u/Reasonable-Malaise-

Hello,

Advice requested. Keeping details slim for privacy. Currently an AP. I recently lost out to another internal candidate for a principal position in my district. After which I received many calls and visits from those on the interview committee on how impressed they were and how ready I was to be a principal. Another common refrain was we understand if you don't want to wait for another opening, and we will help you, but we hope you will stay. More openings are expected in a few years. There is very little turnover in this district. There is an internal principal position left vacant by the hire, at the elementary level, they have not mentioned that to me. I am not young, above 45. In am in the mid-atlantic area of the US.

Also, they paid for my grad school and each year I stay, I get about 17K reimbursed. There are no other HS principal jobs open right now. There are middle and elementary principal jobs open. So, here is my conundrum.

A) Stay at my current school another year, be strategic about working on my resume and interview skills, and start interviewing in the spring for other mainly HS positions, possibly get another 17 K reimbursed if I wait a year from now. I could also spend the year preparing for my letter of superintendent eligibility, all I have left is a praxis test.

Or

B) Start applying today to two elementary and one middle position closer to my house, now.

I do not want to wait 4 years for a possible opening in my district.

Thanks for any input you have.

TLDR: Did not get principal job. Higher ups said a bunch of nice things. They are also reimbursing me for grad school. Stay a little longer, cut down debt and be strategic about HS jobs or start applying outside the district now.

Hello,

I have the final round interview for a principal position next week. There are two other candidates that have principal experience, I do not. I have been an assistant principal for a while. Is there anything I should think about while preparing that is particular to my situation? Thank you.

Hello all,

Despite the feedback i got in the video round, i was invited to the next round, i tried my darnedest. It was my first interview in four years, the nerves were rough. It’s funny, after the feedback Igot I resigned myself to move on. I was past it and ok. Now that I interviewed again, I am back in it and hoping I move on. It is a really funny thing to interview in your district. You know everyone at the table really well. Anyways. I cant change my performance, so I just need to learn from it and move forward.

So, I could use some help on proper next steps. I've done really well in a role I have been in for four years. My boss started talking to me about a possible principal opening next door and suggested I apply. The first round was a set of video questions. In the first question, I talked a little too much about my current school. A comment was passed down to me about applying for the job you want vs have, and I mentioned my current school way too much. I did not move to the first round. It's an ego hit for sure. I mean, it was probably dumb of me to do the video stream a day prior to my dissertation defense, and I know better; overall I just didn't perform, it is 100% on me. I do appreciate that I at least got a comment on what went wrong. My plan right now is just to take the ego hit, and keep my head down for a week or so, then come up for air this summer and plan my next twelve to twenty-four months. Essentially move on as quickly as I can and do as best as I can job at my school as possible, then start applying outside the district for real. But, I have to tell you, this stings quite a bit. In better news, I graduated today:)