Two interviews, two ‘No’s (“it was between you and another candidate…the governors felt…you interview very well…blah blah blah”).
Actually I’m not as bitter as it sounds. The first ‘no’ was a result of lack of experience according to the head. I explained that Fast Track and Leadership Pathways were designed to make up for that lack of experience and help bridge the gap between Head and Deputy Head vacancies and candidates, but my well-thought-out answers fell on deaf ears.
The second interview was a real eye opener. I’ve worked in church schools before, but never been grilled by a vicar the way I was here – no one expects the Spanish inquisition! Here’s the question that floored me:
“How do you bring God into every lesson?”
Well, my first response was – you don’t, especially not in science – but this seemed to fall wide of the mark, so I waffled on about starting points for moral discussion and so on. If you’ve ever seen Meet the Parents and remember Greg Focker saying grace at De Niro’s table then you’ll know what I sounded like.
In the end the school didn’t appoint, so I suppose they need to look at how they shortlist candidates. I’ve enjoyed the experience however, and with more applications in the pipeline I’m confident that sooner or later I’ll get there.
Why not send me examples of the the best/worst questions you’ve ever had at an interview? Or does anyone know how to bring God into every lesson?