It’s time to start applying to teaching jobs and you wonder how many hundreds of applications you should send out? Here are some tips to help you get started (on the first few).

1. Often principals know who they will hire before they start the interviews. So, contact principals and vice-principals you know and ask if they have any job openings this year. Ask people you know if they know any principals and have them recommend you before you apply to the job. If you don’t know any principals, read my blog about how to get to know them here Principals are the Key to Getting a Permanent Job
2. If you don’t know the school or the principal well, do some research and ask other teachers what they know about that school or principal. It is always good to have some background information going into the interview (or to know that you really don’t want to apply to that particular job).
3. Practice interview questions with someone who has been through the process recently or who has interviewed people for teaching positions recently. There are always current educational lingo and ideas that you will be expected to know in the interviews. It is difficult to answer questions when you don’t understand them.
4. If you are a newer teacher, you may want to prepare some materials to take with you to the interview. For example, there is often a question about language or reading and you could take in a lesson plan or pictures of a lesson you did to help explain your answer. If you prepare a portfolio with a few questions in mind, you could include materials focused on language, materials focused on math, materials focused on inclusive teaching and materials focused on classroom management.
5. Dress nicely. Although the principal themselves may be in a track suit, the adage, “Dress for the job you want” definitely applies here!