My School Psychology Job Hunt Journey
Okay, so I decided to seriously look for school psychology jobs last May. Felt excited, kinda like starting a new chapter. Had my master’s degree done, passed the licensing exam stuff – thought I was golden. Reality? Not so simple.
Step one was figuring out WHERE to look. I started old school:
- Checked the big district websites one by one. Took forever.
- Signed up for email alerts from state education job boards. My inbox blew up daily.
- Asked former professors if they knew anyone hiring. Got a couple tips.
Applications felt endless. Every district wanted slightly different things:
Resume? Check. Cover letter? Check. Unofficial transcripts? Check. Letters of recommendation? Got ’em. Then some wanted essays on “your philosophy of assessment” or copies of your license before even interviewing. Felt like jumping through hoops while running a marathon. Took me a whole weekend just for three applications.
The Interview Grind
Finally started getting calls back in July. My first interview was terrifying. Panel of six people firing questions:
- “Describe a crisis situation you handled.” (My mind blanked for a second!)
- “How do you collaborate with resistant teachers?” (Oh boy, real talk.)
- “Walk us through an assessment where the results surprised you.”
Practiced STAR method stories beforehand but still choked once. Learned quick – scribbled notes like crazy after each interview on what bombed and what flew.
Toured a few schools too. One elementary school had a tiny office space clearly converted from a janitor’s closet. Smelled faintly of bleach. Saw a middle school psych juggling three behavior crises at once. Eye-opening stuff. Made me think hard about “fit.”
The Offer Stage & Cold Feet
Got two offers in late August. Felt relief, then panic. Negotiating salary felt awkward – like haggling over your own worth. Asked about caseload sizes (BIG difference between 30 kids and 55). Checked contract details: How many work days? Required summer hours? Mileage reimbursement? Turns out the devil’s in the fine print.
Picked a position that felt “right” – supportive principal, decent caseload cap, decent pay. Still felt nervous signing. Imposter syndrome kicked in hard: “Can I actually DO this every day?”
First Few Months Reality Check
Started in October. Training week was mostly paperwork and shadowing. Then… BOOM. Real job hits:
- Ran my first full psycho-ed eval. Took twice as long as I planned.
- Sat in an IEP meeting where parents yelled. Kept my cool (barely).
- Forgot to fax a report once. Big whoops. Learned the office manager is your best friend.
- A kid called me “mom” by accident. Funny moments help.
Used my lunch breaks to debrief with colleagues. Survival depended on asking questions constantly. No shame.
It’s messy. It’s hard. The paperwork mountain never shrinks. But seeing a kid finally get the support they needed? Yeah. That’s why you go through the wringer. Still learning every single day. No textbook prepared me for the real, sometimes sweaty, school psych life.