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How to make sure your Standard Application Form stands out

How to make sure your Standard Application Form stands out

This is a question I’m asked all the time, and the answer lies in creating a document that a principal really wants to read, because you’re sharing with them information that will make you an asset to their school.

Here are some other questions you can ask yourself to ensure that you create a top-notch application.

  1. Have you checked the job advert for clues as to what's important to the school?

  2. Do you have each piece of documentation ready? (only include what's being asked for).

  3. Have you reached out 


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Newly+qualified+teacher

Is it important to principals when they’re recruiting, that a teacher has already been probated? 

Today’s blog outlines what principals think when they receive job applications from NQTs. One key thing that I’ve found out is that in recruitment in education, personal preference always plays a big part. Over the past number of months and years chatting to principals - the one thing I’ve learned is that there is no ultimate answer for what they are looking for  – we can only gather a general consensus for the universal skills that are preferred amongst many leaders.

Everyone had to begin somewh


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5 tips for working within the ASD setting

5 tips for working within the ASD setting

Deborah has worked in the areas of special needs for many years and has recently retrained to become a teacher. She shares with us some tips for those working in this specialised area in the future.

Deborah’s background

I worked with pupils with a diagnosis of ASD for 12 years in a school-specific to pupils with a diagnosis of ASD and/or complex needs. During my initial years there I worked as an Applied Behaviour Analysis Tutor and received extensive training in ABA. I also worked with a pupil bo


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3 tips on how to improve your performance in mock interviews for teaching jobs in Ireland

3 tips on how to improve your performance in mock interviews for teaching jobs in Ireland

“I hate talking about myself”, “I was so nervous on the day of the interview that I drove to the wrong school”, “I waffle on and on, I don’t know when I should stop answering the question”. These are common statements I hear from clients preparing for interviews. Whether it’s an Irish thing or not, many people dislike speaking about themselves in a positive light. This is what we have to do in interviews and it can cause quite a problem for many teachers. So, what can you do to improve your perf


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I’m qualified under Route 4  With my restricted qualification, will my application be overlooked

I’m qualified under Route 4 – With my restricted qualification, will my application be overlooked?

In recruitment, personal preference always plays a big part. Over the past number of months and years chatting to principals, the one thing I’ve learned is that there is no ultimate answer for what they are looking for – we can only gather a general consensus for the universal skills that are preferable amongst many leaders.

Diversity

I have reached out to principals about this specialised situation, however, and the majority of principals are happy to employ a teacher who is qualified when th


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Why is my Standard Application Form or CV not getting me interviews

Why is my Standard Application Form or CV not getting me interviews?

This is a common complaint amongst job seekers. And the thing is
 If you don’t know
 you don’t know. From working 1-1 with teachers and from speaking to principals about what they are looking for in teachers to their school some common trends arise amongst in-effective job applications.

Your document will be overlooked if:

  • you do not tailor it to the individual school (happens very frequently, I’m hearing from principals) 

  • you spell PRINCIPAL wrong and if you have poor spelling in general 

  • your synt


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How do I stop waffling in interviews

How do I stop waffling in interviews?

This is one of the common complaints that my clients have – They fear that they waffle in interview answers. They find that they sometimes lose track of what they were trying to say so they continue talking and don’t know when to stop. Losing focus in interviews can easily happen but I can help you to regain that focus.

Finding your result

The key thing to do is to know your RESULT. Limiting your interview answer to 5-7 effective sentences is sufficient. Effective interview answers can be impressi


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teaching+jobs+in+Ireland

When will I hear back after my teaching interview? 

For teaching jobs, this ranges from 1 – 3 days generally - though it can be longer. Make sure your referees know you are job hunting this year, and that they can easily be contacted by mobile phone number, in order to keep the process moving as quickly as possible.

If you want to learn more about how to look for interview feedback and learning from it so that it may help you in the future, check out my blog post ‘When interview feedback hurts’ here.

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What are the best ways to prepare for teaching interviews

What are the best ways to prepare for teaching interviews?

Truth bomb! Your job application and interview are less about you and more about the problem that you’re trying to help a principal to solve. Their problem is that they have a teaching role that they are trying to fill, and they need to find the best person for that role. 

With that in mind, what are the things that you can do to better prepare for teaching interviews in Ireland?

Reflect on what principals want

My key piece of study for 2020, was asking a wide variety of primary and second level pr


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5 time management tips for teachers

5 time management tips for teachers

Always chasing your tail to get those copies corrected? Do you feel stressed about finding the time to update your display boards? Today's blog outlines some of the time management strategies that I wish I'd known as an NQT.

Tip#1. There's no Need to Reinvent the Wheel

Unless requested by management to do otherwise, and you feel that you like the layout of school yearly schemes - by all means, USE THEM! As I go around subbing - I see examples of the wide range of teachers' planning. Some teachers 


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