Personal recs at top schools

[chiliverde]

I've spent my recent teaching career in solid mid-upper 2nd tier schools, which generally suits me just fine since I really value work/life balance over just about anything else. In my schools, and my region, I've seen how frequently personal recommendations from teachers help others get jobs. I'm just curious if in the top schools it works the same.

For instance, if a valued teacher (not admin) recommends another teacher, is that candidate more likely to be considered than others from the applicant pool? Or do top schools put more due process into hiring? I know I'm making a lot of generalizations here, and that so many schools are different. But what's been your experience?

[fine dude]

Depends how good the applicant is in relation to others, credential- and experience-wise.

[coin_operated]

It depends on the school. Specifically, it depends on how much that school values the input of a respected teacher over, say, credentials of the applicant or the impressions of the head of the applicable department or how Senior Management "feels" about it. The input of a respected teacher might mean diddly squat if she hasn't adequately sucked up to the person(s) in charge of hiring for the position you've applied for.

But again, depends on the school.

[mamava]

At all the schools I've worked at, principals have actively mentioned "word of mouth" recs from teachers. At the least, it ensures that your file will be read by the principal, which is a big step, especially if the school gets hundreds of applications. Whether the candidate is good fit is out of your hands, generally. You also stake your rep on who you bring up to your admin--it's tricky when someone you know is not a good hire asks you to put a word in for them!

[sid]

It's a good first step. So long as the referee is respected at the school, it'll ensure your application gets proper attention, and could be the decider between several candidates of similar caliber.
But it won't make up for gaps in experience, qualifications or other references.

[chiliverde]

@sid cringe!

[sid]

Sorry. Didn’t mean you. Just exploring the limits overall.

[chiliverde]

@sid Sorry! That was confusing. I thought I was replying on the teaching philosophy thread :P

[PsyGuy]

Tier 1 and Elite tier ISs have their own way of doing things and that theyre going to do them that way. A valued ITs recommendation will generally get the applicant in front of the recruiter/leadership for a review and if they are competitive they go into the selection pool. Youd be surprised how many ITs have a friend or colleague to recommend when a vacancy comes up, everyone seems to know someone who would be perfect for the IS and the position.