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Product reviews for Good Ideas for Good Teachers Who Want Good Jobs
Paul Bannister, Head Teacher, Junior School, Jerudong International School, Brunei
Imagine the scene. You meet an old and trusted friend in a coffee shop for a catch-up gossip and, as naturally happens, the subject of work comes up. You admit to thinking of moving on but aren't sure. At this point your old and trusted friend begins to expertly help you un-pick and explore your thoughts about a new job. After a long, caffeine-fuelled, discussion you have your eureka moment and your future career is paved in yellow bricks ahead of you. Easy. But for those of us without such a friend, where do we go to get our thinking unpicked? Grab a coffee and get ready to decide whether you're a -˜gunner' or a -˜doer'!
Gerald Haigh provides a fully comprehensive toolkit of thoughts, prompts, key ideas and questions to help us consider our current and potential new roles. Every aspect of the procedure is considered from motivation to move (or stay put), applications, school visits, a big section on the interview process and finally dealing with outcome. As a headteacher who has interviewed a decent number (and range) of candidates, this book still gave me tips, tricks and food for thought. One important point to note here is that Gerald never preaches. In fact the book is written in a challenging but supportive way; he maintains a -˜coaching' feel throughout. His use of humour is great (I love the phrase -˜hearing aid beige used car') making a relatively serious subject light-hearted and entertaining. I must admit to expecting a book about getting a job to be fairly dull but the writing style and organisation of the information, into easily readable chunks, meant I'd read far more than I expected in one sitting. My only concern is that this book may make the recruitment process even harder, with an increased number of good candidates to choose from - what a great problem to have!
Just about everyone needs to read this book. Even if you are part of the foundations of your school with no intention of moving on, this book will help you evaluate your decisions and aspirations. Oh, and despite the title, I'm sure even the outstanding teachers are allowed to read it!
Gerald Haigh provides a fully comprehensive toolkit of thoughts, prompts, key ideas and questions to help us consider our current and potential new roles. Every aspect of the procedure is considered from motivation to move (or stay put), applications, school visits, a big section on the interview process and finally dealing with outcome. As a headteacher who has interviewed a decent number (and range) of candidates, this book still gave me tips, tricks and food for thought. One important point to note here is that Gerald never preaches. In fact the book is written in a challenging but supportive way; he maintains a -˜coaching' feel throughout. His use of humour is great (I love the phrase -˜hearing aid beige used car') making a relatively serious subject light-hearted and entertaining. I must admit to expecting a book about getting a job to be fairly dull but the writing style and organisation of the information, into easily readable chunks, meant I'd read far more than I expected in one sitting. My only concern is that this book may make the recruitment process even harder, with an increased number of good candidates to choose from - what a great problem to have!
Just about everyone needs to read this book. Even if you are part of the foundations of your school with no intention of moving on, this book will help you evaluate your decisions and aspirations. Oh, and despite the title, I'm sure even the outstanding teachers are allowed to read it!
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18/03/2015 00:00
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