Read on Twitter
Gather round Twitter, imma tell you a story with a happy ending 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙂" title="Leicht lächelndes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Leicht lächelndes Gesicht"> (bit of a thread)
March/April 2019 were quite difficult months. Lots of my fellow trainees had jobs already and so it was hard for us without a school to call home in September. Having said that, I had a handful of applications out there 1/
Some of them came through with an interview (I’ll be honest here, I was very selective with my apps) and off I went, all over the country, in search of “my school”. Now you know that on paper anything can be shiny and lovely, but reality is often quite different, right? 2/
Anyhoo, off I went driving to a school far far away (well, 4.5 hours drive one way, hell of a commute!).
Interview day a bit shambolic (not me, the school) but hey ho. On the drive home I get a text saying, sorry, it’s a no. I won’t share the rest of the feedback...3/
Interview day a bit shambolic (not me, the school) but hey ho. On the drive home I get a text saying, sorry, it’s a no. I won’t share the rest of the feedback...3/
...not because I’m precious, but because it was really quite rude and really not helpful in any way. Suffice to say, I drove all the way home quite dejected and actually cross at having invested my time on someone that didn’t deserve it (remember, not all that glitters etc) 4/
Roll on April and I find an ad for a non-edu job in a school in Kent. Tell you the truth, I quite like the idea of the job itself, but there’s a big kerfuffle over the wording of the ad cause it’s not all fluff and unicorns. So I investigate more, because, as I said already...5/
...things aren’t always as they appear. Oh but hang on, I’m onto something, here. Nice ethos. Knowledge-rich curriculum, I see. Well well, they have a science job going! But what’s this, learning styles in the job description?! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😱" title="Vor Angst schreiendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Vor Angst schreiendes Gesicht"> nah, this doesn’t sound right, I must dig...6/
...further. I email one @tara_mcvey, and she puts me in touch with Annette, the lovely HoF. Lots of patient emails after (hers, not mine https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Gesicht mit Freudentränen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Freudentränen">) I get an interview.
23.04.2019: light intro teaching year 7. I meet the lovely tech, Jon, and Annette sits at the back of the class...7/
23.04.2019: light intro teaching year 7. I meet the lovely tech, Jon, and Annette sits at the back of the class...7/
...along with one of the bosses, @MrsKateOHara. I hate my interview clothes, but I’m my usual idiot, hand-waving self, and both Kate and Annette smile often, which is always good, right?
After the lesson is the interview, and this northern lad, @robgaygan, almost puts...8/
After the lesson is the interview, and this northern lad, @robgaygan, almost puts...8/
...me on the spot. Almost, but I’m quicker https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😎" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit Sonnenbrille" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit Sonnenbrille"> After the interview, Rob invites me to watch him deliver a lead lesson (Towers’ version of an assembly); it’s lovely, and it’s actually nice to be able to see the kids out of the classroom. This is a big space, will they behave? 9/
They do. Wow!
Rob sits me down and offers me the job. He’s generous with his praise and his offer. Not just that, he says to me: go and do your other interviews (I had Magna and Turner in the same week), and then let me know what you think. 10/
Rob sits me down and offers me the job. He’s generous with his praise and his offer. Not just that, he says to me: go and do your other interviews (I had Magna and Turner in the same week), and then let me know what you think. 10/
That conversation told me everything I needed to know and I knew I had found my people.
Two years on and there’s not been one single day that I’ve regretted my choice. I’m grateful to Tara for replying to my email, to Kate for her support, to @VickiAReed for making...11/
Two years on and there’s not been one single day that I’ve regretted my choice. I’m grateful to Tara for replying to my email, to Kate for her support, to @VickiAReed for making...11/
...the weather with a smile, to @Jesfield6 for always having my back re behaviour, @AmyLKinsella for answering some awkward questions, to Richard “El Scorchio”Billings for withstanding storm after storm (the man is a legend), to everyone from welfare to the cleaning team...12/
...for allowing me to be me cause, as we says, we are far more than a collection of buildings, and we can do anything together.
And thank you to Rob for taking a chance on a bit of a lost soul and giving me an anchor. Bit emosh, if I’m honest, it’s been one hell of a ride!
And thank you to Rob for taking a chance on a bit of a lost soul and giving me an anchor. Bit emosh, if I’m honest, it’s been one hell of a ride!
