I intend to move to be nearer my partner, who lives in an area where teachers stay in their jobs. I am in my fourth year teaching history and have worked in two schools. Should I look at only head of department jobs? If I just went for main scale, would I be competing with NQTs?

Moving to a new area is always a problem, even when jobs are plentiful.

However, in subjects where there is competition, such as history, moving can be fraught.

First, find a job, then convince the school to take you. You will cost more in salary terms than an NQT, but you won’t incur the extra costs of the induction year. You have a genuine reason for moving and can offer insights from having worked in two different schools. On your CV, identify what you have learnt in the past four years that will be valuable to a future employer. Have you undertaken any training or additional tasks? Unless you have prepared to be a head of department, you might find that schools where there is no shortage will not consider you.