Why it’s so important to find a school that’s the right fit for you

When it comes to searching for permanent teaching jobs, finding a school that suits you can sometimes seem like a bit of an uphill struggle.

From class size to culture, primary posts to secondary schools, senior leadership support to job perks, mission, ideology, pedagogy and even location, there’s plenty to think about when it comes to choosing a school. And let’s face it - you’ll be working in your chosen school for most of your waking day, so it’s really important that you make the right decision!

Finding yourself in a school that doesn’t match your personality, ethos, or style of teaching can have a huge impact on your work/life balance, as well as your job satisfaction and personal well-being. But trust us - when it comes to permanent teaching jobs, landing a job in a school that is right for you can be a total career game-changer.

Here are a few reasons why it’s so important to find the school that’s the right fit for you:

5 reasons it’s important to find a school that’s the right fit for you

1. Location, location, location

First things first, you need to think about location. It might sound a bit obvious, but the location of your school can have a huge impact on your life - and you’d be surprised how often teachers compromise when it comes to location.

Is your dream school in an inner-city setting or nestled in a quiet village? Some people thrive on the challenge of inner-city schools, whereas others prefer village locations - and it’s important to make the right choice for you personally.

Another thing to think about is whether your perfect school is close to where you currently live so you can be near to friends and family, or if you will need to relocate. If being close to friends and family is important to you, a school in your local area is integral to your health and wellbeing. However, if you’re an adventurous type who’s looking for a change, your perfect school might just be in a different location altogether!

Finally, you also need to consider your daily commute. Agreeing to a commute that is 15 minutes too long might seem fine at the beginning of the school year, but will you still be happy to embark on a 45-minute drive every day in the depths of winter? Arriving at school already worn out from a stressful commute can have a significant impact on your wellbeing and teaching ability.

All these things add up, and when deciding between permanent teaching jobs, location can have a huge impact on your personal and professional happiness - so it’s definitely one to get right!

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2. Size matters

Just as some teachers thrive in inner-city environments and others feel at home in smaller towns and villages, it’s really important to find a school that is the right size for you, too.

If you fancy working in an all-hands-on-deck environment where everyone mucks in and helps each other out, a smaller school where you know everyone could be ideal. As well as working together in a close-knit style, in smaller schools, you might also be the only teacher responsible for an entire year group - which means you’ll have much more flexibility, too.

Alternatively, in larger schools, there might be a department of teachers involved in the planning of lessons, which means that for those teachers who crave more structure and clearly defined roles, as well as the chance to teach children from a wide mix of backgrounds, larger schools are a perfect choice.

After something in the middle? There are plenty of in-between options, too. Basically, depending on the type of person you are and the way you like to teach, when searching for permanent teaching jobs it’s important to pick the right type of school to make sure you're as comfortable as possible so you can teach to the best of your ability.

3. The importance of support

Schools vary hugely in terms of the support they offer to their teachers. Some schools offer a variety of activity-filled team-building days and regular one to ones, whilst others offer less compulsory support but have more intervention if and when it is needed.

In the education sector, pretty much every leadership team will have its own management style - and what works for some teachers might not necessarily work for others. That’s why it’s so important to find the right school to match your own personal skills, so that you can work with a team who will support and appreciate you.

Are you someone that needs to feel valued and praised by senior members of staff? Or do you prefer to work on your own and have more autonomy? Everyone responds well in different ways, so it’s essential you choose the environment that is right for you.

Whether you have an independent teaching style or feel more comfortable with more intervention, either way, no one wants to be chasing down students for detentions because the school doesn’t have the right systems in place to support its teachers!

So, whatever level of support you need, above all, you should always make sure that there is a suitable system in place before you accept a position.

4. Creative balance is key

Each school will favour different teaching styles, so when looking for permanent teaching jobs, it’s really important that you choose a school with the right level of creativity for you.

Most schools will enable an element of freedom in your teaching style, but some may have certain preferred methods and be stricter than others - which is why you should always do your homework and find out how each school prefers its teachers to teach and how much prescription is involved.

As with village versus inner-city locations, big schools versus small schools and intervention versus independence, some teachers work well with structure, whilst others like to be more creative; each teacher has their own style.

Likewise, each school is different - so if your current leadership team dismiss some of your more creative ideas, it doesn’t mean others will feel the same. It’s just about finding a school with the right level of creativity for you!

5. Get to where you want to be

It’s a well-known job seeker cliché, but knowing where you want to be in five years’ time is something you need to be clear about when it comes to choosing the right school for you. By knowing where you want to be in the future, you can work out whether the school you are applying to will fit your proposed career path. Will it offer you the opportunities, training and development you need?

If you’re looking to be regularly promoted so you can rise steadily up the ranks, will your chosen school enable you to develop and hone the necessary skills you need to get you where you want to be when you want to be there? Look at the teachers who are currently employed there: do many of them work their way up? Is there clear career progression? Is the role challenging enough to keep you excited and motivated?

If you’re looking for a long-term role, the right school for you should be able to provide the support you need to get where you want to be - and enable you to stay motivated along the way, too.

Ready to find the right school for you?

In conclusion, schools can be a fantastic place to work - but only if you find the right one for you. Finding a school that is the right fit is absolutely essential for achieving job satisfaction as well as a good work/life balance.

When searching for permanent teaching jobs, make sure you really think about what you value and where your skills lie, and tirelessly seek out a school where those attributes and values will fit. Most importantly, if the school you are currently at isn’t the right fit, don’t give up hope! With so many different schools out there, you will find the right school for you.

If you’re looking for a new teaching role and need interview advice, job search tips or more, contact Class People today. With over 20 years of experience in education recruitment, our expert team will be more than happy to help, no matter what stage you are at in your job search.