60 applicants for one teaching job!?

[HikaruFan]

Hey all

I’m an overseas trained EYFS teacher who has been working supply for the last three years and now looking for a permanent role. I had an interview last week which unfortunately I wasn’t successful for, which I’m really sad about. However I was told I came in second place out of 16 shortlisted candidates so I feel a bit better about that.

I’m stressed because everyone keeps telling me there are 60 applicants for each job at the moment and it’s so tough out there. Why is that the case? I don’t remember people saying this in previous years. I’m now worried I won’t be shortlisted again and have blown my chance at moving into a permanent role .

Is it just the time of year or has something changed? Also I haven’t noticed many primary teaching jobs go live at the moment, is there a reason for this?

Anything to help me out of this awful feeling would be appreciated!!

A lot depends on the local jobs market. In some areas primary and EYFS jobs are like gold dust because there isn't many opportunities overall so people tend to stay in one place for longer periods of time. I'm aware of people with key stage leadership positions applying back to classroom teacher roles in order to get jobs, which means that schools can get very experienced former middle/senior leaders for the same price as a classroom teacher.

It's a little competitive out there at the moment - a lot of people trained to teach in this academic year as a perceived secure option due to covid. I think primary is particularly popular - I read a twitter post from a headteacher at a bog standard primary school in Wales saying they had just under 300 applications for a job! I teach a not particularly popular secondary subject that has had a hard time due to covid. I applied for a job in an RI school that traditionally struggles and there were still 17 applicants. Good news is though that I did get it, and I am quite expensive these days. Remember also that there are many schools that value an experienced teacher, and on top of that the resignation date has not passed yet. There are a lot of jobs to come.

I recall there being well over 150 applicants for many jobs in the 1990s...not in maths, but subjects like art.

I can't believe anyone would want to be applying for teaching jobscthese days. Better of stacking shelves at a supermarket.

A lot of people did panic PGCEs this year after graduating in a pandemic or losing their job. This cohort are now applying for jobs. When I was applying last year I found it impossible to get a job in the NE England but got a few interviews and my current job near London. London might be a shot as so many are moving out

Near us currently there are far fewer primary jobs advertised so far compared with previous years.
One of those jobs, advertised as M1-M4, had over 90 applicants.

Also, people are sticking in their jobs (around here anyway), for lots of reasons. It's partly about safety of job, but also I don't want to leave right now because I was new to the school in Sept 2019 and I feel like I've had a spoiled two years, and need to get a good one again.

The opposite, can't find good EY teachers at all.

Lots more teaching jobs available than usual. ( North East, North Yorkshire and Humber areas)

Many retiring HT's so movement still to work through as staff are promoted.

More applications from outside of the area and certainly more from London. Ten applications for the last recruitment I was involved in all four shortlisted were out of area.

That's a pretty normal number of applicants in my experience. I've been a school governor doing recruitment for 7 years and we normally have that number. I know because I have to read them all.

Wow. In secondary where I am we're lucky if we get two applicants!

And don't forget that 1 in 3 NQTs have quit by the end of their first year. Teaching requires a dedication and certain qualities that people outside the classroom really don't seem able to understand about until they have experienced it.
From what others have said here, there has been a swell in PGSE numbers as a response to Covid so perhaps things will settle in a year.

Normally we are lucky if we get six applications.

Lately it’s been around 40-70 and a shortlist of between six and eight. Absolutely bonkers!

Where I live there are on average around 200 applicants for most primary jobs and it’s been that way for the last 15 years at least. Of the 80 who completed my teacher training course only 7 had teaching jobs by the following September and 3 of those had to relocate to get jobs. It’s less competitive in secondary but it depends on the subject. The alleged teacher shortage is clearly bollocks in Wales!

It is important to point out that there is most definitely a shortage of secondary school teachers in several subjects, if not in primary in some parts of the country.