How long does it take to reach HOD level?

[SunnyCritic]

I’m a 4th year teacher. I applied to be a hod at my current school that I’ve been at since my pgce. I didn’t get it. Which is fine I’m less experienced anyway and that’s okay. But I feel that I know it’s where I want to be eventually.

The current hod is friends with the HT so essentially they know each other very well. So I was on the outside on this one anyway. Neither she nor I have completed the npqml or as it’s now known the npqlt.

I can’t seem to see eye to eye with the new hod because she’s enabling poor behaviour from other staff while I put my all and get no recognition. She’s tried to befriend the team and approach them that way but me and another colleague in another dept know this won’t work. It’s exhausting me and I can’t continue.

I would be sad to leave as I began my teaching career here but I’m just looking to progress and have some small amount of recognition and I don’t have it here at all. Help?

It very much depends on the subject. We've just appointed someone with 17 years of experience to be hod of a large dept, and someone with 3 to lead a post-16 only subject.

I was in my 10th year when I took a HoD post (core subject).

Prior to that, I did 5 years with no TLR, then 2 as KS3 leader and 3 as 2nd in dept before I took the step up. I love being a HoD but it is a huge responsibility and can be very pressured (I am about to go through a mockstead deep dive!) At times.

Others will go up sooner, it depends on the person and the subject.

Personally, I am glad I took the time I did as it was still a steep learning curve.

If you don't get on with current HoD and are no longer happy, move on. Sometimes it's good to experience another school.

I’m core too. I’m glad I was offered the opportunity for some step up where I am. But, the new hod is more of an issue for me. We just seem to butt heads and I feel like she encroaches on my space at times. I also don’t enjoy the play pretend friends, mainly because it never works!

Im very much wanting to delve into becoming a HOD, I know experience is hugely important, but I also would love to attend interviews too. I just wonder whether I’d just be laughed at for applying?

You need to make more of the opportunity that you had to "step up" in your applications. I assume that you've retained that post so look to the next logical step.

Do you have clearly defined responsibilities? Are you managing them effectively - you say that your hod "encroaches on your space", which suggests that they aren't yet ready to trust you to do those on your own.

New teacher to Hod in core in 4 years, unless you're maths, isn't very likely, I wouldn't think.

I was a head of English in my third year of teaching but this is incredibly unusual and was in large part because the school where I worked was in such challenging circumstances. Even then, I didn't jump straight to HOF as I was 2ic for a year first.

It would be incredibly unusual to appoint a core HOD who had no experience as a TLR holder for co-ordinating at least a key stage, if not as 2ic. It sounds like you need to move on from your current school. Now is the time to move on for a TLR and to gather experience of a different setting. Further down the line, I've known colleagues who have struggled to secure senior leadership roles because they have only ever worked in one school and their CV is therefore very limited. There are lots of vacancies around at the moment.

Yeah I currently have a tlr and year group responsibility. I’m looking locally for a new opportunity even if it’s second in dept.

Don't say 'even if' . If your aspiration is for HOD then 2ic is exactly what you should be looking for right now. Good luck!

It all depends on the individual and their ability.
I am a HT and I like to have a real hands on approach when it comes to recruitment.
I won’t appoint anyone into a HoD role who doesn’t have at least 3 years teaching experience but ideally they’d have need to have held a support role in the department (ie. Key Stage Leader) - if they haven’t got that then 4-5 years minimum and they’ve got to have a good track record. Being a successful HoD isn’t also about being a great teacher; you’ve got to have the ability to lead and inspire as well as deliver results.

I won’t also necessarily promote an internal candidate neither because it is ‘easier’ than going external. The best candidate gets the role simple as that. It’s also good to go external to recruit new talent and ideas into the school.

I think the best advice I can give you after 4 years in your current (and only school) is to start looking for alternative schools to gain more experience.

I posted my comment before finishing-
A second in department role would be ideal for you providing those roles still exist - we removed that structure - we just had support roles with individual responsibilities for teachers to ‘champion’

What is your TLR for? You mention a TLR and year group responsibility.

"even if" second.....didn't know my job was so shit, thanks.

If you're real, you're 4 years in. Calm down, refine your classroom craft, and focus on taking opportunities at a steady pace.

If you're real, you're 4 years in. Calm down, refine your classroom craft, and focus on taking opportunities at a steady pace.

This. You work in a core subject and have a bit of responsibility. Work on that until you have a real track record of success.

I work in a core subject and wouldn't touch core HOD with a bargepole if it weren't necessary to get to my career end goal in teaching. As it happens, I managed to skirt the job in favour of a whole-school leadership role, but I will eventually have to bite the bullet to do a good job at my aspiration. As such, I have just accepted a job as 2iC again, albeit on more money than I'm currently on, with a view of becoming a HOD in another few years when my kids are older and I will have more time at my disposal.

HOD is neither worth the money for the work you do, nor the stress because your success depends on so much more than your actual ability to do the job. Like your HT's ability and willingness to recruit and not just plug gaps with cover. A working behaviour system. Parental engagement. How well your department gel.

Why do you want to be HOD? Your motivation will make a huge difference to how you carry out your job.

I'll actually expand on reasons why I wouldn't employ someone with 4 years' worth of experience in teaching as HOD in a core subject:

• Lack of a track record of success. There is no way you'd be able to demonstrate significant enough success with year groups of differing abilities across all key stages - why would more experienced teachers listen to someone giving them advice on, say, bottom set Y9, if they've never taught this?
• Lack of experience with different exam boards. How do you choose which exam board you use (especially now an election is looming and therefore a likelihood of yet another huge change) and which qualifications will get the most out of all your KS4/5 students, not just the top?
• Lack of experience with paperwork. How many RAC documents have you filled in during those 4 years, how often have you taken an ECT through their 2-year course (including the associated training, paperwork and, again, track record of significant improvements), have you ever completed a line management document from a HOD perspective or had any training in completing formal observations of the staff you're in charge of? How do you know what a good baseline assessment looks like or whether your end of year assessments are any good?
• Depending on your experience of work outside of your teaching role (if you are older), how much experience do you have of actually getting staff to do their jobs? Are you any good at delegating effectively, dealing with intra-departmental issues (there will always be some!), dealing with people who try to do their jobs but are just a bit shit and could do with support, dealing with people who just cannot be arsed? Are you able to deal with complaints from all sides efficiently - your staff towards you about other people they work with, parents, your superiors about work in your department? How do you navigate school politics? How do you deal with parental complaints about classes/ staff/ tiers?
• Have you ever handled departmental budgets, been in charge of trips, been responsible for student setting, tiering, intervention?

There are so many more jobs. You may be able to tick off some of them, but I'm certain you won't have enough experience by far to say you can handle the job of a core HOD.

At 4 years in you haven't even taken a year group all the way from y7 to GCSE. You seem to be in massive hurry and I'm not sure why? You'll be a much better HOD after proper experience. I became HOD after 10 years and I think that was about right in terms of having learned enough to do the job well.

But if you're unhappy in your current school, definitely look to move. There are so many opportunities for core teachers.

I'm in my 7th year now, did NPQLT last year, been 2ic this year and moving to a new school as HOD in September. Would have loved HOD where I am but it went external earlier this year. I also trained a bit later in life so had management and staff training experience under my belt already. I think I'm ready now, but it would have been a stretch 3 years ago if I'm honest.

I'm a core HOD. 12 years teaching, 4 years as HOD, 2 as KS5 TLR, 2 as 2ic.

I am so deeply dubious of rapidly promoted HODs in large core depts. You need to really know your craft and be able to teach without thinking about it in order to manage HOD (generally). How are you going to manage staff who are more experienced? What credibility do you have in terms of results and a proven track record?

Use the TLR role to get some experience of responsibility. Don't run before you can walk!

I had 9 years experience before being appointed head of department. You cannot, IMO, be a subject lead if you aren’t at the top of your game. Spend your time refining your learning and teaching, pedagogical approaches and subject knowledge. Then look for promotion.