Thursday, December 13, 2007

In England, schools give bad references

British schools are well known for giving bad references. Be wary lest you risk ruining your reputation.


I have had many problems with HoD and I really think now that I can't bear to work with him any longer. I certainly do not work till midnight almost every day to be shouted at by HoD. I make mistakes but some of them are really minor and it costs far less time to actually solve them that to get a preaching why I made them in the first place. There is so much pressure and I just can't do everything right.
Anyway, I want to get out by April, but I don't know if I will survive with him so long. Last year another member of staff got really depressed because of the treatment she received and I just don't want to risk that this happens to me as well. So I am considering asking to be released early from my contract.

However, I am very worried about references as I am sure I will not get a decent one (even if I leave in April). I would like to quit now and do supply for a while. Do you think it would be easy to get supply work without having good references? (or even getting a new job?). I am really stressed out as I think my careear is ruined just because I will not be able to get good references... Did anyone find a job after leaving a school they hated and where they got bad references?

visiting in bad reference


i was given an awful refernce from my last school, i asked to see it and i just burst into tears because it was just dreadful..i wouldn't have employed me! however i had two interviews and was offered both jobs! it just goes to show that people are willing to see what you are like in person and not judge you too much on what other people have written about you. if you are not happy then just get out now, if you are a good teacher you will manage to get a new job. best of luck x

phuzz in bad reference


hi,

I don't know if this will work but my last school were famous for giving rubbish references and some people who were really good felt stuck there because of it. I was desperate to leave the festering pile of asbestos which they called a school. So I just put down a nice (senior) member of staff's name for the reference.

Then at the interview - I explained what I had done and my reasons very very briefly so i didn't look as though I was bad mouthing the school and said I had done it because I really wanted an oppurtunity...bla bla bla. It was all the truth and I got the jobs :)

also, if it's your HoD and he is known to be a d*ck then finger crossed the head will know better than to pass the reference on to him.

miss303 in bad reference