Send us a sample of your work*
We need to address the casual disrespect of teachers’ intellectual property
Throughout the jobs application and interview process globally, prospective candidates in almost all industries and professions, are asked to share creative ideas and submit samples of presentations, product designs, marketing plans, and so on, to impress employers and prove competence.
The dark side is that unscrupulous companies advertise posts they have no intention of filling, in a bid to mine free content.
This trend is infiltrating education.
Increasingly, we’re hearing of teachers being asked to compile detailed samples of work, including video presentations, curriculum ideas, unique lesson plans, orientation programmes, study guides, and more - only to find that after they’ve done so, they don’t hear back from the school, or discover weeks or months later that the post was internally filled, with their ideas appropriated and repackaged.
This unethical practice is an extension of the general disregard for the content that teachers produce throughout their careers - material that is undervalued and almost never remunerated.
The amount of time teachers spend writing, designing, formatting, researching and producing teaching resources in any given school year is incalculable. It is but one of many unacknowledged “hidden” tasks teachers do outside of classroom and extramural time. To exploit this further, adds insult to injury.
Our original teaching ideas, worksheets, workbooks, exercises, programmes etc. are our intellectual property. We have a right to protect it, and we should.
So, how can you safeguard your hard work from a lack of integrity in the interview process?
By all means show off your brilliance - but establish the boundaries carefully. It is not disrespectful to assert ownership of your work - until you get the job, after which the school can benefit from your full range of skills and talents.
In the meantime, make it clear that your work belongs to you, and you don’t consent to its free use by virtue of sharing it in the interview:
include a copyright statement & icon on all sheets/slides or as an intro to your video
establish that your sample is a demonstration and not a handover
watermark your work
author your work in bold on all sheets/slides
emphasise that should the school value the content, but you don’t get the job, they can purchase it, and you’ll be happy to offer training for staff on how to use it or implement it effectively
Mention that schools must model anti-plagiarism at all levels
Ask what will happen to your sample if you don’t get the job
thank the interviewer for the opportunity to illustrate your acumen and passion, and use this follow up disclaimer: “I trust my work won’t be used without consulting me first, please credit me fairly in this regard”.
say upfront that this sample is strictly for the purpose of the interview and the interview alone
It must be said that schools with exemplary leadership show courtesy in recruitment. If you find that you are mistreated in the interview and selection process, consider it a red flag.
If it comes to your attention that your work has been used without your permission after an unsuccessful interview, email the school with an objection.
It is only by speaking up that teachers can collectively prevent being taken advantage of. Best practice does not only apply to the classroom, but to all facets of our careers.