To apply for this job after just a year in post?

[marblebutterfly]

I have been in a middle leadership post since September. It is a very challenging school (RI) in a very deprived part of the country. Not to blow my own horn, but I've done a great job and feedback has been excellent and I have built a good relationship with staff and students, I do enjoy the job and I know I'm appreciated by SLT.
However, a job has come up in a school a bit closer to home (not significantly, it would be a 30 instead of a 40 min trip). It's exactly the same role but paying 5k more than I'm getting now. It's an outstanding school. There's not a lot of good schools in our area so this opportunity might not come up again. Would you apply knowing it would leave your current school in a difficult position? Do you think it'd be a mistake to leave somewhere where I'm doing a good job?

Yes I would. You're not there to make friends you are there to pay the bills - and if you can get more for the same role I absolutely would.

I would just say it's easier to be an excellent member of staff when everything has burned to the ground... But if it's 5k more that'd be enough for me to go the head teacher and say that you have to apply because of the money. You can tell them it's nothing personal and you enjoy the job here but you have to see what it could be.

I think you should go for it, and by the sounds of it I think you'd be very capable in the role and will get a good reference!

Do what is right for you and don't worry about only being a year in - you can't always help the timing of things.

Maybe speak to your headteacher in person about it, sometimes there is a lot of value in those informal in-person conversations in terms of maintaining a good relationship whilst also doing what is right for you and moving on!

Good luck! Keep us posted :)

PS I was at my current school for 2 years, left, came back within 1 year, and am now leaving again 1.5 years later...as I said, you can't always help the timing and you need to look out for yourself and what's best for you!

Is it a red flag that in a department of 8, no one has applied for the job? (It's readvertised)

It's hard to know without knowing individual circumstances. It might be that those people aren't ready for a step up, or they don't want it, maybe have a look around the school and see how it feels?

Not at all. It could be a department for whom this job isn't what they're looking for right now. This can easily happen in a department if they've a few ECTs, a few people with other responsibilities outside of work that means they don't want a promoted post, someone with other responsibilities in the school (e.g HoY), people close to retirement, people working part-time for whatever reason etc. Absolutely no reason why that would mean it's a terrible place to work.

I really want to apply. The more I've thought about it and looked into the school, and I think I really want it. I feel an insane level of guilt though because I have not long poached someone and she basically only came to work with me. I've also just recruited 3 gcse classes for next year and even though the behaviour is awful and getting worse (not helped by heads of year removing consequences), there are a lot of hardworking students who have had cover after cover before I joined for years. I feel like I've put out a fire but still have a long way to go and am now just potentially leaving them all in the lurch again. I also really like my line manager but I also don't think she'll be around for too long tbf as she joined the term before me and also doesn't like the behaviour. I'm so so torn.