Getting a Teaching Job: "It's Who You Know!"

I have been waiting to officially post the exciting news that I have been offered a K-5 position as a reading teacher! For those of you that know me well, I am somewhat superstitious about sharing updates about my job search. I keep it very private and illogically think that sharing news about upcoming interviews may decrease my chances of getting a job. With that said, I have signed the papers and have even moved some things into my new classroom. It's real now!

Becoming a reading teacher has been on my bucket list for quite some time now. I hadn't imagined I would be doing it this early in my career though! I am excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and proud. The voicemail that I received after 4 consecutive interviews feels like an award to me. Years of hard work, practicum, student teaching, writing lesson plans, college courses, more college courses, (did I mention college courses?) and workshops had led to that single moment.

I thought about all of the interviews that I had. The few that led to jobs (more on that later), and the many that led to nothing. That was the most frustrating part. In the beginning of my search, I used to get so happy that I was getting called for an interview. Naive, I would assume the position was mine. After around 30 or so interviews with no response back, my spirit was gone. I almost dreaded hearing that I had an interview. "Great. I have to take off of work so that I can just be rejected again." Why am I sharing this depressing part of my story? In hopes that it will reach other educators entering the field.

Here are some tips that I learned along the way and I feel played a HUGE part in my success in finding a job.

1) Take any and all interviews. I even went on interviews for bilingual positions just because I knew a little bit of Spanish. Yes, it was embarrassing and cringe worthy when they asked me questions in Spanish and I just stared back, but you never know what kind of doors it can open. Be honest about your credentials, but don't be afraid to put yourself out there.

2) Keep your mind open to part-time or leave positions. My first "real" teaching job was a leave replacement that was only supposed to last a few months. I ended up staying the whole year. YOU NEVER KNOW!!! It certainly was discouraging at the time. I wanted full-time and I wanted permanent but that opportunity wasn't at my doorstep. That leave replacement gave me a ton of experience and if I had turned it away just because it wasn't a full-year position, I would have missed out on an amazing opportunity. If there's nothing better, take it!

3) If you can, keep all of your work experience in education. This is HUGE. With all due respect to some of my peers, sometimes I would see friends who had their Master's in Literacy working in a clothing store. We all have bills to pay and I get that, but if it's possible, keep your work experience IN education. I worked as an educator in a children's museum, a preschool teacher at a local school, a teaching assistant in a special education classroom, and as a reading tutor. When going on interviews for permanent positions, I felt confident that I had a unique background and had lots of experience to talk about even though I had never taught officially in a public school.

4) Let your talents shine! This sounds so cheesy and cliche I know, but it took me some time to realize this. I learned sign language as a young girl and one day, I decided to put that on my resume. Ever since then, I have been asked about it on every single interview I've gone on. You may think your background in college is exceptional, but unfortunately, the job market is flooded with people with the same credentials. Find something that makes you stand out and make sure you bring it up. I highly recommend learning sign language too. Not only will it give you an edge on interviews (and in other fields as well) but I've found it to be a really useful and motivating tool in the classroom.

5) READ, READ, READ. Stay current. Follow other teacher's who you respect. Check out TpT and blogs! I really like Hello Literacy, Conversations in Literacy, Mrs Willis' Kindergarten, and The Moffatt Girls. 

6)"It's Who You Know." Many people will tell you this throughout your search.This is so very true, especially in education. And I don't mean this in the "My Uncle is a Superintendent so he will give me a job" kind of way. While certainly nepotism can be prevalent in public schools (although I've never been witness to it), that's not what I mean here. The "who you know" are the people you encounter every.single.day. Get to know other teachers in your area, make a good impression with your professors, stay in touch with your cooperating teachers from student teaching, BE NICE TO THE SECRETARY, etc. These are the people who hear about job postings, who may be on the hiring committee, or who may eventually recommend you for a position. It's like being on a constant interview.



7) Just Keep Swimming! Lastly, and this is the one I don't have an answer on how to do it, but try not to get discouraged with your search. I kept telling myself with each rejection that I
was never applying for a job again. It really beat me down into the ground when I wouldn't hear back despite thinking I had the best interview in the world. There are so many reasons why you may not get picked and most of the time you will never know why you didn't get picked. Just keep swimming!

Do you have any other tips? What's worked for you?