Headteacher interviews: Managing an internal candidate
You may well find that there is an internal candidate for the headship and it is worth considering potential ramifications; there can be some strong ideas about an internal application.
Idea 1: They have a right to an interview.
It is often felt that an internal candidate has a right to be seen, it is ‘good for them to have a go’ or it would be difficult, politically, not to interview them at least. There is a powerful logic behind these ideas; however, they are not right. The process seeks to find the best possible candidate, be they internal or external. If it is expressly clear that an internal candidate cannot meet your criteria and cannot be appointed, it is neither developmental nor appropriate to take them through the process. It is worth remembering that, at this stage, no-one else knows about their application unless the candidate has told them. Headship appointments are very public processes so it is only fair to take candidates through who have a chance of securing the role.
Idea 2: You already know them and what they can do.
It is possible that there are aspects to what they bring to the post – or could bring – of which you are not fully aware. You should read the application form for what it is and not assume you know the limits of their potential. All too often we have seen governors surprised, positively and negatively, by the performance of an internal candidate at interview. Counterintuitive though it may seem, judgement needs to be deferred. It is acceptable to proceed to interview with specific areas to explore with a candidate; it is altogether different to have already reached a conclusion about them. The process should be consistent and fair for all concerned.
There are ways in which a process should change because of an internal applicant and ways in which it should not.
How it should not change
All candidates should receive the same information and go through the same process. If there is a school tour during the interview day, everyone should attend. The internal candidate should be expected to spend the day in exactly the same way as an external candidate. If you are sending management information, it should be sent to all candidates. Even though the internal candidate may be familiar with the information sent, the act of sending it indicates a likely line of questioning at interview and will help guide their preparation.
How it should change
As far as possible, there needs to be a level playing field. For example it may well be that, before you knew you had an internal candidate, you planned a data analysis exercise based on your school’s RAISE. This would need to be changed in favour of an anonymous data set from another school. There are many advantages and disadvantages to being an internal candidate, but there should not be any information used in the selection process that a candidate is familiar with.