Should teacher accept job offer at school with high turnover?

Q: I’m trying to land a job in a new city because we’re relocating for my husband’s job. I got an interview at a school in the county where I want to work — even the exact town where I want to live! — but word on the street is that there’s an extremely high turnover at this school, supposedly because the principal is known for being mercurial and playing favorites. I interviewed with this principal on Zoom, and he seemed rational and calm to me, but maybe that’s part of the unpredictability. I know all of this, and got the interview in the first place, because I have a friend who works at this school, and she put my name forward. She has been honest with me that she is looking to get out, and she’s one of the more even-tempered people I know. She hasn’t had any personal run-ins, but she’s seen others struggle with him. She wants out because she feels invisible and thinks he plays favorites.

It’s hard to break into this county, and a short commute matters to me — it doesn’t get much shorter than living in the town where you teach — but I’m not sure how to factor a moody principal who plays favorites into the equation. For what it’s worth, I’m very easygoing and have never had a run-in with a supervisor, ever, but I recognize that I’ve never worked for someone like this before either. I guess I’ve been lucky. It’s looking like he’s about to hire me, as he already has called my references. Should I consider the attrition rate a deal breaker? Try it for a year? I’m hesitant to let the “bird in hand” go, not knowing if I’ll get hired by someone else. I can’t visit the school in person because of COVID, and I’m really conflicted.

A: You need more information. Is the principal the only person who interviewed you? Did you get a chance to talk to the chair of the department, or other teachers in that department? What has their experience been? Examine the more subjective data with a critical eye and take a closer look at how this school’s attrition rate compares to others in the county. Keep in mind, though, that even if this school loses a lot of teachers, it may not be an outlier. In the United States, 8% of teachers leave the profession annually, and a lack of administrative support is cited as one of the most common reasons for why they leave the field.