I always thought I wouldn't want to work for an academy but we move with the times and most schools are academies now, so inevitably I have ended up at one.
Originally I would have said we seemed to have more money to spend on resources than my previous LEA schools but that has dwindled massively since Covid with budget cuts etc so I don't really know how it compares now. At a guess, I would say that although we are currently stretched to the limit, it's probably even worse in LEA schools right now.
It can be a pain when you have to all follow the same schemes and curriculum. I guess it's school dependent but there is a risk you could end up losing your own unique identity as a school when you become part of a multi academy trust. Luckily for me I don't feel that has happened to my school but I know some do report soulless academies who are all the same as each other.
I think it depends on the trust too. We're part of a local trust, just focusing on primary schools in our county. Trust leaders are locally based and heavily involved in all our schools. I wouldn't like to work for a trust with schools all over the country and headquarters in London (for example) with faceless leaders who don't know the individual schools. I think that would feel very impersonal. I like that we regularly meet with colleagues at other trust schools to share training and moderate together. You couldn't build those links as easily if the trust aren't locally based.
So I think there are positives and negatives. Ultimately I would look at the school and how they make you feel, rather than thinking too much about the academy part as LEA schools are fewer and far between these days so not as much choice. What I will say is my Headteacher is amazing in looking out for our wellbeing, compared to my last LEA school which was a very stressful environment. At the end of the day, my mental health was more important to me that my principles in terms of what I use to think about academies. I got a good feeling from my visit and interview and knew from that this was the right place for me.