Am I too expensive now? Panicking a bit.

[TheWorriedTeacher]

I'm relocating further south to Kent, so I've had to hand in my notice before I move schools. I haven't got a job for September yet. I've been at my current school for a number of years, worked up the MPS and I'm currently at M6. I'm a Primary school teacher and I have a specialism that's usually quite sought after in Primary schools as a unique selling point.

I'm also in my mid 30s and married, I wasn't married when I first got my current role.

So I haven't ever applied for a job as a teacher on a higher salary and I wanted to know if this is normal. I've always managed to get to the interview stage but so far 3 of the jobs I've applied for, I've been unsuccessful. There are a few teaching schools, like Canterbury, near where I'm moving to and so I think I'm competing with ECTs. One application said they had 40 applicants and I wasn't shortlisted, this was a school very close to the university. One of the other jobs contacted me to say they couldn't afford an experienced teacher. The last one hasn't contacted me at all but I know had a huge number of applicants and is known to be an excellent teaching school so again, probably had a huge number of ECTs applying.

I'm starting to freak out that nobody will hire me because I'm too expensive or because I'm married now, that they won't hire me because they'll quietly discriminate based on the assumption I'll go on MAT leave in a few years so I'm not worth investing in as it were (I'm childfree so that won't happen but still).

I've been casting my net wide, looking at jobs that state they need experienced teachers, considering fixed term. But another problem I have against me is that I can't go and visit all the schools as they're often a 1.5-2 hour drive away.

I guess I'm looking for either reassurance that this is normal and that I will find something to help me manage my expectations, or advice on how to compete against this wave of young people. Especially since I may not be able to actually go to the schools I want to apply to, which I know puts me on the backfoot. I'm just trying really hard not to freak out at the moment so any advice would be great.

I’m not a fountain of knowledge but if it helps reassure you at all, I work in a two form primary and my Head only wants experienced teachers. For years we had ECTs in and out, only staying a year or two, lots of support needed etc, but a few years ago my Head realised they didn’t like this instability for the school, and now all our teachers are either UPS or Main 5/6. Any new staff we’ve had in the last few years all are experienced. It’s obviously more expensive and the Head does openly worry about budget, but still prefers it this way as there’s no one to mentor, no one to learn the ropes, no one shows any sign of leaving etc. I know all schools are different but hopefully this so reassuring that there are schools out there who would rather experienced teachers!

I think it depends very much on the school and how much competition there is in the area.

A good friend recently started a new teaching job. She is nearly 60, so there would have been no concerns about maternity leave, but she is on UPS 3 so would be much more expensive.

I am coming to the end of my ECT years, and my contract at my current school finishes this year. I am finding it challenging to even secure an interview as well. I will only be M3 but it looks like many schools are recruiting ECTs, especially those who have had them as a student. I'm getting very down about it. I will keep trying but my headteacher is being difficult about me visiting schools during work hours and I can't keep missing PPA to look around yet another school that doesn't even want to interview me.

No words of wisdom I'm afraid, but solidarity!

At MPS6, you'll be fine. Most jobs advertise the main scale for pay. It's when you've been through UPS that you're totally scuppered - no school wants to pay over MPS6. Good luck.

It will really depend on area. There's a big drop in pupil numbers due to birth rates, which means schools struggling to fill classes get less money. This makes it very difficult to afford an experienced teacher. There may also be schools having to lose a class and shift from 3 form to 2, or 2 to 1 or 1.5 resulting in fewer teaching jobs available.

Sadly this is why the government have not done a lot about the fall in teacher recruitment and retention - they know that over the next 5 years its likely we'll have too many primary teachers rather than too few.

Have you considered supply in the short term? It's obviously not as well paid as a direct contract but it does have its perks. It's also a good way of getting to know which schools you'd be happy to work in and which to avoid.

My school regularly ends up contracting teachers who've done supply with us. We have 5 teachers right now who were agency and are now permanent.

Term time teachers and Teaching Personnel are popular agencies in my area of Kent.

Look at private schools as well. They sometimes have their own pay scales but might have more budget available.

(Saying you are too expensive is very close to age discrimination as you have to be older to be on that pay. But not worth fighting)