3: Visible and Invisible Cultures: What Teachers Can Learn about Schools When Applying for Posts

At the most basic level, we are human and have an intrinsic need to belong. We seek these connections in our professional life as much as in our personal; that makes it crucial that you and your education setting are a good match for each other. There are many examples from teachers when they have not managed to achieve this and the impact on their career and well-being has been dramatic (Woodley, 2018). Whilst there are no guarantees that every education setting you are successfully employed by ends up being the right place for you, there are steps you can take to try to ensure the best match possible. When you are feeling under pressure to apply for a new job, it can seem tempting to take whatever is on offer. Whilst this is sometimes necessary you can try to approach applications in a different way and ask yourself not ‘will they appoint me?’ but ‘would I enjoy working there?’ A good starting point is reflecting upon how schools operate and getting an understanding of what we mean by a school ‘culture’.