5 Signs of When It’s Time to Apply to a Different Teaching Position
Apr 01, 2024Season 1Episode 87
Helena Hains
Not sure when it's time to apply to a different teaching position?
Here are 5 not so obvious signs it might be time to switch districts or teaching positions.
These teacher interview tips will help you confidently decide what you are looking for in future districts, gain clarity on where and when you should start applying, and know with confidence whether the district you apply to is right for you.
I’m Helena, a coach for new and first-year teachers sharing knowledge on how to have a thriving career and personal life.
The Present Teacher Podcast is a resourcefor teacher interviews, classroom setup, classroom management, and time management. Follow along and learn how to thrive in the classroom and in life.
Subscribe to The Present Teacher Podcast to get inspired by new weekly podcast episodes!
Not sure when it's time to apply to a different teaching position?
Here are 5 not so obvious signs it might be time to switch districts or teaching positions.
These teacher interview tips will help you confidently decide what you are looking for in future districts, gain clarity on where and when you should start applying, and know with confidence whether the district you apply to is right for you.
I’m Helena, a coach for new and first-year teachers sharing knowledge on how to have a thriving career and personal life.
The Present Teacher Podcast is a resourcefor teacher interviews, classroom setup, classroom management, and time management. Follow along and learn how to thrive in the classroom and in life.
Subscribe to The Present Teacher Podcast to get inspired by new weekly podcast episodes!
Speaker 1:
It's that time of year where you're starting to wonder if you're going to be coming back to the same district or the same school next year. You might be scrolling TikTok and Instagram seeing what other teachers are thinking and you're starting to think to yourself maybe is this the profession for me, or maybe am I going to be happier with somewhere else, or maybe am I gonna be happier with somewhere else. Years ago, I was in my just completed my second year of teaching kindergarten and I decided that I was ready for a change and to switch districts based on these five reasons that I'm going to be sharing with you today. Now, these five reasons aren't going to be common reasons, like a higher pay raise. Instead, these are good indicators to look at to figure out if this district is right for you. Now, as a quick disclaimer, I am not a lawyer or a financial advisor. This is not legal advice. This is only strictly my opinion and based off of my own experience. So please use your own discretion and look at your final financial situation before quitting your teaching position. So, with that being said, let's dive into the five indicators that it might be time to switch districts. Hey, teacher Bestie, my name is Helena and I'm the creator of the Present Teacher Podcast. I'm a first year teacher, teacher coach, and in this podcast you are going to learn everything from simple, actionable classroom management, socialist learning and teacher wellness strategies. You know that impact you want to make in the classroom. We're going to make it happen here.
Speaker 1:
The first indicator you might have when you're considering switching districts is there might be a mismatch in values or goals with your district. So when you first started teaching at your district, you probably noticed that your school or district has certain values or mission statement they are trying to achieve. Perhaps when you first applied to the district, you felt aligned to the direction that that district was going, but later you quickly realized that you are no longer aligned with those values and maybe your district is very aligned with technology, whereas you feel like there should be a greater balance between technology use in the classroom and hands-on learning. Now, that's not to say that one party is more right than the other. This naturally happens as you gain more experience and you become more aligned with your true teacher self. You're naturally going to grow and change your values as you grow and it's okay to no longer align with the direction the district is going Now. Again, this is not to say that the district is bad. In fact, if I'm talking to my own experience, my first district was really, really amazing. However, I just felt like I wanted a district that was more emphasizing on special education where the current district I had. While it was amazing and many wonderful aspects, it didn't really provide that focus that I was hoping to bring and focus into the world of education. So it's like outgrowing a pair of shoes you used to wear when you were six. You are not mad that you have small feet from when you were six. If anything, you're thankful that your feet have grown since you were six years old.
Speaker 1:
If you are wondering if you're feeling a misalignment with the direction that your district is going, here are some journal prompt questions to consider. I recommend taking out a journal and reflecting on these questions to see if you are aligned with the direction your district is going. The first question is what do I stand for as a teacher? The second one is what are my personal values? The third question is what are my district's values? And the final question do I feel like those values can help me get closer to being that teacher I want to be. After you've taken time to journal or think about these questions, it can be pretty clear whether or not you feel like your current district is going to help you get closer to being that teacher that you know deep down you are destined to be.
Speaker 1:
The second indicator that it might be time to consider that teacher that you know deep down you are destined to be, the second indicator that it might be time to consider districts is if you have a mismatch in admin. Now, I personally had amazing admin with my first district, so this didn't necessarily apply to me. But I've had other circumstances where I was at a different district and that admin and I just didn't seem to see eye to eye, regardless of how many times I tried to communicate with them. So mismatch in admin or leadership is one of the leading cause to teachers leaving the profession altogether. Here are some of the top reasons why you might switch districts based on admin. The first one is maybe you've reached out and you've received little to no support from your admin. The second one is you've received backlash for choices that were made and you didn't feel like your admin or leadership had your back and your support. The third reason being you feel like you are being singled out from the rest of the staff. And the fourth one is maybe your admin is just not existent and you're looking for a district that has more supportive admin and more engaged admin to support you.
Speaker 1:
With all that being said, here are some things to consider before you leave the teacher profession. So if you are considering leaving your district and you feel like maybe admin is the issue, I highly recommend that you reach out with your concerns to your admin first. Now. I know this can be pretty scary to do, but it's important that you give it your 100%, or I believe that you give it your 100% at your current district to see if maybe there's just a mismatch in communication occurring and to help your admin give the opportunity to help work with you as a team before you start looking elsewhere.
Speaker 1:
The second thing that you might want to consider before you leave is just because you move doesn't necessarily mean you are going to have better admin elsewhere. Now, here at the Present Teacher, I try really hard to teach you and show you how to find districts that are aligned to you, but the truth of the reality is there's not going to be a perfect admin out there, just like there isn't the perfect teacher for a child. There's gonna be some give and take in this area. So ask yourself the ramifications of leaving. Are the problems I'm facing with admin something that are just something I can no longer take? Maybe you're getting burnt out, maybe you're mentally and emotionally exhausted and you feel like you could be happier elsewhere. Or is it just a miscommunication or something like that? Take some time to really decide for yourself whether or not this is something you can work with long term, or if you feel like there's a better match out there for you. And the third thing you might want to consider is to really use your own discretion here. Ask yourself is this something I can continue doing long term? And then the second question is this leading to burnout and making me want to leave the profession altogether? I can't tell you how many times I've personally talked to teachers who are considering leaving the profession. They then decided to give it one more shot and teach elsewhere, and they figured out that actually it was the work environment they were in. And once they switched and they were out of that work environment, they loved teaching. So the moral of the story is there are some really, really great admin out there and don't feel like you have to give up on the teaching profession because of bad admin. I highly recommend that you try elsewhere, with different admin that you are linked to, before you leave the teaching profession altogether. But again, use your own discretion here.
Speaker 1:
The third reason you might be considering leaving the profession is maybe there's a mismatch in support. This goes with the admin that I talked about earlier, but this can mean other areas, like your team or maybe supporting staff, but you don't feel like you are being supported in the general work environment. So here are the most common reasons I've heard for teachers leaving the district that they did because of the lack of support. For example, maybe you have a non-supportive team. You want to work with your team, but your team is just not really working with you. They're not, you know, helping you out or they're not willing to work together and you are looking for a different team to work with. The third reason is maybe you've reached out for support and you've gotten zero response. All of these are pretty common things. I've heard from teachers as to why they might switch grade levels or districts or schools based on the lack of support. So if you experience this, here are some questions to ask yourself or think about before you move elsewhere. The first question is have I reached out to ask for support in this area? The second question is is there a different person, place or department that I can reach out and ask if they can support me in these areas? The third question is where can I reach out online for support? All of these are great questions to ask yourself if you find that you are wanting to leave the district or the school based off of a lack of support.
Speaker 1:
The fourth sign that it might be time to switch district is that you find a mismatch in your long-term goals and your current district. So, out of all the reasons that I left my first district, this is the number one reason why I bought a house one and a half hours away from where I was working and during COVID. That was perfectly fine because I got to work online. But once I started that commute, I quickly realized that this was not my long-term district. That and, like I said, I wanted to work at a district that had more special education support. That way in the future, when I had my own family, if there was ever a need for those kind of supports. My students or my kids could then get the support they needed, and I just wanted to work in the district that my future kids would go to. So that's kind of where my long-term goals didn't match my current goals and there was a mismatch in my long-term goals in the district I was currently at, long-term goals in the district I was currently at.
Speaker 1:
So here are some common examples as to why you might have a mismatch in long-term goals in your current district. The first example is moving, like I did. The second one is maybe not a district you want to be at long-term. Third reason is maybe there's a better district for your kids, or maybe your personal needs elsewhere. And the last one maybe you're bored of that grade level. I personally always thought I was going to be a kindergarten teacher. I thought that since I was six years old. But after I taught it two years in a row, I quickly realized no, sorry, three years in a row. I quickly realized that I became a little bored of it because we would go over the same topics every year and I realized I, on top of wanting to move to a different district, I wanted to switch up the grade levels to challenge myself and to become more engaged in the profession.
Speaker 1:
If you find yourself having a mismatch in your long-term goals in your current district, ask yourself these questions what are my goals for my profession for the next 20 years? The second question is will this district help me get there? And the third question is do I need to pivot to get me there to my 20-year goal? All of these are great, great questions to ask yourself if you find that your current district isn't matching your long-term goals.
Speaker 1:
The fifth and final uncommon reason why it might be a good time to switch districts is, in general, you're just wanting to quit teaching in general. So, like I mentioned earlier, I've talked to a lot of teachers online that were experiencing this. One teacher I talked to three years ago she was in her third year of teaching and she was exhausted and about to quit. But after talking with her she realized that she actually loved teaching, but she felt like she wasn't supported at her current teaching position. So she applied to other teaching positions and other districts and I'm happy to say that now she absolutely loves her job and she's looking at finishing off her entire career as a teacher and she wants to continue doing what she is doing up until she retires.
Speaker 1:
The point is, it may not be teaching all altogether. It might be the district or the support that you are currently getting. So, if you feel like you are on the verge of quitting the profession, ask yourself if, maybe, if you switch districts, would your outlook look different, or would you want to give it one more shot at a different district before you quit teaching altogether? Now that you have decided to leave, or not, you might be wondering what should you do next? And the question or the thing you should consider is take some time to dream. Think about what your dream district would look like. Write down what it feels like and looks like. What does it feel like to walk into the building? What does it look like on a day-to-day basis? And I highly recommend you write this as if you are experiencing it now. So, for example, if I were to write about my dream district, I would say I walked in this morning with a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee because I'm obsessed, and I immediately greet the front secretary because her and I have a very strong positive relationship. And again, I'm writing that like it's happening right now.
Speaker 1:
And then the next thing you want to think about is what does your district stand for and fight for? What is their mission and values? What are their goals? All education want to help students, but how do they want to help students? You'll quickly discover the more you teach and the more you go in and out of schools. Different schools have different school climates or school communities or school cultures, and they are all driven by different forces and different goals that they want to achieve in their students' lives. For example, some might be passionate about the arts, some might be passionate about family communication, some might be passionate about lifelong learners, some might be passionate about technology. It all just kind of depends. So finding a district that you're aligned with, with their general mission and values, is really important. So first figure that out, and you can match that by figuring out first what does your dream district stand for and fight for. This exercise alone will help you gain clarity on what kind of work environment you want to find, and it'll help you find districts that are aligned with that dream district that you outlined before. The second thing you want to do, now that you've decided to leave or not, is to do your research. Take some time to look at districts' values and missions and find ones that align with your dream district. During this phase, I recommend to start compiling a list of districts that seem to apply or to match with that dream district that you described earlier.
Speaker 1:
The third step you're going to want to take, if you've decided to possibly leave your current district, is to look at your finances and talk to your support network. Make sure to look at your finances and get support from your support network, like your spouse, your family, your immediate family, your friends, to brainstorm that this should be your next step and, if it feels aligned with you, the third step you want to take is to apply to positions and let your district know. Now it depends on you for the timing, but start looking for positions that align with you and let your district know that you are applying elsewhere. For my particular district, and many districts I've worked for, they typically have an interest form about April. That lets the district know whether or not you are looking elsewhere. So if you wait until then, that's a great time to let your district know that you will start looking at other teaching positions.
Speaker 1:
The final step to switching to a different school district is to subscribe to this channel. Make sure to subscribe because in the upcoming weeks I will be doing another teacher interview series. I started this last year and I got a lot of positive feedback and responses from you, so I decided to do this again. So make sure to stick around and make sure your notifications for this channel is on. That way you can get notified when we start that interview series to talk about more about the interview process. That wraps up the different reasons why you might consider teaching elsewhere. So if you are ready to take this a step further, I highly recommend that you subscribe. Like I said, in the upcoming weeks I'll be talking more about how to stand out during your interview process. And the second thing I want to invite you to do is to download the Effortless Teacher Interview Guide. Inside this guide, I answered the top questions I get in regards to the teacher interview process and I compiled it into one spot. So make sure to check the description and download that guide down below before you start applying to different teaching positions.
Speaker 1:
The third step I want to recommend that you take is I want to invite you to join Land your Dream Job mini course. So when I was compiling these free resources, I was getting a lot of questions about how to stand out during the interview process and then also what to do when districts say they go with someone else. And then what if you're a first year teacher and you're not quite sure how to stand out? If that's the case, I wanted to create one resource that teachers could go to that helped them go from figuring out how to stand out all the way to following up and landing their teaching position. So if you are wanting to get all of that done and it's a mini course, so they're short lessons and the goal is you can complete all these lessons and resources in one single spot or one single weekend I highly recommend you go check out the Land your Dream Job mini course. I'm also adding a lot of extra bonuses and templates to this mini course. So, with that being said and all the feedback I've gotten from past clients or customers or teachers, I am deciding to raise the price at the end of the month. So make sure that you join, if you are looking at joining, before the first of next month, before the price raises for that mini course. As always, remember we are stronger together and I will see you in the next one.
Speaker 1:
Teacher Bestie Bye. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. I hope that you were able to take away some value that will help you thrive inside and out of the classroom. It would mean the world to me if you could take five seconds right now and leave a review on this podcast. And if you found this podcast especially helpful, make sure to take a screenshot of this episode right now and tag me on your socials to let me know you're listening. As always, remember that we are stronger together with all the love in the world. Helena, aka the Present Teacher. See you next time, teacher Bestie.