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?

I've been in my current school for ten years and I remember being called that afternoon and accepting the job, but I wondered whether it was acceptable to ask to think about it. Obviously not it seems!

Will you be an NQT? I can’t believe anyone who has been through applications before could be quite so clueless. I don’t mean that in a horrible way, just that you really haven’t understood how it works.

Cross posted.

I've been in the same school my whole career to date. I applied for school 1, but school 2 has appeared in the last few days.

On reflection, if school 1 calls I will decline the interview and hope I get an interview for school 2.

Should I tell school 1 why I'm declining?

I think it would be acceptable to email and say thank you for inviting me to interview, but due to a change in personal circumstances I am now not available as a candidate. Wish them well with their search for a successful applicant.

I once had it that I was attending two schools for 2-round interviews with the dates consecutively one after another. So School A Round 1, School B Round 21, School A Round 2 am, School B Round 2 pm. I told School B about interviews at School A because they asked me if I was attending any other interviews.
I was offered both. Neither offered on the day, they phoned the next day. School A got their first. I was tied between them to be honest and couldn't pick so I went with School A.
I then emailed School B instantly to say I had accepted another offer. School B replied graciously saying they were sad to have not got there first but understood and do hope I apply in the future.

At the time I considered keeping whichever offered first in the lurch and asking for time to think etc.
Hindsight tells me I did the right thing. I would have really pissed off both schools. The Heads turn out to be friendly with each other so would have discussed it. Instead School A is my lovely new school and School B is still an option for the future should I wish to move for promotion or whatever reason.

All the above advice is what was drummed into me during training. However since moving to London to teach all schools are so desperate for teachers and there's such a high rate of staff turnover that really it's a candidate's market! Every year we make appointments, and every year at least one candidate eventually decides to renege on their previously accepted job offer. I'm pretty sure that several go back to their current schools and use our offer as a bargaining chip to improve their salary or responsibilities.

I'm sure that when all schools were part of an LEA then yes, your name would be mud, but academies are run like businesses anyway so it's suddenly become a lot more acceptable to play the field.

If I were you I'd go to the interview for school 1 to see what it's really like and get some interview practice, if you've been in the same place for your whole career you might find it interesting to see what the interviewers focus on and their culture might really suit you even if results etc aren't as good as school 2. And then if you get a positive feeling and they offer you the job either take it or possibly ask if they'll wait. If you can get a visit/tour in at school 2 before the interview at school 1 that would be even better, as you can at least have a 'feeling' to compare it too. Most schools with vacancies are happy to show prospective applicants around and you can chat to current staff or students.

Finally each school is so different that while on paper you might prefer school 2, you might have no idea how the SLT, department structure, discipline, working culture etc will actually suit you, so if you liked school 1 enough to apply then at least try to find out how it suits you before declining an interview in the hope of getting a job at school 2! What if they didn't even call you for interview, let alone appoint you!

Hope this helps you to decide :)

Definitely do not accept job 1 then accept job 2! Your name would be mud and job 2 may withdraw your job offer when they find out. I heard that happened to someone.

I was in this predicament a few years ago. Job2 would have been ideal. I accepted job 1 and withdrew from job 2's interview and had to move House to be in commutable distance, which I wouldn't have had to do for job 2!

It's a stupid system. I was in this position recently where two similar school at opposite ends of a trust advertised very similar roles but one was 13k more!

In the end I didn't have to stress about it as one offered an interview and the other didn't... which was odd but solved the issue!

As it goes, I am due a callback for the first job today (weather permitting?) and now another preferable job has come up which I have no idea if I would get (I don't often make shortlists and am a core subject!)

That' teaching I'm afraid...

Namechange, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to let school 1 down. Katonic is right - the 'honourable' way of behaving is drummed into us, yet how many schools reciprocate? How many teachers at the top of the pay scale are performance managed out every year to make way for cheap NQTs? NQTs that academies will quite happily watch burn themselves out, then replace them with more? LEAs don't have the clout they used to.

Bugger acting honourably these days. I've been treated callously by management too many times: promised one job, then the contract says something quite different; a HT blanking me from Feb until I left in July; a colleague who was told not to apply for other jobs because he was going to get one that was coming up, and then they appointed someone else. Look after yourself, and put your own interests first. BTW, I fully expect to get flamed for this post.

Look after yourself, and put your own interests first. BTW, I fully expect to get flamed for this post.

No flaming from me. I agree with most of what you’ve said, but most of the advice on here IS about putting the OP’s interests first; we don’t want her to be blacklisted by local schools (which would definitely happen around here) or sued for recruitment costs (less likely).

Maybe the advice depends on the location? It sounds like the London teachers have different advice?

I'm in the North.

I think if I'm offered the school 1 interview I'll decline because I wouldn't take it of I got it anyway. I really want an interview at school 2. It's a gamble but I'm willing to take it because I'm not terribly unhappy at my current school. I'm just a bit bored and there's no real opportunity for progression.

It's weird because if school 2 hadn't have popped up I would have tried hard to get the job at school 1. But I couldn't work at school 1 knowing I could have had a chance at school 2.

You watch now. I'll still be at my current school in September!

I had this as a trainee. The interviews were one day apart though.
When asked by school 1 if I would accept an offer I was honest and said I wanted to wait for my interview the following day. So... no offer from school 1. Luckily I got the job at school 2, it was a gamble though!

I think all you can do is go to school 1 for experience and be honest. You'll almost certainly NOT get it but then hope for the beat at school 2. Or just accept school 1 and withdraw from school 2

Oops sorry, I didnt quite read the whole thread. Ignore my post!!

I had my second interview in a (non teaching!!) post on Friday. Tempting as it is, I will probably turn it down on Monday and wait to see if I get an interview for two other senior posts which have come up in schools. I feel like you do OP. I reckon I will still be at my school in September (20 years and counting..)! And may rue my decision...

I am finding it galling that I ma not being shortlisted because I have not worked recently in more than one school ( I am not sure why this really makes you better...) and it's so irritating as it's not for want of trying! I have been applying for jobs to get out of my current one for over 10 years! By now, I have got to the ' surreptitiously affected by ageism' point...

As for heads blanking in corridors. every time I meet mine (he's my PM) his opening gambit is 'have you applied for any jobs recently?' which is code for 'when the bloody hell are you going to leave?'

OP, I am you! Been teaching in same school for ten years, got an interview next week but have applied for a school I like better and waiting to hear if I have an interview with them. I’m fairly sure I’ll get one, but can’t keep School 1 hanging if they offer the post to me.

I’m going to go to the interview with School 1 and make a decision based on what the school seems like - if I like it and they offer me the job, I’ll forget School 2 and decline the interview. If I don’t get a good feeling on School 1, I won’t accept the job if offered and keep hoping on School 2. If all else fails, at least I have a job. But I think at the first interview, I have to not think about School 2 at all in my decision making. I’ll weigh up the merits of School 1 by itself. I know what I’m looking for in a school and if they have it there, I’ll take it!

It really frustrates me that this is the system in school recruitment. My friends and family in other industries can’t get their head round it at all.

As a trainee I had two interviews on the same day!

What happened was that I was as open as possible: the school that came through with the date second, I contacted and explained. They offered to see me the day before. I didn't have to teach.

When they asked if I would accept an offer, I was honest and said that I would have to see how the next day went.

The next day, the first thing they asked me when I stepped over the threshold was, how did yesterday's interview go?!

I was going to tell them anyway. I was honest with that school to and essentially told them that I would accept an offer from either school.

In the end, school 1 offered first and I rang school 2 immediately and told them. Apparently they were disappointed!

It did feel stressful and unfair that I could have been roaming no job at all.

The thing is, with my next school I could potentially be there for another 10 years and I think I'd like to take the gamble to wait for school 2. If I pull it off, it would be amazing.

If I accept school 1 I'd just be thinking about school 2 and what if. In a sadistic way, I'd rather do this, fail and stay at my current school than settle.

captainbrickbeard that's a good way of looking at things. I just wish school 2 had put their ad up before school 1!

Captain are you desperate to leave your current school then?

Not desperate, but definitely ready! I think since you are so keen on school 2 you should hold out for it - school 1 will give you great interview practice ready for school 2 so you will be able to walk it .

I'm desperate . Been trying for 15 years!