The second half of the spring term always sees the beginning of recruitment season in schools, as headteachers begin to put together staffing plans for the new academic year. 

For lots of training teachers, many of whom are barely halfway through their courses, suddenly the prospect of becoming a teacher seems very real, just so long as they can overcome the hurdle of the recruitment process. 

And the process in teaching is quite unlike any other job they’re ever likely to have applied for. 

So here are my five tips for anyone looking for a class-teacher post.

1. Play by the rules

Teaching is not a profession like any other: six-week probation periods aren’t viable, so we need to make sure we make the best possible decision first time. 

Safeguarding adds its own twist too: school leaders need to be confident there are no gaps, so complete the form to the best of your ability.

Of course, it would all be easier if every school, MAT and local authority used the same basic application form. But we don’t live in that world yet, sadly. So you’ll have to play by each employer’s rules.

2. Read the person specification

The quality of these varies, as does the length. But, if a post has a person spec with it, then you should scrutinise it carefully. 

For my own school, we judge each application by scoring against the criteria we’ve set out. If we list “key stage 2 experience” as an essential criterion, and your application doesn’t mention ever teaching juniors, we won’t give you the benefit of the doubt, I’m afraid. 

Shortlisting is a tough process, so make it as easy as you can for schools to shortlist you.

3. Illustrate your point

If the person specification asks for knowledge of supporting pupils with English as an additional language, it would be easy to write a sentence or two recognising the importance of adapting your teaching. 

To make your application stand out, it’s much better to use a specific example of how you’ve managed to do that in your classroom. 

In truth, even if you’ve not had to do it in any of your placements, showing that you’ve thought about how you would have done is still preferable to a generic statement.

4. Check it - or, better still, get it checked

Writing an application is hard work, and is likely to involve plenty of editing. However good your standard of English, you’re likely to make mistakes. 

If you can get someone reliable to proofread what you’ve written, they’ll spot the errors you’ve missed. The ideal would be to get someone with a good knowledge of grammatical accuracy: if you’re applying for a job that might require teaching writing to Year 6, then you can’t afford any run-on sentences.

5. Be true to yourself

It makes sense to visit the school and check its website to find out as much as you can about the place you’re applying to. But you don’t want any job at any cost. 

Telling prospective employers that your values align with theirs is only meaningful if it’s true. If you like your classroom set out in rows, don’t tell a school you agree with their ethos of using roleplay in every lesson. There’s no sense in getting a job that you won’t then enjoy doing.

By the same token: if you don’t get shortlisted, or you fall at the interview hurdle, it’s worth remembering that every school is different. 

Being turned down by one school doesn’t mean you’re not up to standard; it just tells you that you weren’t what that school needed at the time. The next application could be a very different story.

Michael Tidd is headteacher at East Preston Junior School in West Sussex. He tweets @MichaelT1979