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Do You Work with Men?

Yes, I absolutely do.

While a lot of my messaging speaks directly to women (and for good reason), I also work with incredible male leaders - and I welcome it.

Many members of The Teacher Promotion Club are male and in The Confident Career Leader Programme - I have had men enroll too.

In fact, some of the most self-aware, strategic, and values-led clients I’ve supported have been men.

They’ve shown up with:

  • A belief in the power of coaching

  • A commitment to bettering themselves

  • 


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Mar 28, 2025 08:15am
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #AP2, #applications, #AP positions, #career, #Confidence, #CPD, #CV Writing, #education, #DeputyPrincipal & FAQs
2 min read
Blog Covers (1)

“I Don’t Have Time” - Why That Might Be the Very Reason You Need a Coach

Let’s be real—life as a teacher is full on. Between the demands of school, family, initiatives, and everything else stacked on your plate, it probably feels like there’s barely enough time to breathe, let alone focus on your career.

So when you hear someone say, “Maybe you should get a coach,” it’s easy to think, “Yeah right. When exactly would I fit that in?”

I get it. Completely.

But here’s the thing no one tells you


You don’t have to take time to develop your career.

But if you do? It w


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Mar 28, 2025 07:54am
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #AP2, #AP1, #applications, FAQs, #career, #careercoaching, #cpd, #CPD, #DeputyPrincipal, #Education & #Interview
3 min read
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“Do You Do Job Applications for [X Type of Role]?” — Here’s My Honest Answer

This is a question I get asked a lot, so let’s clear it up with love and honesty.

Yes, I do support job applications
 but only for teachers inside The Confident Career Leader Programme.

And I’d love to share why - not to gatekeep, but to genuinely give you the best experience possible.

Job Applications Aren’t Just Paperwork

Most people think it’s as simple as handing over a form and getting a quick edit. But that’s not how real support works  - at least, not the kind that actually lands in


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Mar 27, 2025 08:27pm
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #AP2, #applications, #AP1, #careercoaching, #Education & #DeputyPrincipal
2 min read
Blog+ Podcast Quotes by Guest Speakers (1)

LAOS - Leadership Interview Questions Based on the 4 Domains

Here are 40 sample questions based on the Looking at Our Schools (LAOS) framework tailored for the Irish school setting:

Domain 1: Leading Learning and Teaching

  1. How would you ensure the effective implementation of SĂ­olta and Aistear in the school?

  2. How would you monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning across all classrooms?

  3. How do you ensure continuity and progression in literacy and numeracy?

  4. Can you describe a time you implemented a whole-school initiative to improve student learni


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Dec 23, 2024 12:22pm
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #AP2, #AP1, #Career, #Interview questions, #Interview, #DeputyPrincipal, #Primary and Post Primary Interviews & #Principal
4 min read
Blog+ Podcast Quotes by Guest Speakers

Key Leadership Interview Questions and How I Mentor Clients to Answer Them

1. Tell me about a time you faced a challenging situation. 

This is one of the most common leadership questions, and it’s designed to assess how well my clients can navigate tough situations on their own or while leading a team. 

How I Approach This in the Mock Interview:

  • I start by helping my clients identify a meaningful challenge they’ve faced. Together, we focus on how they approached the problem, engaged their team, and ensured a positive outcome.

  • Then, I guide them to use the STAR method (Situ


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Dec 23, 2024 11:17am
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #AP2, #Interview, #Interview Preparation, #Interview questions & #Education
8 min read
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Insights into the Necessary Job Seeking Skills - Peter and Gwenda Johnson

This blog post is inspired by my most recent episode of The Growth in Educational Leadership Podcast. I spoke to Peter and Gwenda Johnson - a fantastic duo with tonnes of recruitment and job-seeking advice. Gwenda is a retired Primary School Principal and spent 9 years leading St Joseph’s - A Special School For Children with Visual Impairment.

Read on to uncover the stand-out points in our discussion.

You can listen to the podcast 👉 here.

  1. The Importance of Tailoring Applications Both Peter and Gwe


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Sep 24, 2024 03:49pm
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #applications, #Career, #careercoaching, #Interview & #Interview Preparation
4 min read
Blog Covers

10 Confidence Tips for STAR Leadership Interviews

Stories are very powerful. I first became interested in people's stories when I became a coach. And I realised that the stories that we told ourselves have direct results in the kinds of opportunities that we have and the kind of results that we get. So there's a huge mindset associated with storytelling, the STAR technique, and the empowering beliefs that we have about ourselves.  The STAR technique is a framework that you can use to frame your answers and your stories in interviews in an empow


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Aug 6, 2024 08:00am
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #Career, #careercoaching, #Interview Preparation, #Interview, #DeputyPrincipal, #Growth mindset & #cpd
8 min read
School Leader Quiz (Instagram Video) (1)

Don't Skip This Step: 5 Accommodations That Should Be Made in Your Job Application Form

đŸ€Ș Literacy Teachers: You know what it's like to read a bunch of essays.
You need to BRACE YOURSELF for the task.
Some students love to write and write. 10 pages later and you're still reading.

đŸ€š Job applications are like this.

Your job application lands itself into a bundle with others.

Some job applications can be 21 pages long.

So, what accommodations can YOU make to help the reader and STAND OUT?

1. Think about it from their perspective.

Who will be reading this form? What would they be truly 


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Dec 18, 2023 06:00am
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #AP1, #AP2, #applications, CV Review, #CV & #How to SAF
3 min read
Copy of Chris - Images For Website (Instagram Post (Square))

FAQs About The Four Domains Simplified Course for School Leaders

Are you curious about the Four Domains Simplified Course?

I know that you may have questions that you'd like answered. đŸ€© So I thought I would address some of the questions that I’ve been getting about it. Here are the top questions I'm being asked. 

1. Is ‘The Four Domains Simplified’ better than ‘Help I’ve an Interview in a Week’?

In ‘Help I’ve an Interview in a Week’, I teach Looking at Our Schools through the lens of a variety of interview questions – each starting with the phrase ‘How do 


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Aug 18, 2023 06:03pm
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #AP1, #AP2, #applications, #AssistantPrincipal, #AP positions, #DeputyPrincipal, #careercoaching, #Interview, #Interview questions, #Interview Preparation, #primaryschoolteacher, #Teaching & #Lookingatourschools
9 min read
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Working with Me as The Teacher Promotion Coach (non-principal!)

If you're an aspiring school leader you may be wondering how I can help you if I'm not a principal.

Truthfully - teachers don't work with me because I'm a principal. As an independent mentor, I think that's my superpower!

Teachers work with me because they know me from my social media presence and they've seen firsthand the helpful information that I share online to help teachers.

Teachers work with me - because I make things easy for them to shift their mindset from working IN their JOB t


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May 8, 2023 11:22am
By Orla Dempsey
Under #AP, #education, Learning, #Interview Preparation, #Mock Interview Preparation Primary, #inspectorate, #DeputyPrincipal, #Teaching, #successfullinterview, #coaching, #SAF, #TeacherIreland & #sellingyourself
3 min read

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