly local to each other and heads will talk.

Oh crap. It would be serious then.

Has anyone made a school wait 2 weeks to give their acceptance? Could I drag it out somehow?

You normally accept pretty much there and then! Maybe overnight to think about it...But 2 weeks - no chance.

You can’t withdraw from a job after accepting. Local HTs all know each other, they go to local network meetings together, chances are they will ask around locally to find out what school you’ve gone to. Withdrawing after accepting an offer because something you liked better came up is really bad form and could make it difficult for you to get a job in any local school. Don’t do it. Withdraw from the first job now if you don’t want it.

I think you should prioritise yourself in this situation op.

I’ve never heard a school waiting for two weeks before. Overnight in some circumstances but rarely any longer than that.

No not really Namechange! You’re expected to answer on the day. It seems weird coming into it from other industries but it really does seem to be how it works in teaching. I think they’d possibly maybe perhaps wait until the following day for a decision but even that’s pushing it in my experience!

It depends on whether there is another appointable candidate that they might lose if they hang around while you decide. If you are the only appointable candidate, you are in with a shot.

It's so unfair (whiny voice). They are both local schools and I want to hedge my bets and have both interviews ideally, but obviously can't. If I withdraw from school 1 but don't even get an interview for school 2 it'll be so annoying.

Three years ago I was in your position. I preferred school 2. I had interview at school 1 lined up. School 2 rang and offered an interview later than school 1. I told them that I loved their school and explained about the interviews. They offered to interview me before school 1. I got the job and never went to school 1s interview in the end. Could you do something similar? Nothing lost as you could still attend school 1s interview if you didn't get the job at school 2.

That’s just not the way it works in education. If you really want the second job, withdraw from the first.

What do you teach?

Agree with all the other teachers. Unfortunately that's the way it is - you are generally interviewed with all the other candidates and then they make you sit nervously in the staff room together before calling the successful candidate in there and then and offering them the job. You are expected to accept on the spot. And that is it. Pretty much the last thing they ask in your interview is 'are you still a firm candidate for this job?' That's the point to decline if you've decided you don't like the place - but as others say, you can't accept the job and then take another one. You are held to a verbal contract.

You need to think very very carefully. What is the job market like locally? How much of a risk is it to not get either job?

The only way to apply to both and turn School 2 into Offer 1 is to do what @SW describes.

I teach an ebacc subject.

If I got an interview with school 1 do you think I could ask to be interviewed at school 2 before their closing date of applications? I think that would be a long shot.

I’d be amazed if school 2 agreed to that.

Yes, but less of a long shot than your original plan not pissing anyone off.

Are you currently trainin? Do you have a mentor?

*training

The Original Jane Austen would never have dropped a g