Teaching Applications are getting more and more competitive.
Greater numbers of teachers in the market mean a greater number applying for that role you have been waiting for. The sole purpose of your teaching application is to get you an interview. So how do you ensure that your teaching application gets you that interview for the teaching job you want?
Follow these 3 simple steps to ensure you are not failing at the first hurdle.
- Value-added teacher applications.
- Keywords are critical to getting past the application algorithm.
- Your Teaching Philosophy is key.
Develop a Value Added Teaching application
What do we mean when we talk about Value-Added Teacher application, well quite simply, what value will you bring to the school and team you are applying to? If we look at everyone’s roles and responsibilities from any submission they will pretty much be like for like. Develop a Scheme of work, Plan lessons, deliver, mark, assess, and analyse to find the gaps right?
But what value did you actually add in doing this? The BIGGEST Value Add will be the results of your teaching, how many 9’s did your cohort get? Have you achieved this over 2-3 years with a variety of learners? Progress 8 is also a great stat for a Senior Leader application.
Can you show the improvement made, Subject progress index is a great way that every Principal will be able to see clearly and concisely?
Failing that can you describe any specific wins with key groups, strategies that made a true impact (and be able to demonstrate this)? You have to set yourself apart from the next teacher whose application is next on the pile!
Keywords are critical to getting past the algorithm
Most schools use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) of some sort these days. Looking at the Job Description and Person Specification are there specific keywords that come up over and over again? You will probably need to highlight these words to make sure your application is visible. Why not use a free word cloud to identify an app like Rezi.ai that will allow you to upload the job description and give you a keyword analysis of what keywords you will need to include in your teaching application to get past any Applicant Tracking System. This is even MORE important if you are applying via an Indeed or TES website.
Your Teaching Philosophy is KEY!
Your Teaching philosophy is critical to your Teaching Application. FACT. More importantly, your ability to concisely communicate this within your application is just as critical. The Principal will need to understand fully who you are as a Teacher and what you believe in. This needs to align with their own beliefs and values, so ensure you do your due diligence before you spend time applying. Visit the school, check them out on look at their Ofsted report, follow them on social media, local news, and also perhaps set up a Google Alerts with the school name or Principal name so you get all new and recent information about them. Do your due diligence!
