Reading between the lines of a job description
When you’re looking for a new teaching job, you might find yourself wondering about what certain phrases really mean – and how they should impact your application.
Here is our guide to what job descriptions might say, and what we think they might mean.
1. They say: ‘We’re looking for a versatile team player’
They mean: We need someone who can fill gaps. You might be asked to teach outside of your subject or support in other roles.
You should: Search for the school's name and check what other subjects they're recruiting for at the moment. If teaching outside your subject isn’t for you, then either give it a miss or ask some questions if you get an interview.
On your application: Make sure you include any relevant additional subject knowledge in your application. For example, if you were great at A-level physics and relish a challenge, let the hiring manager know you’ve got more than one string to your bow.
2. They say: ‘We’re seeking to appoint an experienced science teacher to join a young and developing department’
They mean: We have a department of newer teachers and we need someone with more experience.
You should: Check the number of posts being advertised in your subject and ask yourself: are they replacing a number of teachers following a mass exodus of staff?
Sometimes a school will naturally lose two or three staff members within one department, especially if the department is a large one.
A good Ofsted report can also cause staff to move on, as their CVs suddenly look better for it – so staff departures aren’t always a red flag.
On your application: If you like the idea of putting your stamp on a department, then emphasise your experience of managing people and implementing policies. Talk up any positions of responsibility you have held, no matter how small.
3. They say: ‘Applications are welcomed from dynamic, energetic and enthusiastic teachers who have an excellent record in behaviour management’
They mean: Behaviour is a challenge at this school.
You should: Not be put off. Visit the school and judge for yourself if this is a place where you could manage the behaviour.
It is worth talking to teachers about how supported they feel by the leadership team, and asking existing staff if they feel behaviour is well managed around the school.
On your application: Include any experience you have of working in challenging contexts and where you’ve made a difference. When working in schools where behaviour is an issue, resilience is necessary.
It could be that you include something from a pre-teaching job – for example, a stint in a youth club or a teacher training placement in a pupil referral unit.
4. They say: ‘If you are excited by change and innovation then we look forward to hearing from you’
They mean: We’re planning to overhaul – or are in the process of overhauling – the school.
You should: Try to visit the school and figure out where these changes are coming from, and what is driving the change. If you are successfully appointed, you will have to implement these changes, so you have to be happy with the direction the school is going in.
Equally, it would be sensible to check that the person driving the changes is invested in the school and likely to see them through. How long has the headteacher been in post? Have they had experience of overhauling a school before? Is their vision one you share?
On your application: Emphasise any links you have to strategies that the school is about to implement or has newly implemented.
For example, if they are moving to a ‘ready to learn’ behaviour system, and you have been in a school that has introduced a similar system, include this in your covering letter.
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Updated by Tes in 2026. Originally written by Grainne Hallahan and published in 2018