The job advert
Your advert needs to look attractive and professional. Make sure you have a high-resolution version of your institution or company's crest or logo. This is the first impression a potential employee will have of your institution, so you want it to be a strong, positive one.
The main job title should be the star of the show; this leads people on to investigating further. Avoid too much detail in the advert itself. A direct link to the full job description and specification is crucial. The last thing you want is people having to search around through the HR pages of your institution's website.
Job specification
At the heart of the job details should be the specification. Give yourself plenty of time to write this. You will need to convey all the vital elements of the job in this document without making it too long or wordy. Get someone you trust to thoroughly proof-read it – so many people are put off by badly written documents. The standard ‘essential’ and ‘desirable’ columns for a job spec are the industry standard, and prospective employees will expect this.
Is this post replacing a current colleague? If so, it is crucial that you step back from your professional and interpersonal relationship with the current postholder and think afresh about what it is you really want in their replacement. Be objective about the things they currently do well and that you certainly wish to continue having. But equally, think about things you wish they could do, either better or indeed at all. This is a golden opportunity to fill those gaps.
The vast majority of jobs will be for instrumental teachers. Things to consider that will be really important to prospective employers:
To what extent is there flexibility in days and hours week by week, to work around a professional performing career? The more flexible you are able to be in this respect, the wider the pool of applicants you will receive.
How essential is being able to play the piano to accompany in lessons? Ultimately you are employing the person for their particular instrumental experience and teaching prowess, so I personally have not felt this to be an important factor (it always goes on my ‘desirable’ rather than ‘essential’ list). But if you are a small department, it may be crucial to have a good pianist. In which case, spell that out loud and clear.
What is the age range and standard of the pupils the teacher will teach? Try and give a realistic snapshot of what a typical day will look like.
Covering letter
Asking candidates to write a covering letter, especially for an instrumental teaching job, can put some of the best candidates off. They will be unused to doing this and may not have the time to devote to it. Much better is to ask people to write a short paragraph explaining why they are attracted to the job and how this is backed up by their skills and experience. Accept bullet points. This is not a sign of laziness; some people find it easier to list things.
Rate of pay and employment status
Publishing your rate of pay or an idea of the annual salary is always a good thing to include in the job details, even if for the latter there could be room for some negotiation. Especially important for hourly paid jobs is to make clear whether the post will be PAYE or contracted with self-employed status. Ask your HR department for clear guidance on how to word this section.
The interview
Always try and interview with another member of your team. It will allow you to bounce thoughts and opinions off each other when it comes to the final decision.
Ask the candidate to teach a short ‘lesson’ with one of your current students. I think this is a crucial thing to do. True, it is a somewhat unreal situation with two adults sitting in the corner of the room scrutinising everything that happens. But it will give you a very strong flavour of the applicant's teaching style.
Try to do this part at the beginning of the interview and lead straight on to the face-to-face interview itself. This will naturally lead to useful discussions about why they approached things in the way they did, as well as their teaching style and methodology.
Also, avoid choosing your star student for this process. It can often be far more meaningful to use a middle-of-the-road student.
If the candidate will be required to work with school-age students, it is crucial to ask them a question regarding safeguarding and their understanding of this important element of their role. It is also helpful to ask a couple of scenario questions. For example, to a piano teacher: ‘How would you deal with a parent who insists on constantly changing the piano fingerings in their child's music at home between lessons?’ You will learn a lot about the candidate's character from a question like this.
Make sure you have the same core questions for all the candidates. This will allow you to make direct comparisons between candidates – especially crucial if you are torn between two candidates for the job.
Allow time at the end for candidates to ask you questions. For the candidate that you eventually offer the job to, this part of the interview is incredibly important. It gives them an opportunity to see how you will be in ‘boss’ mode.
If you are the candidate
If you are the one applying for the job, here are some things to consider:
The most important thing is to be precise and to the point in all that you submit. Don't try and pad out either your CV or any other written section. Almost certainly, applications will be assessed against the job specification – i.e. how well you fit the brief. So, take care to work your way through the job spec and apply your skills and experience to all the points as closely as you can.
If it is an instrumental teaching job, teaching experience must come immediately after your education on a CV. Performing experience will strengthen your application but it must not be the main event.
If the job is more administrative, demonstrate as strongly as possible why you have the skills and experience to be the best candidate.
Nerves for an interview are natural and to be expected. But try to be yourself and trust your instincts when responding to questions. Interviewers will always respect someone who is true to themselves.
Advice from the Musicians’ Union
Diane Widdison, the MU's national organiser for education and training, offers the following advice for recruiters:
Be clear on whether the role you are advertising is employed or self-employed. This should be based on the pattern of work the role will require. Is the role fully self-sufficient and flexible, allowing for the use of deps? Or will you need greater control over the specific days worked and curriculum taught?
Take professional advice if any aspect of recruiting, especially in relation to employment law, is confusing or unclear. It is your legal responsibility to ensure that your practices are compliant.
Always be fair, professional and transparent in your communication with candidates throughout the process.
Turn to page 45 for this issue's MU column, addressing some new and freely available employment law guidance.
Rhinegold Jobs
Rhinegold Jobs is the UK's leading music and performing arts recruitment platform and the go-to website for both jobseekers and recruiters within the industry.
Dedicated exclusively to music and the performing arts, Rhinegold Jobs provides recruiters with direct access to the most talented, relevant and highly skilled individuals. It offers opportunities for all professionals, whatever their career stage, from music directors, teachers, performers and managers right through to graduate roles.
Find out more at www.rhinegoldjobs.co.uk
