4 job rejections, am I hopeless?

[raspberryjamily]

I'm currently on my PGCE and have been applying for jobs but am having no success. I've applied for four jobs so far and have always gotten an interview but never a job. One job I was cut at lunch, another job there was 4 applicants and 3 jobs and I was the one who didn't get it. Just got back from another today and there was only me and another candidate (there was a 3rd but they withdrew) and they said that I didn't get it because the other candidate had more teaching experience and interviewed better. I find this hard as I'm only 22 and don't know how I can get more experience when I can't get a teaching job. I already was a secondary school TA for two years, volunteered in a primary school for 3 years and currently run a children's SEN club at the weekend and I have all As in my GCSEs and A-Levels and went to a good university. At the moment I just feel a bit disheartened to think that all those hours of work haven't paid off in the end and perhaps weren't as important in the real world as i thought they would be.

I teach Psychology so not many jobs have come up and I'm starting to worry about not having anything for September. I've asked for feedback everytime & everytime it's been different. Sometimes my lesson that's the issue, sometimes my interview. So as much as I try to improve I feel like I just end up finding more things wrong with my teaching. I've done mock interviews at my university & they've always given me positive feedback so I feel as though I'm not really learning anything from them and my mentors feedback on my lessons is always positive aswell. I wish they'd tell me honestly how I was doing because clearly my teaching isn't as good as they say.

At this point I'm loosing a lot of confidence in my teaching and worry it might not be for me, but at the moment I have no backup plan. I used to be a teaching assistant so could go back to that role however I can't stand the fact that I might have wasted a year and £9000 in university fees to just continue being a TA and earn the same. I'm working two part time jobs alongside my pgce and am desperate to leave them but I can only do that once I have something full time that pays. I've considered supply aswell however I'd really like to get my ECT years done.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Do I just need to call it a day and move on to a different job? If so what? Any help is appreciated thank you 🥰

Don't give up. Looking at the post you have a very good academic background and a lot of relevant experience.

When I first started many years ago, there was a teacher shortage (nothing changes) and I was a mature PGCE student in Science. I applied for a number of positions and had 1 interview. The other candidate got the job but the school assured me that this was nothing to do with the fact that he had completed his PGCE there (hmm not much).

In the last 5 years I have applied for 3 Science teaching positions.2 did not even bother to say thanks but no. The other one sent me the lesson I was to teach the day before the interview after I asked for this 3 times. I did not attend the interview.

So what you are experiencing happens to a lot of us. Having experienced a lot of lesson observations some of the feedback is ludicrous and clearly is from a tick box culture.

To be honest a lot of the schools that did not ask me for interview I am glad that they did not. Keep going and don't give up.

I was in your shoes and I ended up after my PGCE being a cover supervisor for about 6 months. I don't think my teaching changed. I went for about 15 interviews before I got my teaching job - which was a maternity cover. I ended up staying on - and then becoming head of department in that school. Every job since then - I've got straight away. I don't know why I didn't get a job when I was your age. Some people said I touched my hair too much. Some people said my lessons weren't good. Most said it was the interview.

I know it's so disheartening - but you'll get there. It might be worth considering humanities jobs so you can build up your general teaching experience and then when positions come up in your subject - then apply for psychology/social sciences.

4 jobs is nothing. Keep going!!

Psychology is a hugely popular A level but very few schools are able to justify employing a psychology specialist full-time. All of the Psychology teachers I know have a second subject and if you don't have one I'd strongly encourage you to consider it. Your course tutors really should have told you this.

Alternatively you could consider applying to FE or 14-19 settings.

OK, well you haven't wasted your time. My experience is similar to a poster above. Also a career changer. Couldn't get a job. Finished my PGCE without a job. Joined a supply agency and started literally on the day I graduated (so 10th June or something) as an unqualified cover / supply teacher. Agency put me forward for a position that wasn't what I'd trained in. Got that job because no one wanted to teach either the subjects (personal development stuff) or at the school (had just failed OFSTED badly). Started getting bits of what I'd trained in. School rapidly improved - and I was part of that team. Started getting lots of what I'd trained in. After 3 years I became HOD (hums, so includes social sciences).

You're perhaps right to think your age might be going against you. We're currently recruiting for social sciences specialist. If you were in front of me, I'd want to hear you bang on about your work ethic (clearly a hard worker), your leadership qualities (SEN club shows you're very mature for your age and can take responsibility), your extensive TA experience (because that shows you understand how to support the needs of different pupils and also that you have experience in school culture, get the whole thing about pinch points throughout the year, can communicate with parents, understand that schools are fluid environments where staff need to adapt deftly, can show up and do the actual job, etc.). The other thing I'd look for is evidence in the students' books of the lesson you've taught. A structured worksheet is really good tool here as it allows you to show that students have met your learning objective - in a way that random notes / apparent engagement doesn't. Finally, as an aside, if you mentioned anything to do with cognitive load and / or trauma informed teaching my ears would probably prick up.

In terms of other careers, be careful as you have to complete your ECT years within 5 years of graduating or you can't do supply as a fill in later in life. However, fast track civil service? Educational psychologist? Paid to train social worker? Your learning at PGCE hasn't been wasted.

@ProudCat the five year rule to complete NQT induction (as it then was) was removed in 2008. There is no fixed time limit to complete ECT induction.

We certainly employ FT Psychology teachers at our school (and we don't do GCSE). There are plenty of A Level students to go round! We also have several who teach a second subject - science, KS3 humanities, sociology, maths, business studies. Sounds like you have lots to offer.

@WorlySimone I believe you, but for context it’s incredibly rare for a school only offering Psychology at KS5 to have two or more FTE teachers of psychology with absolutely nothing else (no additional subject, no leadership responsibilities) on their tt.

OP, it sounds you like have had generally really positive feedback if it’s coming down to experience alone, and as you point out you can’t magic experience out of thin air. What you can do in the time remaining in your training year is develop a second subject. For my money this is the most effective option available to you to improve your employability.

There’s a second advantage in having some control over your second subject - colleagues who have been employed as 1.0FTE psychology are often the people who find that their timetables get filled up with the odds and sods of one random lesson here and there that the timetabler can’t fit in anywhere else!

As I said, "you have to complete your ECT years within 5 years of graduating or you can't do supply". This is correct. You can complete your ECT at whatever point you want to in your life, but you won't be able to do supply unless you complete it within 5 years of graduating.

@ProudCat I don't want to get into an argument which isn't helpful to the OP but I'd like to clarify this.

Teachers with QTS who have not completed ECT induction can undertake short-term supply for up to five years. After this point they cannot continue working as a short-term supply teacher unless they complete induction. You seem to be saying that a teacher will never again be able to do short-term supply if their induction takes place more than five years after graduating. This is contrary to my understanding and I'd be interested to see a source if you have one, please, as I can't find one.