...in the midst of all of the bad.
I popped into Tesco last night and there I was in the cheese aisle, deciding between Red Leicester and Cheddar, when my phone rang and it was Tom. He asked where I was and I thought he was going to say he’d not got his key (he’d been on his learning day for his course and always gets back late) but no, he was calling to tell me that he’d just had a call to say that he’s got a job for September!!
He went for an interview on Tuesday, a full day one where, on top of the usual interview panel, he had to teach a class and was also interviewed by a panel of the pupils. It was at the school where he did his first placement. If you remember he was placed in a newly formed school which at the time just had two year groups, they’ll have another intake in September so need more teachers and advertised for a history teacher. He loved it there and when his placement finished at Christmas the staff and pupils gave him gifts and cards, and he was told to keep on eye on their recruitment page.
He applied and was shortlisted, was one of five there on Tuesday and one person he was up against was already a department head at another school so he didn’t think he had much chance. He said the interview was really intense but I think it helped that he knew some of the interview panel and some of the kids in the lesson that he had to teach and also on the panel were kids he’d taught during his placement and he said that they were absolutely brilliant for him on Tuesday.
As for his course, he’s not completed the number of teaching weeks but that’s being relaxed (I think they’re 6 weeks short) and the training that they do away from placement on a Friday will now be online. The head teacher said when she called him last night that she realises that he’s not had the full classroom time but any support he needs will be there for him.