How can I get a teaching job next year?

If you’re tired of the constant vicious cycle of going from contract to contract year after year and you’re tired of getting the same results you can choose to take a different approach. If you’ve been following me for a while now, you’ll know that I’m a big believer in teachers owning their specific expertise, focusing on skills development and on developing a growth mindset when it comes to their careers. 

Here are a few ideas to focus on improving your skills so that you can feel really confident in how you are developing personally and professionally for job applications and for interviews. 

Skills development for teachers

• Communication skills - ask yourself - how can I become more efficient in the way I communicate with others i) orally ii) in written tasks and ii) using body language?

• Confidence - On a scale of 1-10 where is your confidence level right now? What are 3 small steps you could take to move that number up a 1 point?

• Understanding the Primary Language Curriculum - Looking at the document and picking out 3-4 simple things to take action on can help you feel more confident teaching Béarla agus Gaeilge.

• Interpersonal Skills - whether it’s teamwork, empathy, listening, leadership, motivation, patience, dependability etc you can choose a small action or 2 to commit to so that you focus on developing your people skills. 

• Time Management - If setting limits on your time, staying within the allotted time scale, getting tasks completed on time are areas that you struggle with you may choose to work on this year.

• Problem Solving - Thinking of a variety of ways to solve a problem and choosing the most effective solution can be a valuable skill. If you’re good at it - how can you become great at it?

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you’re willing and focused on getting better results next year - focusing on developing your skills could be a great start!

In my membership group ‘The Teachers’ Promotion Club’ we begin by focusing firstly on improving your time management skills. Click here to find out more about the membership.