Question for admin who conduct interviews; I’ve job-hopped a bunch, is it better to address that head on in an interview or leave it alone until they ask?

Hey educators! I’ve got a question for interviewers for anyone who has time to indulge me; So I am likely interviewing at some new districts soon and I’m slightly worried about some job hopping on my resume. I am on year 3 of my career in education right now, and also school number 3. I feel like moving schools every year is probably not a great look to interviewers, but I also feel like there were some extenuating circumstances that make it understandable and was wondering if it was better to address it head on in an interview or just not bring it up until they ask. If you care about the lore-I started teaching in Kansas, and I got hired at a high school one block away from the university I attended and was quite happy there. Then I had some family circumstances that necessitated relocating to New England. I let my first school know I was departing and they wished me well and let me know I was welcome back if I ever returned. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find a job in New England that year so I wound up taking a job in Kansas City at the 11th hour. I tried again after that year, and successfully found a job in New England and departed KC. Now after one year in New England my current district’s enrollment declined steeply and they are displacing basically the less-senior half of every department. There is still a chance of transfer to another school in the district, but I’m hedging my bets and applying outside as well. My admin does seem to like me here and is supportive of my search in other districts, and has also told me I’m the first in my department who will be welcomed back if enrollments rebound. Anyway, one school I applied to is a very unique place in a unique location. I applied for it because it was hiring, but I honestly kind of expected a quick rejection. It seems like a really cool place and it was more of a “wouldn’t it be nice..” thing than a genuine expectation of getting hired. Well last Friday I got a call from their principal. I don’t have an interview yet, but she said she wanted to have an initial conversation about living in their area and make sure it would be workable before we spend time on the interview process. Still a long way away from an offer, obviously, but it gave me some hope that maybe I have a genuine chance of getting hired. Assuming I get offered the interview, is it preferable to be straightforward and talk to them about why I have moved around so much? Or is it better to just leave it alone unless they ask? I’d hate to burn a chance on something that I think is easily explainable. submitted by /u/Magicmechanic103 [link] [comments]