Why ask for a photo in post primary teaching application

Sarah3

Hiya

I am applying for a post primary teaching post and am amazed to see that the school has asked for a passport photo to be included as part of the application.

I am so annoyed by this I am thinking of omitting this but wondering would I be shooting myself in the foot....but seriously what has how I look like got anything to do with my ability to do the job.

Is this even legal??? And how common is this?

RealJohn

Maybe they want to Facebook stalk prospective candidates.

Why wouldn't it be legal?

dory

I'm guessing it's to help them remember who's who after the interview. Mine asked, I thought it was weird but did it anyway.

TheDriver

Its to assist in remembering who's who. If u don't add it, it looks like you cant follow procedure

happywithlife

TheDriver wrote: »

Its to assist in remembering who's who. If u don't add it, it looks like you cant follow procedure

I've always assume this ^^^

RealJohn wouldn't surprise me about the Facebook element either 😮

Boober Fraggle

I've filled in an application and omitted the picture (on principle, back when jobs were easy to come by ) and I didn't hear back from them. The following year I applied to the same school with the picture and got the job... I'd say just follow procedure.

It's probably so that they will recognise people when they are going through applications after interview.

TheDriver

and to add, you'd be shocked at how many people don't follow procedure. And it looks so so bad. E.g. apply by email only and someone appears at your door with a form.

aunt aggie

RealJohn wrote: »

Maybe they want to Facebook stalk prospective candidates.

For this all they would need is the email address on the top of your CV!! Check your privacy settings because you just know this is happening!

RealJohn

aunt aggie wrote: »

For this all they would need is the email address on the top of your CV!! Check your privacy settings because you just know this is happening!

That depends on whether the email address on your cv is the same one you registered on Facebook with. :P

dingding

Just make sure that your email address is normal i.e. a version of your name, not I.can.skull.50.pints@hotmail.com

rainbowtrout

RealJohn wrote: »

That depends on whether the email address on your cv is the same one you registered on Facebook with. :P

It's still not that hard to track people without an email address. Even with privacy settings many people leave their home town and education/college visible on the page that can be seen by anyone. Easily matched from CV details.

aunt aggie

Well with a combination of your name, address/current location, age, email address and phone number, you can probably be found on facebook by future employers or determined students. Check your privacy settings on all social media accounts!!!!!

You can probably tell that I know of teaching staff who have found themselves in very hot water over this issue.

RealJohn

rainbowtrout wrote: »

It's still not that hard to track people without an email address. Even with privacy settings many people leave their home town and education/college visible on the page that can be seen by anyone. Easily matched from CV details.

I suppose that depends on how common your name is. There are a lot of Johns out there.

rainbowtrout

RealJohn wrote: »

I suppose that depends on how common your name is. There are a lot of Johns out there.

Is that a challenge??



The OP could go the old school route and change their name to the Irish version on Facebook etc!

aunt aggie

I'm as Gaeilge on fb but my privacy setting are still as high as they go. Seriously you cant be too careful about those drunken photos and inappropriate posts by friends.

Just look at your fb John and think what would a student be saying Monday morning is they got a look at that.

RealJohn

My students have found me I'm afraid but they can't see anything that makes me look bad so I'm not that worried. There isn't really anything to see that makes me look particularly bad anyway.

Of course I'm also permanent and happy where I am so I'm not that worried about what people can see at the moment. To be honest, I think it would not be smart of anyone who's not in a similar position to be anything but very careful about what they put on Facebook, Twitter or anything else. Ireland's a small country and people have long memories.

aunt aggie

RealJohn wrote: »

My students have found me I'm afraid but they can't see anything that makes me look bad so I'm not that worried. There isn't really anything to see that makes me look particularly bad anyway.

Of course I'm also permanent and happy where I am so I'm not that worried about what people can see at the moment. To be honest, I think it would not be smart of anyone who's not in a similar position to be anything but very careful about what they put on Facebook, Twitter or anything else. Ireland's a small country and people have long memories.

Very true, I'm not in your situation but I have been surprised by the number of young teachers who dont realise the trouble theyre opening themselves up to by having open profiles. Hence the ranting about privacy settings. I'm a young teacher myself and I consider my social media accounts to be an extension of my social life which is nobody else's damn business.

Noccy_Mondy

Same here, everything is on private, I even have my name hidden from the auto suggestions, so it's quite hard to trace me! Not alone for employers but you tend to get the odd nosey student!!

killbillvol2

My friend's daughter was interviewed for a job at one of the big US tech companies recently. At the end of a good interview she was asked if she'd open her Facebook page there and then.

Luckily, like most tech savvy people her age she has two accounts and the one she opened was whiter than white.

One of my colleagues had a lovely photo of herself and another teacher gyrating around a pole in Aiya Napa or some such place and was a bit taken aback when I suggested she check her privacy settings. It genuinely hadn't occurred to her that kids/parents would be curious and search for her on FB. (She was very young at the time and is a lot more careful with personal information now. She restricts pole dancing to the staffroom with all the rest of us. I find it great after yard duty!).

jonseyblub

Going back to the original point though, adding a passport photo seems to add a considerable cost to NQT's who according to reports may be applying for 100's of positions every summer. It seems unfair to ask them for a photo. If they do insist I would hope that the least the school would then do is send them a letter stating they would not be called for interview and send back the photo along with it.

Moody_mona

Surely it's passport sized, not an actual passport photo from a machine etc.

I have a photo at the top of my CV beside my name. It's a small ish photo that I took myself and I'm smiling in it, so it's not a passport photo. I think it's better having a smiling picture too anyway.

rainbowtrout

Moody_mona wrote: »

Surely it's passport sized, not an actual passport photo from a machine etc.

I have a photo at the top of my CV beside my name. It's a small ish photo that I took myself and I'm smiling in it, so it's not a passport photo. I think it's better having a smiling picture too anyway.

It still costs money. One of my friends was applying for a job with an ETB recently and they wanted 4 copies of all the application documentation. Some ETBs want six. Some want you to make separate applications for each job if there are several jobs within an ETB and then have multiple copies of each one. She says she spends a fortune on paper and printing.

RealJohn

Moody_mona wrote: »

Surely it's passport sized, not an actual passport photo from a machine etc.

I have a photo at the top of my CV beside my name. It's a small ish photo that I took myself and I'm smiling in it, so it's not a passport photo. I think it's better having a smiling picture too anyway.

Yeah, I would think that this ought to be acceptable. Might possibly even garner a little sympathy if you give them the impression you're printing your own photos because you can't afford to get them from the machine.

killbillvol2

Moody_mona wrote: »

Surely it's passport sized, not an actual passport photo from a machine etc.

I have a photo at the top of my CV beside my name. It's a small ish photo that I took myself and I'm smiling in it, so it's not a passport photo. I think it's better having a smiling picture too anyway.

I'd say two thirds of CVs we get have a small photo as you described.

Moody_mona

rainbowtrout wrote: »

It still costs money. One of my friends was applying for a job with an ETB recently and they wanted 4 copies of all the application documentation. Some ETBs want six. Some want you to make separate applications for each job if there are several jobs within an ETB and then have multiple copies of each one. She says she spends a fortune on paper and printing.

Completely, but it costs less than having to get dozens of passport photos printed! If an interview panel wants one copy each of a CV, which is fair enough, I think the Original should be photocopied at the expense of the school, don't see the need for the cost and waste of paper to the applicant. (I know schools are strapped for cash, but it's only photocopying)

dory

jonseyblub wrote: »

Going back to the original point though, adding a passport photo seems to add a considerable cost to NQT's who according to reports may be applying for 100's of positions every summer. It seems unfair to ask them for a photo. If they do insist I would hope that the least the school would then do is send them a letter stating they would not be called for interview and send back the photo along with it.

I know it still adds some money, but when I need to get photos done for visas I take my own photo in front of a wall, Google something like Free PassPort Photos. Then you upload you photo and download a PDF with the photo copied 8 times in a passport type size. Then bring that to a Pharmacy and pay 50c or something to get that printed and cut it up.

Apologies if thats what you already do, might be useful for someone.

jonseyblub

dory wrote: »

I know it still adds some money, but when I need to get photos done for visas I take my own photo in front of a wall, Google something like Free PassPort Photos. Then you upload you photo and download a PDF with the photo copied 8 times in a passport type size. Then bring that to a Pharmacy and pay 50c or something to get that printed and cut it up.

Apologies if thats what you already do, might be useful for someone.

Thankfully it's been 11 years since i needed to apply for a job so all these alternatives were not around back then so i suppose it's not that much of a cost now.