Anyone regretted moving into SLT?

[Chosennone]

I'm all over the place with this one. I have SLT friends who are adamant I'll be happier staying at HOD level and others who think I'm daft not to go for it.

I've been HOD for nearly 20 years in 2 different schools. Completed NPQSL last year and enjoyed it. Involved in lots of whole school projects that fired me up and really enjoyed getting my teeth into.

However, unlikely that SLT role would come up in current school. Do I go for it in another school? I worry about giving up a short commute, amazing work colleagues etc for a potentially more stressful and possibly lonely role in a school further away. My DC are grown up now so commitments at gome have eased.
Any advice would be welcome

Only you can answer this one - there are pros and cons on both sides.

Commute has been a big factor for me - it has limited the jobs I can apply for but I k
now driving for an extra hour and a half day - (45 mins each way) nearly broke me ..

Thank you. I've done long commutes in the past and I think I've forgotten how tiring they are.

DH has said if it ain't broke don't fix it. I think he's right tbh.

Following with interest as I'm also deciding whether to make the move.

I'm sat here looking at an SLT job that would be 45 mins away.. I'm not that happy in my current job - but know that 1hour and a half a day - is nearly a whole days work come Friday.. i'd be knackered..

If you like your job - honestly i'd stay put!

I would give it a go in your shoes - if you get it and try it for a couple of years and really don't like it, well then you can step back down to HoD. It would be a nice payrise and an interesting challenge especially if you don't have very young DC.

@StayingHere

I would give it a go in your shoes - if you get it and try it for a couple of years and really don't like it, well then you can step back down to HoD. It would be a nice payrise and an interesting challenge especially if you don't have very young DC.

I agree. A new challenge is exciting, and OP, you've clearly enjoyed the cpd. My husband has been on SLT for five years, he's been doing some really exciting projects and absolutely loves it. He does have a very heavy workload and lots of responsibility, but he is making great changes for the students' education, reenergising his colleagues, and injecting more fun into an environment that had gotten a bit tired and perfunctory. If you are getting that lil spark inside for more, you should at least investigate.

I don’t regret it at all but I would say don’t rush into an “SLT for the sake of being SLT”role.
I did the NPQSL with another colleague from my school. Whilst I definitely had a look around for SLT jobs after we’d finished the NPQSL, I wasn’t in any rush. I knew there was one particular role that I was interested in and that I did not want to commute far. I wasn’t giving up a HOD job that I was good at in a school I loved unless it was for exactly what I wanted.

My colleague didn’t want to hang around and applied for a lot of SLT roles in the year after we finished the course and left for another school with a longer commute and a role that wouldn’t have been her first choice in terms of area of responsibility. I stuck around in my school for another few years and did whole school projects and sat in on SLT meetings, I got an extended SLT role after 3 or 4 year and a year later the specific SLT role that I wanted in my lovely school. My colleague hated her new school, had a breakdown and left the classroom within a year. I think she is still in education but not school based anymore.

I’d just caution you not to let the lure of a better job title or more money blind you to red flags about a new school or role. My ex colleague said that, with hindsight, there had been warning signs at interview and in the job description that should have told her that the new school and role wasn’t a great fit.

That's good advice Madame. I've been considering applying for a couple of years, have applied for some but not been successful. Other people I know have applied for everything in order to get onto SLT. Your post makes me feel more confident about my slower approach to job hunting.

Excellent advice.

Food for thought.
This is actually my 5th school and by far the best fir for me so far. I would definitely have to love somewhere to move.

I think hold fire a little simply because in a post covid world I think there will be lots of jobs to apply for. There are more jobs on TES at the moment than I’ve ever seen-i think that lots of people are reassessing their working situation. I’m currently covering HoD in my school and am deputy head of 6th form. Going to wait a couple of years and then apply for head of 6th form roles once things have calmed down a bit. Am also aware that I’m very happy at my current school having been extremely unhappy at my previous one, so happy to wait a bit.

I think this is crucial:

I worry about giving up a short commute, amazing work colleagues etc for a potentially more stressful and possibly lonely role in a school further away

If you have a short commute and amazing colleagues, I'd be inclined to stay where you are, unless you have a burning desire and real passion to become a HT. It's not a job I'd ever want to do. I guess some of it has to do with how long you have until you retire, and what your energy levels are like.

I reckon "contentment" is undervalued, and some people almost feel pressured into thinking that they "ought to" be moving on to the next step when it actually tends to take you further away from the teaching.