I've got the job hunting blues....

So as some of you know, my lastest and greatest adventure in England has been trying to find a job. I really want to teach, since it's kind of my favorite thing to do, but I haven't had any luck with the school system on base. It is extremely competitive and very rarely are there any openings. All along Everett has been asking me why I'm not looking into the British school system, and every time I tell him that I'm not qualified and have no idea how to get qualified...

Well.. last week I was bored so I thought.. hmm... maybe I should find out how to get qualified to teach over here.. my chances of getting a job would probably increase.. I thought why not.... So how does one find this information?! I couldn't think of anything so I just googled it.... and to my delighted surprise all the websites were telling me that I was qualified to teach in England as long as I had a license from another country! Awesome right??!!

Straight away (as they say here) I began looking for a website that listed vacancies. Their school systems work a lot differently here, there is no "unified school district".. it's each to their own run by a board of governors... at least that's what I've gathered so far... I finally found a website that listed all the vacancies in our county and to my even more delighted surprise, there was an opening for a Year 4 (or 3rd grade) teacher at the school that is less than half a mile from our house! I couldn't believe it! I had to go pick up the application at the school, so I did that the very next day...

After learning more about the school, I got really excited about the job... I liked what the school stood for, and it seemed like it would mesh well with my own teaching philosophies.. so I began to fill out the application when I ran into my first problem.. it kept asking me to list all of these random numbers that I had no clue what they were. I emailed the secretary of the school and asked her what they were, and if I could just put my license number from the States there (thinking it was the UK version of a license number)... well she emails me back and explains that if I do not have these numbers already, then I am not registered as a teacher here in the UK and that I must do that before I can be considered for a position.... oh...... so maybe there WERE a few more hoops that I had to jump through before I can teach here... thanks google for letting me down....

The secretary gave me a website to find out how to register and all that good stuff... then a friend of mine who worked in England asked if I had my National Insurance (NI) number yet... that I had to have one of those too before I could be hired to work here.. of course I don't have one of those...

So for the last week I have been trying to get all of that stuff done.. I have to have an NI number before I can register as a teacher, but I have to go to an interview before I can get an NI number.. so my interview is on the 29th, and my registration will be sent in that day.. takes about a month to process... so I should be officially a registered UK teacher by the end of April! Woohoo!!! The one thing I think is funny about registering as a teacher is that they only require to see your passport/visa... they don't even ask to see your license! So I guess any Joe Schmoe could say he has a license from somewhere else and he can register as a teacher! Oh... only in the UK....

So me being me.. I still submitted my application to the school after explaining my situation, and I had a meeting with the head teacher (principal) and the other applicants today to get a tour of the school. It was very eye opening to witness the differences between this school and our schools in America... And I shall try to explain as follows:

• They do all year school here.. there are 3 terms each lasting approximately 3 months, with a month break in between terms and a week off for half term (like a spring break). 
• The primary schools are VERY small.. each only having one classroom per grade level with approximately 30 students in a classroom. (This could be different in other areas in the country.. but that's how it is here..) Each classroom also has a full time teachers aide for just that classroom which is a huge plus!
• The classroom teacher is in charge of ALL subjects.. including, but not limited to Art, Music, PE, Non-denominational religion, Technology, Sex Education (even in primary....), Health, and British History, along with all of your typical subjects.
• They have an hour off for lunch, in which parents may pick up their students to take them home for the hour... 
• The school day begins at 9:15 and ends at 3:30
• Since you are in charge of your own specials, you may be wondering when the teacher gets plan time, well that would be when the principal takes over your class for you.......
• The interview process is an all day affair, first you have a formal interview with the board of governors, then they take you on a tour of the school, you have a buffet lunch, and then you are handed an envelope with a lesson that you must present to a group of students with the board of governors watching.... with no prep time at all..... (That part terrifies me.. not because I'm not good at coming up with stuff last minute... I consider myself a pro at that one... it's the fact that I'm terrified I'm going to get a subject that I know nothing about such as.. say.. British history......)

That's about as much as I can remember... I thought it was very interesting that my competition for the job were present for the tour. I'm up against a greasy haired guy about my age who was bragging about knowing Portuguese.. and a new teacher who was extremely enthusiastic about EVERYTHING.. it should be interesting... I'm not going to be surprised if I don't get called for an interview considering I'm not even qualified to teach here yet..  But I was glad to at least have an insight at what I will have the pleasure (if I get hired somewhere) to deal with.. She said that most schools begin hiring in late April when the 3rd term begins. So by then I will have been registered and can seriously apply for jobs.

So with that, all I ask is for some prayers that I find the right school for me, because I really do miss teaching!!