“We’ve got the best job in the world—there’s just too much of it.” “It’s the most stressful job… but it’s also by far the most rewarding.” “I’ve never worked harder, but I’ve never enjoyed it more.” “Headship is a privilege.” “This job is the most extraordinary privilege.”
One of the most encouraging findings in our interviews with independent school heads is that, despite everything, the sense of vocation hasn’t disappeared, or even diminished. That may sound surprising, given how candidly heads spoke about exhaustion, complaints, finance, governance, staffing, regulation and the sense that more keeps being added while very little is taken away; yet alongside all of that, many still described headship as a privilege, a joy, and in one memorable phrase, “the best job in the world — just too much of it”.
That distinction matters: none of our research suggests that heads have fallen out of love with schools, pupils, staff or educational purpose. If anything, the opposite is often true; the parts of the role that still give most energy are usually the most human ones — seeing pupils flourish, developing colleagues, holding a community together, shaping culture, and knowing that the school is better because of the work being done.
The difficulty is not that the role has lost meaning; it is that meaning is now being carried inside a wider organisational purpose: Heads are still educators, but they are also commercial strategists, risk managers, public communicators, complaint handlers, governors’ partners, employers and organisational designers. It is possible to love the work and still find the current shape of the work too full, too exposed, or too personally depleting – or just to be frustrated that more of the role is not to promote the flourishing of young people.
For aspiring heads and senior deputies, this may be the most useful framing: headship isn’t a trap to avoid, nor a romantic vocation to enter unexamined. It is an extraordinary role that now requires clearer preparation — financial confidence, governance literacy, strong peer support, a willingness to use expertise, and the discipline to build a life around the role rather than letting the role consume the life.
There is hope here, but it is a practical kind of hope. The heads who sound most optimistic don’t necessarily face fewer pressures; they more often describe stronger teams, clearer strategy, better delegation, good governance, trusted networks and a continuing connection to educational purpose. In other words, they are not simply more resilient people — though some are remarkably resilient — they are better supported by the structures and relationships around them, and they aren’t setting out to be the heroic, monarchical leaders of old.
So perhaps the message to future heads isn’t “be careful what you wish for”; it is more hopeful, and more demanding: go in with your eyes open; choose context carefully; ask about the team, the chair, the board, the finances, the culture of delegation and the support around the role. The best job in the world may still be exactly that — but only if the “too much of it” is taken seriously before the appointment is made.