Reference Dilemma

[Lyanne]

I'm currently the Acting Manager in the preschool I've worked in since 1999, because the previous manager passed away suddenly in December. I'm filling in my application for the manager post & have got stuck when I get to referees - who do I put?

 

I can't put the previous manager who would have been the ideal person to give me a reference as we'd worked together all that time :-(

 

There is no other person working in the setting who I could ask to be a referee.

 

I have my tutor from when I was at uni, but I haven't been back to uni since May 2011 so will need to phone the uni & leave a message to check that's ok (ie, is she still at the uni!) & I want to put her as 1 & that is appropriate.

 

But for the second, I'm rather stuck. I could give my vicar for a personal reference; the Group Scout Leader as I'm Chairman of my boys' Scout Group, again that would be a personal reference really though he could comment on how I lead meetings etc with the Scout Group.

 

If I were applying for a job somewhere else, I could give the preschool Chair of Directors, & she's seen me in the work setting as well as having her own early years experience, so really could comment well on my practice. But she's doing the short-listing and interviewing, so that hardly seems appropriate...

 

I have been working closely with our Liaison teacher - do you think it would be ok to ask her if she could be a referee?

 

Doing my best to move past that section of the form & concentrate on filling in the rest as well as I can! But I need to put 2 down (I did think I could offer the 2 personal + my tutor - obviously the Directors know the situation).

[Guest]

I think you should put down a referee from your place of work if possible and whilst I see the conflict of interest that you mention with the pre school chair of committee in my opinion it should be a conversation to have with her.

 

When our first school closed down and re opened as a primary school it was my Head who interviewed me and I put him down as a reference because we had worked together for so long.

 

Perhaps check with the chair to see if she would agree or if she felt it inappropriate? If there isnt a work reference then a note as to why probably needs to be on there somewhere. . . . .

 

Good luck!

[Lyanne]

I think you should put down a referee from your place of work if possible and whilst I see the conflict of interest that you mention with the pre school chair of committee in my opinion it should be a conversation to have with her.

 

When our first school closed down and re opened as a primary school it was my Head who interviewed me and I put him down as a reference because we had worked together for so long.

 

Perhaps check with the chair to see if she would agree or if she felt it inappropriate? If there isnt a work reference then a note as to why probably needs to be on there somewhere. . . . .

 

Good luck!

 

Thank you! I am sure she will be happy to provide the reference but I didn't know if that looked rather biased!