Breaking down the job hunting process: Step #1

The internet is a fantastic, but busy place. When you search for something, you either get lost, fall down a rabbit hole or close your browser unsatisfied. For that reason, I'm going to save you some searches and lots of time.

How? Well, I'm excited to offer you a gracious welcome to my new blog series where I will be breaking down the job hunting process, step by step.

Today, we're going to be looking at Step 1: finding jobs to apply for.

If you're ready to get started, read on!

Things to know before you start applying to jobs

Before you start scrolling through job listings, there are a few things to keep in mind about the teaching job market that will help you plan ahead and stay ahead.

1) There are “peak popularity times” for teaching vacancies

Although some vacancies trickle in throughout the year—such as long-term supply or maternity cover—full-time, permanent teaching roles tend to follow a seasonal pattern. For primary positions, job listings start appearing from March, peaking in April and May. Secondary vacancies, however, are advertised earlier, meaning it’s not uncommon for secondary trainee teachers to have secured roles before Christmas.

With these waves of opportunities come waves of applicants—especially as trainee teachers begin applying in the latter half of the academic year. The more applications a school receives, the more weight is placed on personal statements, so having yours polished and ready as early as possible is essential. If you’re applying for multiple jobs but aren’t getting shortlisted or receiving useful feedback, it’s worth having your personal statement proofread. A fresh pair of eyes can help identify areas for improvement, ensuring your statement is stronger, more impactful, and truly helps you stand out.

2) Competition increases later in the year.

As mentioned earlier, later on in the year, you're going to be up against far more candidates than if you start early. For this reason, you need to be sure to stand out from other candidates by having a purposeful statement that clearly demonstrates your strengths, your experience and your passion. To support you in getting started on this, here are some questions to reflect before writing as well as my method for decoding the personal specification so you don't miss a thing.

3) Application forms take longer than you think - don't leave it last minute.

Unlike a standard CV, most teaching job applications involve long forms (often 12+ pages!) covering your employment history, education background, references, and your personal statement. If you leave it until the last minute, you’ll either rush it or risk missing the deadline. Schools have every right to close their vacancies before the deadline, so you want to make sure you start early.

Planning ahead means you’ll spend less time stressing over deadlines and more time perfecting your personal statement.

Where to find teaching jobs

Once you’re ready to start applying, where do you actually look? Schools can advertise in multiple places, but I personally love Teaching Vacancies*.

Teaching Vacancies is the most used teaching job site in England - to put it into perspective, 98% of secondary schools are registered with them and it's also the largest source of primary jobs. You can set up job alerts and also set up an account so that you can store your details and apply quicker than on other available sites!

Finding the right teaching job isn’t just about scrolling through listings and clicking “apply.” With good timing, the right strategy, and an awareness of where to look, you’ll put yourself ahead of the competition.

If you’re in the middle of job hunting, let me know in the comments—what’s been the biggest challenge so far?

If you’re ready to tackle your application with confidence, stay tuned for Step #2 in this series!

As always, any questions, drop me a comment below or contact me if you need any support and let me know how you get on with Teaching Vacancies!

Lots of love,

Annelies

Founder, Petite Primary

* Disclosure: this is a sponsored post meaning that I have been paid to share this information.