Admin School position

[Rossie86]

Hi all, im actively looking for admin position in school.I got over 15 years experience,and i dont think there's anything which I cannot do in that field. I have been on around 5-6 interviews so far, and what i hear every time is " you did really well on the interview, it was very positive, but unfortunately there is someone with direct school experience " .There always going to be someone, and they know i dont have any school experience why they inviting me to interview at all? I dont know what to do ,or what im not doing? What is your experience, any ideas?

I suppose it’s like any job - someone with direct experience of the same job elsewhere will pip someone who doesn’t to the post. School admin is unlike any other admin position I’ve worked in. Decent admin skills are necessary but not all they need. Do you have experience working with children? A good understanding of safeguarding in practice? I assume you’ll have knowledge of data protection and cyber security if you have general admin experience. All of these are important to demonstrate.

Are you involved with the schools at all?
could you do some volunteering? Get involved in the PTA if you have kids there? Be a Governor? Make yourself known and trusted to them and you will be successful

Hi, as I said,I dont have direct school experience. I believe I understand very well safeguarding. In regards to data protection, I worked 10 years in the army,as senior admin lead ,I got very good understanding of GDPR ,confidentiality and data protection. Im currently account manager in recruitment. It's just very disappointing and slow process,as there aren't so many positions available at all.in my area in the last like 6 months only 2 came out,which I applied for and was invited for interview. I cannot afford any volunteering as unfortunately I cannot afford it,I work over 50 hours a week..

Schools do like to think they're special and put too much emphasis on school experience imo, but also it's an easy feedback to use when it's really that they just liked someone else for the role more.

But how to get this experience when no one gives you a chance?I was thinking to try with agency ,but I cannot just leave full time position for temporary work, we all got bills to pay at the end of the day.
Also, I cannot get why its so important, when you have candidate with so many skills and proven progression, that means this candidate is willing to learn.apart from their policy and specific software ,what is to be learnt? If you are up to date with their policy ,you will know how to act in any situations ,not to mention, that majority are common sense.

Schools are so hard to get jobs in when you think of it, one or two plus leave after twenty plus years! Plus every parent wants them! I’d start looking further afield

You're absolutely right, but if you're going to work in school you'll have to get used to schools thinking they are different to everyone else!

IME most entry level admin posts are filled by parents who have volunteered or worked as mid day assistants/LSAs. If you're doing it for the money (an odd career move if you are) are you applying for a senior(ish) FT post?

Do you have DCs, if so and they do any activities is there any chance you could help with them for a while? They seem to go down well as experience with children. For example, I’ve chaperoned with my daughters dance school for years and at one point also went into schools to listen to readers (I appreciate you wouldn’t be able to do that whilst working but just a suggestion?).

Honestly? Steer clear. The job is hideously underpaid for the level of skill required. The systems are antiquated. I’m looking to leave. School admin jobs used to be fabulous. School hours, term time only. But budget cuts mean that one person is now doing the work 3 people were doing 10 years ago. I’m looking to get out.

I managed this by starting as an invigilator then applied for an admin role as it came up. Not easy to do if you’re already in employment though.
Being school admin isn’t an easy job dealing with parents and kids.

I never thought its easy,dealing with wide range of people is always hard. I was senior lead admin in the army,I had my own team of 7 ,managed by me,and 450 staff in the entity. At the moment, I am managing 55 employees,im dealing with clients, the company I work for its big. Im not afraid of school procedures and all sort of things ,as believe me in the army they were very strict. It's only few of us having special grade of access to confidential information, the rules of recording,keeping and handling this information were so ,so strict. Im starting to lose hope though, and im a bit down today ,as I believe I can bring a lot into the role and ive heard "no" again.

They may think you're overqualified?

You may be over qualified, as others say it’s a thankless role where you are over worked and deal with constant complaints. If you really want to work in a school office then start as an invigilator, train as a Governance Professional / TA / LSA etc.

What type of school admin role? It is a small school needing a jack of all trades or something more specialist.

It is hard to think of an answer to being pipped to the post by people with direct experience. It is disheartening. I dont know that its schools thinking they sre special but there often isnt anyone to handover and teams can be very small with no overlap, so having someone who can hit the ground running helps, with software in particular being a concern. Its not uncommon for some staff to not be that great with software so they worry its hard to learn and then important stuff wint happen whikst you learn.

I think id focus on quick learning of software and how youd pick it up and can hit the ground running in other things.

If you are working 50 hours a week and can’t afford to cut those hours to be able to volunteer, are you sure you will be able to manage on the salary of an admin worker in a school?

I would estimate that the school office manager will be on approx 32k actual. In my school any way.

I work in a school and I agree with previous posters that schools put too much store on previous school experience. If you could be creative with your experience maybe - if you helped at your own kids' school fairs, or raised money at school with cake sales or helped out anywhere at all - write it up to fit the job you're applying for. Reference everything back to 'school' if you can. Did you help out at an evening kids' club maybe? Anything at all like that.

I went for countless interviews and it was only after l volunteered thay I was successful and it wasn't even in the school l volunteered at.

But it is a stressful job - l work in a small village school so am expected to do everything from attendance to admissions and ordering toilet roll and buying tea and coffee for the staff room.

Love it but the pay is shit.

Why do you want to be school admin? Is it the hours?

Like others say I think you are vastly over qualified for an everyday admin position and they don't pay much

Your experience really lends itself more to operations manager tbh

I work on the ops side and every year my job gets harder. They want the moon on a stick in terms of responsibilities vs pay.

I got a school receptionist job with no experience. What worked for me was asking to go for a tour and chat before I applied.

I was bubbly, confident and chatty. I asked questions, appeared interested and got on well with the business manager.

Maybe try that next time, good luck!

I worked in admin for 14 years, then worked as an SEN teaching assistant for 3 years and when an admin job came up at the school I didn't get it. Someone who works in a school office got it.

You seem to have made a lot of grammar mistakes.

I have reached the limit at my current field. I started as trainee up to manager now.My work requires my attention 24/07. It's a lot sress ,im expected to be able to deal with everything early mornings to late nights. I just cannot keep up.i started small business a side ,which starting to pay off now, so I just want to step back, doing less weeks in the year ,but still carry on with admin as I just love it. Im on the road very often as well ,still on calls in the car. I work well with people,so I thought if I can do admin,travel less, finish work and go home,without thinking about work and I love kids.thats why im thinking about school position. I will think if I can get involved in any school activities, if that would help me.its just the time ,I dont have so much spare time unfortunately

Schools can be very particular about spelling, grammar and punctuation. If your typing here is a reflection of how you have performed in written tasks at interview, that may have contributed towards their decisions.

There's also the possibility that you may have been applying for roles where you are not needed to manage anybody but are instead required to be managed.

Today ,one of my tasks was on Excel- filter,sort ,use formulas on data that was given.

Written task was completed by using Microsoft Word, where you can check/change spelling.

I dont want to rude, but as im not British, my British colleagues are worse than me in punctuation, grammar and spelling.

It's useful to see your comment though, could you share where do you think im not doing ok?

Please,you dont need to be polite,just give me honest feedback.

From a 2 second look at your last post:

Think about the spacing between your words and punctuation marks. The punctuation comes straight after the word, then a space, then the next word.

OK should be capitalised.

The contraction of ‘I am’ is ‘I’m’ not ‘im’.

’Dont’ should be ‘don’t’.

Sorry to say but that’s all very basic. You are coming across as extreamly arrogant (‘there’s nothing that I cannot do in the field’), which mixed with sloppiness is never going to go well for you.