Job advert for assistant headteacher at Sheffield school with ‘ridiculous’ list of demands divides internet

A job vacancy at a school in Sheffield has gone viral due to its terrifying list of requirements, uncompromising approach and long hours - with Saturday mornings thrown in too.

Mercia School in Millhouses is looking for an assistant headteacher for September who will work ‘ridiculously hard’ and and be ‘wedded’ to the school, our sister title the Sheffield Star reports.

They must also ‘ooze leadership’, ‘be a great orator’ and a ’visionary’.

The job is also made to sound somewhat militaristic: the successful candidate will ‘hold the line and lead with bravery’ because the school ‘cannot carry anyone’.

And then there are the hours. The assistant head must be ‘on alert’ from 7am to 6pm, be contactable in the evenings, attend meetings during holidays and be prepared to do detentions on a Saturday morning.

The advert, which appeared in Tes but has now been taken down, stated: “Are you ok with the team contacting you in the evening? Meeting in holidays and being prepared to do detentions on a Saturday morning? Can you cope with huge demands throughout the day, which include teaching a high load, managing pastoral issues and being on alert from 7am through until 6pm, once we have walked the pupils safely down the road and finished detentions? High energy and sacrifice are required to excel in this position at Mercia School. We cannot carry anyone; we need a commitment from our Assistant Headteacher to stay until the job is done.

“In many schools, the role of Assistant Headteacher is seen as an easier job that the Curriculum Leader, especially in the core subjects. Not here. This job is a marked step up and you will feel the pressure to perform. You will lead without fear or favour, displaying candour and a constant drive to improve performance. We are all about marginal gains. With us, we believe you will also thrive and excel.”

It signed off stating: “Not put off? Fantastic, you could be what we are looking for’. The job pays up to £62,561.”

Mercia in Sheffield is famous for its long school days - pupils do homework between 4-5pm - its strict uniform and its discipline. But it seems to work, as it’s the most oversubscribed in the city.

On Twitter, Jeff Pedley, an English teacher in Brussels, said the advert was reason number 417 why he would never teach in England again.

Imogen Bailey appreciated the honesty. She wrote: “At least they're being open about what they expect and know that from this, they will have limited applicants. They could have just put the search out for an assistant head and then put all these pressures on them.”

Mr Green responded: “I’m almost entirely certain it’s satire. That, or a disgruntled ex-employee is REALLY going the extra mile on their fake advert game.”

Becka Weston said: “Ridiculous job advert aside, I simply wouldn’t want to work in a school that clearly has a strong ethos on punitive policies - detentions mentioned twice in the advert!”

Nick Melson responded: “I like the brutal honesty of it- applicants know what they are getting involved in. Don’t like the sound of it, don’t apply!”

A version of this story originally appeared in our sister title, the Sheffield Star