interviewed for a job I don't want
mommymegan831
member
I'm a middle school language arts teacher. I work in an urban school but have desperately been trying to get into a suburban district since I started teaching 7 years ago. Today I interviewed with a district I really liked, but when I got there I found out the position is for a writing teacher. They were asking me about research paper, note taking, citations, we don't do any of that at my school. Our primary concern is reading instruction because our students can't read. I have my masters in reading and a reading specialist certification. I don't feel qualified for the position they're looking to fill, and I'm not interested in being strictly a writing teacher. I enjoyed the people I interviewed with, they were very nice. I honestly don't know why they even called me if for the interview though. They asked at one point if there is any writing research I've followed and I brought up that the majority of my education is in reading and the one teacher did say she noticed I was a reading specialist.
Do I A) continue with the process and hope I get the job. If I don't enjoy it maybe if a reading position opens I'll be able to apply for it then or 
email the principal and tell him I'm not interested in the job because the majority of my education, experience, and interest is in reading, but let him know I'm very interested in the district and would love to be considered if a reading position becomes available.
Normally I'd just let it go, but I feel like if I left with them thinking I'm not much of a teacher, if I focus on the fact that I'm primarily a reading teacher they may consider me in the future
Re: interviewed for a job I don't want
I would imagine in suburban districts with higher student performance there isn't much need for reading specialists at the middle school level.
If you want to get out of your district it may well be that you need to shift your focus either to a writing specialty or to elementary schools.
Since this is the job in front of you and you've been looking for years, I would be very hesitant to turn it down.
I'd wait until they offered you the job because until then it's a non-issue.
However, if this is your chance to move to a more suburban school district, it may be wise to make the move now. I imagine it may be easier to find something that is a good fit once you already have a foot in the door, so the short-term sacrifice might be worth it.
I agree that reaching out preemptively to say you don't want the job seems presumptuous and a little rude. I would go ahead and send thank you notes to the interviewers - you can keep it to more of a thank you for your time note rather than gushing about what a wonderful job it would be for you.
Then if the contact you about pursuing it further you can decide if you are interested or not.