Within your educational institution, it’s likely that new positions will be advertised internally on a regular basis. They may involve taking on additional responsibilities, or they may be entirely new roles which would constitute a major promotion for you. How do you know when the time is right to start applying for new positions?
There is no simple answer to this question as everybody progresses differently within their teaching careers. It is probably sensible to find out as much as you can about the role before applying for it. This will serve to inform your application should you decide to go ahead – you will have a clearer understanding of what the school is looking for. It will also be helpful if you get through to the interview stage, allowing you to demonstrate a clear interest in the role. Speak to teachers who hold similar positions to see what they think about the role and speak to administration staff to see if you can obtain detailed job descriptions and person specifications. Somebody you speak to might even put in a good word for you if you sound enthusiastic.
Consider how much time you would have to concentrate on the role. Teaching is a very demanding career and you’ll need to weigh up whether you’d be able to dedicate yourself fully to a new position. Marking, lesson planning, meetings, detentions, lunchtime duties and many more essential tasks are already likely to be taking up much of your spare time. Make sure that you’d still be able to achieve a healthy work-life balance if you took on additional responsibilities.
If you do decide that you feel ready for a new challenge, it’s always worth sending in an application. Even if you don’t get the position, it’s good to practise your interview skills.