Story 87

I’m currently in my fourth year teaching and have been lucky that following my probation year I have always managed to secure a year long fixed term contract. In June 2024 I was approaching two years service within my local authority and as I had done for the past two years, I applied for the small number of jobs that were advertised for the following academic year. I only received one interview within my authority and was ultimately not successful. Contrast this to the two years before were I was successful in securing interviews and ultimately successful in securing a temporary post.

Strange how more experience left we without any interviews  – and the cynic in me wondered if it had anything to do with my approaching two years service, which would see me placed on my council’s temp to perm list and eligible for a permanent position if and when it became available.

Luckily however, I was also applying to jobs in a neighbouring authority, managed to land interviews and was ultimately successful in securing a temporary position with this authority. Annoyed that my continuous service in my previous authority was now back to zero, I was just relieved to have secured a job for the year as I understand how many of my fellow teachers are struggling on supply. One month into my new role and I was told that the council had withdrawn the funding for it and that my contract would end in January. I began applying for other teaching jobs and to my surprise, was invited to three interviews in my previous local authority and was actually successful in securing a post for the rest of the year. However, with my continuous service in this authority broken, I’m now back to the start and will have to re-build my service again, despite having always been employed, albeit across a different authority.

Next summer I will have to apply and interview with hundreds of my peers for a handful of temp contracts and alongside the stress of the application process, I also have the stress and worry that comes with not having a permanent contract.

I’m 28 and I am keen to get married and start a family, two things that I feel I cannot commit to because of the uncertainty of my employment.

I know that I am extremely lucky in that I have always managed to secure fixed term and temporary contracts but I find it strange how after a two years of working in one authority, I am left without any work, only to be successful at interview within the same authority a few months later, after my continuous service is broken.