Category: Recruitment

For some teachers, working in one school permanently may not be suitable, perhaps because they want to be able to choose their own days of work because of family commitments or they only want to work part time and there are no part time roles available. Working for a teaching agency is a valuable route into teaching and it has many benefits.

There are many agencies specialising in teaching roles to choose from and it is important to check the terms and conditions of the agency you are applying to before you sign up. One of the main things to check is that the rate of pay is comparable with the pay scale that is offered by the local authority. Agency pay could be less than working for the local education authority but should still reflect the professional status of a qualified teacher.

One of the main attractions of working for a teaching agency is that they find the work and then put you in touch with the school or arrange the dates and times that you are required to teach. This saves a lot of time on your part filling in application forms and getting enhanced checks that are needed for you to work in school as the agency will organise all these things when you sign up.

Recruiting the best person for a role in your company can be a minefield as advertising, interviewing and employing a new employee can be a costly business which you do not want to repeat on a regular basis which is why many companies turn to a recruitment agency to fill their vacancies. Although the recruitment agency will charge a fee for their services it does take away a lot of the stress of finding people who are suitable qualified and experienced.

It is important to be clear with the agency the skills that are required for the role you wish to fill at the outset so that they can use this when they are looking through their database of clients who are on their books. For instance, if it is essential that the potential employee has certain qualifications then this should be communicated to the recruitment agency.

Flexible working hours and remote working have become the norm recently and any forward thinking company will need to embrace this way of working. Being able to offer these options will often result in more applications as employees seek to get a better work life balance with reduced commuting time. The quality of work produced by people given the opportunity to work in this way is often superior as employees’ welfare is often improved.

If you are considering changing your job or are currently looking for employment then you need to make sure you give yourself the best possible chance of landing the position. There are often a variety of courses that you can do within the industry you are looking to get in to. Some may be recognised qualifications other courses may just be to enable you to get experience or learn a new skill.

Money if often one of the reason people do not go back in to education or training. Often many of these smaller courses can be done part time in an evening. This allows you to continue working and bringing in a wage at the same time.

Some colleges are offering a number of courses for free to those people who are over the age of 19 and have no degree. This is to help build up a skilled workforce and enable people to apply for better more skilled jobs. There may be other criteria, such as living in the same area as the college, that may need to be met so always consult with the relevant education setting to find out that they can offer to you.

If you are starting a new venture whether it be beginning a new job or starting a new training course the first impressions that you make are vitally important and can make the first few weeks a success or not. There are some general principles that if followed should enable a smooth transition from newbie to valued colleague in no time at all.

Although it may seem irrelevant, the work dress code is important to how well you fit in with colleagues. Both dressing too casually or too formally can send out the wrong impression to fellow workers. This is something that is difficult to find out beforehand unless you have had an opportunity to visit the workplace, but it is a good idea to ask about dress code if you get the chance as some companies have a dress down day just on Fridays. If in doubt it is always wise to dress smart initially.

Being open and friendly is really important when trying to make that positive first impression and although you may feel nervous about the new role most people will understand and remember what it is like to be unsure about work etiquette and routines. Simply asking questions of colleagues is an important part of learning about the job and showing your willingness to be part of the team.

When applying for jobs you may want to include a list of people that can be contacted should they require a reference? You may want to add this to your CV or you may want to wait to be asked for them.

People often worry about giving a current employer as a reference when applying for a job as they may not have made their employer aware that they are looking for another position. Most employers understand this and are happy to accept references from a previous employer rather than a current one.

If you need to give other references then you may want to as a tutor or a teacher (if you have recently come out of education). Another person you may want to ask would be a colleague that has worked closely with you for a period of time.

Often the job advertisement will detail how many references you need and the types of people you may want to consider obtaining one from.

If you are struggling to get references because of not having worked for a long time then you need to think of other professional people that can vouch for you as a person and your work ethic.