All about induction

Finding a job can be an overwhelming preoccupation if you are completing your initial teacher training. But tempting as it might be to grab any job that comes along, it is crucial to complete an induction period if you are to take up a career within the maintained sector. Careful considerations must be made at this point, and it's essential to know exactly what you'll be expected to do and how your new school will be supporting you throughout this all important year.

Finding a job for induction — what to consider
There are many considerations to take into account when finding somewhere to complete your induction period. While you don't have to go straight into induction, it is generally a good idea to complete it sooner rather than later.

Your induction period should offer you individualised support and monitoring. It should also give you the opportunity to consolidate and build upon the skills and knowledge that you gained when working towards the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status.

Where can you complete your induction period?
Don't forget that you can only complete an induction period in certain kinds of schools. If you want to teach in any maintained school or non-maintained special school at any point in your teaching career you will need to apply only to schools that can support you through your induction. These schools are:

• Maintained schools
• Non-maintained special schools
• Sixth-form colleges, providing that before your induction period has started the governing body of the college and a local education authority (LEA) have agreed that the LEA is to act as the 'appropriate body'. There is more information on this in the Induction Support Programme for NQTs (see below).
• Independent schools, but only if the primary curriculum meets national curriculum requirements, and the curriculum for any pupils you teach at key stage 3 or 4 includes all the core and foundation subjects. There needs to be a prior arrangement with an LEA or with the Independent Schools Council Teacher Induction Panel as to who will act as the school's 'appropriate body'. Sort this out before you start teaching at the school, as otherwise the time you teach there will not count towards your induction. Also make sure that this arrangement is clarified in writing before accepting the job.
• Maintained nursery schools and independent nursery schools, as long as they meet the same criteria described above for independent schools. As a general rule, the school needs to have a headteacher, the induction tutor needs to have QTS and the job needs to give you the opportunity to meet the Standards for the award of QTS as well as the Induction Standards if you are to complete your induction period there.
• British schools in Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, and Gibraltar, as well as Service Children's Education schools in Germany and Cyprus, so long as they have induction arrangements that are identical to the arrangements in England.
• Schools in Wales that can offer induction for a term or longer (there are separate regulations covering Wales). It's worth remembering, especially if you live on the England/Wales borders, that any induction undertaken in Wales is valid in England and vice versa.   

You will not be able to complete an induction in the following schools, so be sure you have no desire to do so before applying to them:

• Pupil referral units
• Secure training centres
• Schools in special measures (unless an inspector certifies that the school is suitable for induction)
• Independent schools, independent nursery schools and British schools abroad that don't match the requirements above
• Further Education colleges

Your entitlements
The induction period encompasses a number of entitlements for NQTs that you should be aware of when job searching:   

• Any school that is supporting you through your induction period must reduce your teaching timetable by 10% (compared with the timetables of other teachers without additional responsibilities in your school) to allow extra time for your induction. This time is essential, is not to be swallowed up by planning and preparation and should be confirmed with any potential employer.
• While completing your induction you should, ideally, not teach outside the age range and/or subjects for which you have been trained. There is nothing to stop you from teaching any age range or subject once you have QTS, but you might want to consider the additional pressure you could feel from teaching outside your experience and specialism during this important period.
• During your induction you should not teach children who pose particularly acute discipline problems on a day-to-day basis.
• You should be teaching the same class(es) regularly throughout your induction.
• You should not be given any non-teaching responsibilities unless you are also given appropriate preparation and specific support.
• You will be assigned an induction tutor who will work with you closely throughout the period. It's common for this person to be present at interviews for NQTs, or at least to be available for candidates to meet on the interview day. It's perfectly reasonable to ask if you can meet the induction tutor if you have not been given the opportunity to so.

Remember, you cannot start your induction period until you have QTS. If you start teaching in the school that has employed you before you are awarded QTS, you are likely to be paid as an unqualified teacher, although this is ultimately a decision for your school and its governing body to make.

Questions to ask of a potential employer
If you want to begin your induction period, make sure you have asked the following questions (at least) for each job vacancy you go for:

• Can I do my induction here?
• How long would it take me to complete my induction here? (particularly important for those going for part-time jobs)
• Who would be my induction tutor?
• Who would act as the 'appropriate body'?
• Will I receive a reduced timetable?
• Who would be my employer — the governing body or the LEA?

When considering where to work, you should also ask yourself whether the school you are applying to will give you the best chance of getting through induction successfully. Not all schools suit all teachers and vice versa. It's important to be comfortable and confident about your job. 

Starting out as a supply teacher
Some NQTs start their induction period as a supply teacher, either as a way to gain diverse and valuable experience or because a suitable permanent vacancy has not arisen in their locality.

If you find yourself considering supply teaching through your induction period you need to be aware of the following:

• Supply placements that last less than one full term do not count towards induction.
• You can only do short-term supply (any placements that last anything from one morning to several weeks, but less than a term) for four terms. Although this time limit can be extended in certain circumstances, you should not rely on this happening. If you start short-term supply contracts, be fully aware that the clock is ticking and you should get a placement of a term or more in duration as soon as possible.  
• If you find a part-time position that allows you to begin your induction, you can undertake short-term supply placements at other schools in the remaining days of each week.
• You may find that supply teaching leads to an offer of an inductable position at a school. If this is the case, any work you have already completed at the school will not count towards your induction. Inductions require the completion of three full-time, complete terms. Keep this firmly in mind when exploring the possibility of supply teaching.

Your induction period doesn't have to be continuous so you can start it and then take a break from it if you need to for any reason. While there's no time limit for starting induction, it's usually expected that once you have started it you will complete it within five years. If you find that you haven't, you can apply to your 'appropriate body' for an extension. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

What if you can't get a job?
Don't panic! It can be a very worrying time, especially if you see friends from your training course all getting jobs while you seem to be the only one without one. But you are actually by no means alone. There are usually at least some people who fail to secure a job for the September following the award of QTS. Fortunately, jobs in the teaching profession crop up throughout the academic year, and many of these people will find a position at some point during the year. Starting your induction at the start of the Spring or Summer terms rather than in September should present no disadavantage.

Make sure that you are doing all you can to find a job in your area. As well as keeping an eye out for advertised vacancies, don't forget that you can make speculative applications and can contact LEAs directly for information on the job situation in their locality. For further ideas and tips on where to look, read the job-hunting article, commissioned specially by TeacherNet.

If you find that you have done four terms of supply work and have still not secured an inductable post (i.e. one that is at least a full term in length), you may be able to extend the time that you can do short-term supply. Your LEA will be able to advise on this. Don't assume that this will be possible though, as extensions are usually only made in exceptional circumstances. If you are granted an extension, the maximum length of time this can be is 12 months. 

While it might seem that as a new teacher you have to grab the first job offer that comes along, there are real considerations to be made regarding your induction. This is an important, if not critical year for you, and you must be as certain as possible that the school responsible for supporting you through it is one in which you can thrive. You'll be launching your career from this point on and, after all the work you've put into gaining QTS, you deserve for it to be a successful and fulfilling experience.

Further information

• Consult or download the Induction Support Programme for Newly Qualified Teachers on Teachernet, or order a printed copy from the TTA publications line on 0845 606 0323
• For more information on the induction arrangements in Wales, visit the Welsh Assembly Government website
• Many LEAs run pools for NQTs and supply teachers. It is also useful to consider applying to any such pools when seeking work. Your local LEA personnel department will be able to give you further information.  
• There is extensive advice on the whole job hunting process in The NQT Handbook by Elizabeth Holmes, published by RoutledgeFalmer.

Originally published on Teachernet