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Applying for a job as a school librarian

11 replies

orangesandlemonssaythebellsofstclements · 11/03/2025 12:45

Teachers! Please help me. I am applying for a job as a school librarian. They told me yesterday morning that I have a job interview tomorrow. The interview is for a whole day and it starts with me delivering a 15 minute literacy based starter activity to a year 7 class. It is to be "generic, as all pupils read different books".
I am so nervous, and there are so many different resources and ideas available online that I am just completly overwhelemed.
Can anyone help by making some suggestions of what to do, to get me on the right path?
Thank you xxx

OP posts:
Scootergrrrl · 11/03/2025 16:57

I'm a high school librarian - have they given you any more guidance on the starter? Is it to improve their literacy skills or to spark interest in their books?

OwlChops · 11/03/2025 21:31

Chat GPT

Feed the whole thing into it and tell it what it's for. It'll give you the whole thing which you can then obviously completely re write but it would be perfect as a framework for it all

FarmerDramaLlama · 11/03/2025 21:34

Always look up things about safeguarding as it should be a standard question.

Ilovelurchers · 11/03/2025 21:46

Asking you to do a literacy based starter to a class is weird - will you be delivering lessons as part of the role? And it's strange the suggest it should be literacy based, whereas I imagine your role is going to be more focused on encouraging kids to read for pleasure, than to develop their literacy. 15 minutes is also long for a starter activity.

I think on balance I would create a resource where you pick three or four current popular kids' books from different genres and give the students the blurbs on the back, and an image of the cover. And give them a photocopied table with a few key questions about each one (what do they predict it will be about, what genre do they think it is, do they anticipate enjoying it, etc). Then at the end ask them to pick the one they would choose and give a reason why. And do a Q and A for that bit where you pick four or five kids to give their answer. (Warn them you will be doing this beforehand - maybe reward students who answer with a lollipop or something).

This would demonstrate:
A knowledge of current kids' fiction (if you don't have this Google is you friend)

An ability to create attractive and user friendly resources.

An ability to ask questions of kids and praise and reward good answers. If possible ask a few open questions to get the ones who answer to develop their responses.

It might be worth asking if you are allowed any further info on the kids you will be working with, such as whether any of them have any SEND that would require adapted resources (such as needing them printed on coloured paper etc). This will demonstrate you take planning and SEND seriously.

In terms of the interview, school librarian roles vary from school to school, but schools tend to be looking for:

  • someone who will engage in meaningful professional relationships with the kids, and show an awareness and responsiveness to different individual needs etc.
  • someone with a passion for developing reading for pleasure, and ideas about how you can do this such as author visits, book clubs, competitions, etc.
  • ideas about fund raising, filling in grant applications etc
  • skill at display etc, and making the library an attractive space
  • strong organisational and time management skills
  • ideas on how you will work with the departments, especially English.
  • passion for reading and some knowledge of current children's literature.

Good luck! It's an amazing job and such an important one!

orangesandlemonssaythebellsofstclements · 13/03/2025 11:37

Hi everyone,

Thanks for suggestions. There wasn't any further information about the starter task other than what I typed but I put something together based on first lines in books, what we can get from them and how to use them in your own creative writing.
We also had to do a literacy task which turned out to be writing a letter to parents about an upcoming trip
There was another candidate with me all day, she was a qualified teacher (primary school) and she got the job.
Actually feeling gutted because I have a genuine passion for literacy and really want to develop that in young people where as the other candidate actually told me that literacy was never her thing and she preferred teaching maths.
The feedback was that they loved my activity and were impressed it came from a non-teacher, loved the literacy task and that I did well in interview, particularly with the safeguarding questions. She also said my passion and enthusiasm for literacy really shone through.
But in the end, the other candidate got it because she was a qualified teacher.
So they chose qualifications over genuine passion even though I have more than simply the GCSEs they asked for (I have A levels) and I have an early years qualification.
Sucks but what can you do?!
Thanks again for all suggestions x

OP posts:
YearsofYears · 13/03/2025 11:41

Sounds like you did well. There's often school librarian jobs advertised, depending on your location. The school library association is a great support.

YYURYYUCICYYUR4ME · 13/03/2025 11:51

I had a whole day interview. Delivered a class, a session on an author and got the job as Librarian. I came in prior to starting to tidy the area, realised the library was neglected, even sourced some very good second hand library racking. Turned out my role was a holding cell, morning, breaks, end of day, with just me and up to 60 students, from Yr 7 to 13 and even the teachers dumped disruptive pupils in the room. I left after a term as I definitely did not sign up to be a zoo keeper and that's what it was!! You may have had a lucky escape!

orangesandlemonssaythebellsofstclements · 13/03/2025 12:50

YYURYYUCICYYUR4ME · 13/03/2025 11:51

I had a whole day interview. Delivered a class, a session on an author and got the job as Librarian. I came in prior to starting to tidy the area, realised the library was neglected, even sourced some very good second hand library racking. Turned out my role was a holding cell, morning, breaks, end of day, with just me and up to 60 students, from Yr 7 to 13 and even the teachers dumped disruptive pupils in the room. I left after a term as I definitely did not sign up to be a zoo keeper and that's what it was!! You may have had a lucky escape!

OMG that's terrible.

I am sure it wasn't like this as it was a part time position and I met the other librarian and she told me a lot about the role and seemed happy.

I just wanted the job - that specific job, so badly. I normally bounce back quite quickly but I'm feeling really crappy after loosing out on this one to someone who didn't want it as much as I did.

I'm sure I'll bounce back in a day or two!

OP posts:
FarmerDramaLlama · 13/03/2025 18:27

So sorry. Thing is a teacher can be useful as they can get her to cover a class etc, might not what she has planned but I’m guessing that’s what they have in mind.

Merryhobnobs · 13/03/2025 18:33

School librarian posts are hard to come by up where I am. I am a qualified librarian and would have loved to go down that road but ended up in Higher Education instead. It's always a bit frustrating when posts are advertised as librarian but it's not actually a professional level role. Our profession has been eroded so much and it's really detrimental to students and learning.

TheCompactPussycat · 13/03/2025 18:41

orangesandlemonssaythebellsofstclements · 13/03/2025 11:37

Hi everyone,

Thanks for suggestions. There wasn't any further information about the starter task other than what I typed but I put something together based on first lines in books, what we can get from them and how to use them in your own creative writing.
We also had to do a literacy task which turned out to be writing a letter to parents about an upcoming trip
There was another candidate with me all day, she was a qualified teacher (primary school) and she got the job.
Actually feeling gutted because I have a genuine passion for literacy and really want to develop that in young people where as the other candidate actually told me that literacy was never her thing and she preferred teaching maths.
The feedback was that they loved my activity and were impressed it came from a non-teacher, loved the literacy task and that I did well in interview, particularly with the safeguarding questions. She also said my passion and enthusiasm for literacy really shone through.
But in the end, the other candidate got it because she was a qualified teacher.
So they chose qualifications over genuine passion even though I have more than simply the GCSEs they asked for (I have A levels) and I have an early years qualification.
Sucks but what can you do?!
Thanks again for all suggestions x

I'm sorry it didn't work out. However, I would suspect they had a preferred candidate before the interview which really sucks. They clearly weren't actually interested in proper qualifications for the role or they would have been looking for an actual librarian with actual fucking library qualifications. You might have had a lucky escape.

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