Once you decide to enter a search, you should be prepared to submit your application quickly. Your resume, personal statement, and reference list should be all set … possibly needing only minor tweaks. The body of your letter of interest should be all set, leaving only the opening and closing of your letter requiring a lot of attention. Submitting your application promptly, after talking to the consultant assisting the search, will send a positive message. Delays in submitting your application will raise concerns about your interest or readiness for a headship.
Some things a person should know about himself/herself before pursuing a headship:
- Clarity around their purpose (why they do what they do, why do you want to lead)
- The unique value they add (what is it that they do best)
- Work activities they enjoy .. work activities they avoid
- Their ‘style’ (personality, emotional intelligence, learning and processing information, time management, etc.)
- The five people they can call if they run into something they need to look at differently, or perhaps for the first time
- What they need to learn more about
- How they renew themselves
- Why now is the time
- Do they like working with adults?
- Are they ok with not pleasing everyone/taking heat/wearing teflon ?
- Do they have enough energy and stamina to work 60 hours/week
- Are they able to be a constant role model
There is much to consider BEFORE you enter a head of school search. We suggest you ask yourself the following.
- Do you have the time to devote to a search?
- Is this the right time for you and your family to move to a new school?
- Based on your review of the school’s web site and other research, does the school appear to be a good fit for you?
- Do you know what salary and benefits you would need to receive to make a move financially attractive?
- Have you looked into the cost of living and considered opportunities for your spouse/partner and schools for your children?
- Are you prepared to share your interest in entering a head search with your board chair or head of school? (Your candidacy can be confidential through the semifinalist stage but not at the finalist stage.)
- Are you prepared for the reality that it is very difficult to maintain complete confidentiality in independent school searches?
- Are you prepared for the level of scrutiny you will experience as a finalist in a search? (EduDx requires a third-party background check—including social—media for all semifinalists and 12 references for finalists.)
- Can you control your calendar so that you are available for interview dates? (It is highly unlikely that a school or search committee members would have the flexibility to change dates planned so early in the search.)
- Can you commit to timely and candid communication with us and to informing us about the time frame for other searches you are pursuing?
We will try to help you make the best possible decision about being a candidate. Please ask us for any additional information you need. You can expect from us:
- A thorough and candid assessment of the school and the position
- The search calendar
- Acknowledgement of all materials received from you and your references
- Prompt response to all questions
- Thorough support preparing you for interviews
- Confidentiality
The cost of a withdrawal by a semifinalist or a finalist in a head of school search is high: the time and effort you put into being a candidate; the time, effort, and money the school put into pursuing your candidacy; and the lost opportunity for a candidate who might have advanced in your place. Please consider carefully whether you can be an “all in” candidate if you are selected as a semifinalist or finalist.
