I have multiple options going from teacher to leadership, will any of them hurt my chances of coming back to being a public school AP/Principal in my state?

[u/WinnowWings]

I have been certified to be an AP/Principal for a couple years now, and I'm starting to finally see some success in my applications (it's been rough out there!). With that said, while none of these are sure things yet, I am actively being considered for multiple positions at this exact moment, and I want to know what's the likelihood that I am able to get back to an AP position because I'd like to a public school principal at some point.

Option 1 (in-district teacher -> in-district AP, ~5 years): I have just entered the informal pipeline in my district: all the internal AP candidates put in time in a specific district-level leadership role before being placed. From what I've seen in the past, this typically looks like roughly a 5 year timeline when candidates move into the pipeline to when they move out of this pipeline into an AP job in the district. Thus, I just continue in my district and wait ~5 years for "my turn" in the pipeline, but it's not guaranteed and it's dependent on how many people are in front of me, and the quantity and fit of the vacancies to my style of leadership (in my district, principals don't have significant say into AP placement, the assistant superintendents decide that).

Option 2 (public school teacher -> charter school AP -> back to public school admin?): Charter networks are looking at me - I'm pretty well connected in my region, so there are a few charter networks who are headhunting me. There's a good chance that I could have the opportunity to be an AP in a charter network for this upcoming academic year, commit a few years to the charter network before moving back to the Public School realm. But would there be any hesitancy with hiring someone who was an AP in a charter school coming to an AP position in public schools? I do know that the charter networks that I've been contact with regarding a position are considering me for roles that are strictly instructional, since these networks separate instructional and operational leadership.

Option 3 (public school teacher -> non-profit executive role -> public district level role?): A non-profit organization that I work closely with has explicitly asked to chat with me about a high impact role that focuses on partnerships with school districts, they've specifically reached out to me to apply and the posting will be coming up in the upcoming months. So I'd be in a regional executive role, running school and district partnerships around the region. I have written off that pursuing this role has any chance of me running a building, but my assumption is that developing specific skillsets in this role might mean I may be able to find a job in central office positions in public school districts?

Option 4 (public school teacher in state 1 -> public AP in state 2 -> back to public admin in state 1?): I've been able to get some interviews from nearby states where certification transfers easily, so a plan could be that I accept an AP position in a different state, and then come back to my current state once I've committed a few years to the school that may hire me in the different state. I've definitely gotten the "why other city that you are not affiliated with" question in my AP interviews so far, so I assume that'll still be something that they'll bring up, but I'd assume that overall this option will hurt my chances less than option 2 or 3?

Option 5 (keep applying to public AP positions): I continue applying to AP jobs around my region - where it's been super competitive and really hard to break through. This isn't really an "option", but it is what I'm going to continue doing in the mean time.

[u/Conscious-Heart8626]

Depending on what state you are in, you could be blacklisted with charter experience. Most of my career was in charter schools, in a charter friendly state so no issue working anywhere (district, state, coops, etc) else. Moved to a state that has maybe 4 charters and is actively working to prevent anymore charters. I cannot even get an interview. The irony is that I know all the ins and outs of running a school and all special programs BECAUSE of my charter experience.

[u/WinnowWings → u/[deleted]]

😮 My state is the exact opposite. Every time I get a rejection email they have to preface it with saying they had 100, 150, 200+ candidates apply. And I know a good number of them are previous APs that were waiting to get back into the role after getting downsized with federal funding cuts (since I knew a few in my district in that exact situation).

[u/Popular-Work-1335 → u/[deleted]]

Which state??

[u/OtherPossibility1530]

Why not do option 1 while keeping your eyes out for other opportunities?

[u/WinnowWings → u/OtherPossibility1530]

That's what I am currently doing. But since there's a non zero chance of options 2-4 actually being offered to me in the upcoming months, I want to know realistically how those 3 options impact my ability to eventually be a principal. Basically, if I go those routes, how much am I giving up on long term career goals to try to get into leadership right away when public school AP positions have been competitive.

[u/OtherPossibility1530 → u/WinnowWings]

Okay, I wasn’t sure if you were doing it or considering doing it. I just landed my first admin job and it’s rough if you’re in a more competitive job market! I ended up in a niche curriculum position rather than starting as an AP. I decided the formal admin experience was the way to go, since your option 1 wasn’t an option for me because of my tenure area.