Whatever you do, do not go for cross level deployment. I paid a very heavy price for it through my PB. The problem is always the SL. The HR side can say how accommodating they will be, DGE can come in etc and double down on how nurturing they will be but trust me, really not the case. I went for a 50 hours training in a subject which is neither my CS1 nor CS2 in Secondary - hence now I have a CS3. My expectation was that I need to be on par with someone who has taught that subject for the last 25 years. Really crazy. My RO was not helpful nor nurturing as she was just promoted and my SLs were simply too stuck in their preferred way of working aka their way or the highway.
SSES was really bad, about 8 to 9% of the staff members left. I am one of them. I am really happy to be away from the toxicity of that school. However, with the latest PB grade, it will cause my career to become stagnant. It does not matter if you are doing one grade up or otherwise, if your SLs are biased to begin with, you won’t go far. If they love you and have lunches, dinners, shopping trips with you on a personal basis, you will become a HOD after 5 years in service from a GEO3. With the majority of the
SMC members being their reportees, it is not difficult to get support for poor grades to be dished to those who left.
It is too late for me but let my path be a warning to those who are thinking. Don’t! In my class of 30 cross level deployed trainees, less than 5 are still in the cross level deployed schools in 3 years. It will come with a high personal cost.