The Puzzle: Blog

Are you a Triple Threat?  No—not a singer, actor, and dancer.  In the independent school world, a triple threat is someone who can teach, coach, and live in a dorm at a boarding school.  Like their show-biz counterparts, Triple Threats are highly valuable to the schools in which they teach (and coach, and live).

Not sure if Triple Threat status is right for you?  Here are three perks of holding the title.

1.  Broaden Your Search

When you sign on to be a candidate with us, there’s something we recommend on repeat: keep your search as broad as possible.  When looking for a new teaching or administrative position, if you open yourself to possibilities that you might not have previously considered, you just might stumble upon a great fit.

A strong contingent of our client schools are boarding schools.  Many of these institutions look to hire teachers who can also live on-campus and supervise a dorm.  If you open yourself to that possibility, you automatically increase the number of job opportunities available to you.

If you’re newly out of college or grad school, positioning yourself as a Triple Threat can help close some gaps in your candidacy.  You’ll be an attractive candidate for a multitude of reasons—your teaching prowess, your athletic talent, your ability and willingness to relate to students in a dorm—even if you don’t have several years of teaching experience under your belt.

2.  Become Part of the School Community

One facet of independent education that truly sets these schools apart is the sense of community they foster.  At an independent school, you’re not just showing up to work, teaching a few classes, and calling it a day.  You’re an integral part of a community.

As a Triple Threat at a boarding school, you take that involvement to a different level.  You will really understand the students you teach, in a variety of capacities.  You’ll see the shy student in your Spanish class take the lead on the soccer field.  You’ll be surprised when the impenetrable tough guy in your Physics section opens up to you and expresses insecurities back in the dorm.

As a Triple Threat, you’ll know the boarding school and its inhabitants inside and out.  You’ll spend a lot of hours thinking about your students and your work, yes—but isn’t that what a career in education is all about?

3.  Surprise Yourself

Opening yourself to varied coaching and supervising opportunities could surprise you in a few ways.  You might have started your tenure at a school convinced of your passion for a particular subject, only to find that your work outside the classroom—as coach, club adviser, or dorm parent—are more fulfilling than you’d ever expected.  You might identify a new passion—for athletic administration, perhaps, or counseling, or admissions—in the “extracurricular” work you’re doing.

By wearing a variety of hats for a year or two, you’ll position yourself for a career that makes you truly happy.  Give yourself as many opportunities as you can to identify and develop your passions.

Looking for a teaching or administrative job in an independent or boarding school?  Let us help you—apply now to become a candidate with Carney, Sandoe & Associates.

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