‘You may not know your perfect: A blog for newly qualified edupeeps searching for their perfect.’


I can still remember 16 years ago to when I had qualified with my BEd degree. It was a long, hot summer and I had just moved all my uni stuff back home.  I was excited to start my career. My very own class for the first time. Wow! The search was on for the ‘perfect’ job.  That’s what we want, don’t we? The perfect job, in the perfect school to start our teaching career.  It’s out there somewhere isn’t it? Surely the perfect job will come along and I’ll be sorted right? This is what I thought. 
I went for 3 or 4 jobs, got turned down for some and was lucky to be offered a couple of jobs, but for me they didn’t fit what I had in my head as ‘my perfect’ so I turned them down.  Time went on, job adverts became less and it started to dawn on me that I needed a job quickly or else I wouldn’t have a job in September! Oh my goodness, not having a job in September would be a disaster! The end of the world! That’s what we think. 
I’ll admit it, I started to panic, and at that point I realised that ‘my perfect’ may not be out there for me after all. So, I eventually applied for a maternity cover in a year 5 class in a village near where I lived that I didn’t even realise had a school in it! It was July and I just needed a job for the September! What I didn’t realise is that I had found my perfect. Luckily for me, the teacher who I was covering only wanted to come back part time and it led to me having a permanent post. I then had an awesome 10 year career at that school and was the best place to start my teaching career. I didn’t know my perfect after all! 
Anyway, this blog isn’t about me and my career. The point I’m trying to make is that when we first qualify we put pressure on ourselves to find the perfect job, in the perfect school for September because in our heads, our perfect is out there and September is a deadline we must meet! Now:
a) Perfect isn’t always out there 
b) I don’t think you always know what your perfect is and 
c) September isn’t a deadline (this year more than ever!)
This is 2020. This is a year like no other in education (or like no other in a very long time). This year is different.  Strange. Scary. Uncertain. If you have recently qualified and haven’t got a job for September yet, do not worry! If you’ve had interviews but haven’t been successful, listen to the feedback and keep going.  There is still time. If you think you know your perfect, you probably don’t. But also, don’t think that September is a deadline.  I would imagine, although I may be wrong, that some people who would have moved jobs or left their jobs ‘normally’ haven’t this year due to the uncertainty of everything.  This might mean that there are less jobs from September available.  No one will look at you negatively if you haven’t got a job from September, especially this year.  I know it would be disappointing as you’re so excited about having your first class but it’s not the end of the world. Things will settle eventually and the usual job merry go round will start again. Jobs will become available, that’s a cast iron guarantee! To reassure you more, If I were interviewing for a job in January or Easter next year and had an applicant who qualified in 2020 yet didn’t get a job in the September of that year then I would understand the possible reasons why. I certainly wouldn’t be thinking ‘oh dear, how did they not get a job in September?’ It was 2020! There was a worldwide pandemic on and financial uncertainty everywhere! I’d understand and I’m sure most leaders would too. 
I just want to reassure you if you are a trainee.  Your first job will come.  You will soon have your very own class and your very own classroom.  Keep going! Keep positive! Listen to feedback and remember that September isn’t a deadline! Also, don’t forget my other point: ‘you may not know your perfect’. In fact your perfect probably won’t be what you think it will be. Mine wasn’t, and it turned out to be the most perfect start to my career! Good luck! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Whole Class Feedback Q and A

Image
Whole Class Feedback Q and A Some of the questions on here are very relevent to the general use of Whole Class Feedback, however some are specific to the systems we have in place at our school.  Just to note:  We are only trialling Whole Class Feedback currently.  These are just my personal thoughts on how it's working for me after a term using it.  I am no expert! Here is the WCF sheet I use:   What is it? Whole Class Feedback is a move from regular marking in children’s books to more instant and specific feedback. Having used it for half a year now, it’s evident that the feedback the children are getting is much more effective than when I was writing lots in their books.   A teacher will teach normally but the change is how they ‘mark’ the work.   Using a Whole Class Feedback sheet the teacher looks through books making notes on a range of things (see sheet).   The key is being specific i.e. feedback based on the learning objective (this is no different to what w
Read more

Let’s Go Outside!

The last 2 years have taught us a lot. One thing we’ve learnt is to appreciate the world around us more and enjoy the outside spaces we have. Whether it be going for walks, getting out in the garden or heading to the coast, we’ve all developed a new found love of being outside.   As a school, we’ve always embraced being outside and many schools are now, more and more, taking learning outside when they can.  Come rain, wind, sun or (without doubt) snow, you’ll find outside learning appearing on the timetable of one of our classes.  We are lucky as we have a forest area and have developed our status as a forest school over the past few years. Regularly, you’ll find children in the mud kitchen or making dens or cooking marshmallows over an open fire. But it’s not just the forest area. All of our outdoor spaces are regularly used by classes to help with learning.  We have an outdoor stage which is used for drama performances and music sessions. We have a gym trail which is used in PE lesso
Read more

You’re invited to the #FFBWednesday party!

Have you ever been to a gathering or a party or a wedding where you don’t really know anyone and it’s clear that everyone else there have met before and know each other? Everyone is really friendly and they walk around, chat to one another about things they’ve got in common and put the world to rights.  You might try and join a conversation about something you have in common with them and thankfully there are usually one or two who might chat back to you but they’re soon off on their way back to their group. This is my analogy of how edutwitter is for some people.  It’s like that party (and sometimes it really is like a party as it’s such an amazing thing to be involved in with so many amazing people) and even though you’ve been invited and are welcome to be there, it can feel like you’re not quite ‘in the room’.  You might have pressing questions, you might have great ideas, you might actually have so much that really is worth hearing but it’s like you’re on the outside looking in. Y
Read more