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Benefits of Cold Calling for a Teaching Position

benefits of cold calling for a teaching position

Are you aware of the advantages of cold calling for a teaching position?

Cold Calling Versus the Traditional Job Search Method

When looking for a teaching position, most teachers opt for the traditional method. The conventional job seeker approach uses online job boards, newspapers, and district websites to find advertised job openings. This job-hunting style can be fruitful and end up with you gaining an interview or maybe even snagging the open position.

The downside to only applying to advertised positions is that you will be going up against many other job applicants. The competition is fierce because every other teacher looking for a job in your area could apply to the position since it is advertised.

Try a Job Search Alternative Technique

Establishing personal contact with a school is often overlooked in today’s job search. Many job seekers think it can be easier to only apply for advertised positions. Applying for jobs this way doesn’t allow you to establish any direct contact with the school, and your odds of success go up exponentially when this is accomplished.

It’s a more formal way of building relationships and a fabulous way to make a continued good impression. Cold calling schools are sometimes a great method for finding out about open positions.

Many schools and districts don’t advertise at all.

Two Ways to Cold Call a School

1. Approach Schools Directly for Substitute Teaching Work

Cold calling can be a productive method to get your foot in the door of a school you want to teach. Once you have taught the students a few days, weeks, or months at the school, you will find out if vacancies are coming up. By substitute teaching, you get the chance to know the school, its students, staff and become familiar with its routines, policies, and procedures. Knowledge of the school will help you in an interview situation.

It will allow you to assess whether or not the school is right for you. If you do a good job, students will likely look forward to having you as a substitute, and that can be a huge “in” when a job does come available. If you can prove to students and parents that you’d be an asset to their education, your worth will increase exponentially.

2. Make Cold Calls to Schools to Ask About Available Positions

You may be surprised just how many schools are looking for teachers or are planning on hiring at a particular time (end of the semester, school year, etc.).

If they don’t have any immediate vacancies, they will often tell you whether or not they will be hiring in the future. If they don’t volunteer this information, make sure you ask. And if they are currently recruiting, you will be able to jump on the other candidates.

Even if schools aren’t hiring, they will often still ask you to send a resume for them to keep on file. If they don’t ask this, volunteer to do so. This way, if an opening does come up at the last minute, you will already be in their file of existing candidates: conduct follow-up phone calls and request meetings with hiring officials.

Do yourself a service and don’t get caught up with only checking job boards and applying online to advertised or posted job openings. When conducting a teacher job search, you need to diversify. Ensure you cold call schools because the potential for hidden job opportunities is untapped by most other teachers.

What other cold-calling tips do you have? Comment and share below! If you need help with any aspect of your job search, reach out to Candace today!