Teaching in the UK

I know, I know, it seems like a rite of passage for Aussie teachers to venture off to the United Kingdom. With the limited number of teaching positions in metro Australian primary schools, and certain high school subjects, it seems like a pretty reasonable solution to go to a country that is crying out in need of teachers, doesn’t it?! Definitely!

My reason for teaching in the UK was not because I didn’t have a position back home, but because I wanted a taste of living and teaching in another country.

Positions teaching in the UK are generally fairly easy to find, depending on what and where you want to work, especially if you go through a reputable agency.

It’s not so much the job that seems overwhelming but the move, getting set up and knowing exactly where to start. I have included some useful tips below to kickstart your UK teaching career.

 

How to get the teaching job you want

Where to look for teaching positions in the UK 

The amount of teacher agencies in the UK, directly aimed to getting overseas teachers’ jobs, is overwhelming.

Which one do I choose? How do I know I am applying for jobs I want? Which agency will get me the best daily rate? Which agency has a solid reputation?

With so many choices, it’s easy to get lost. In my travels, I worked with Protocol which had good a reputation amongst UK schools. They made teaching in the UK a reality for me.

 

Protocol Education

My university organised a presentation by Protocol who were recruiting Australian teachers. I, of course took every bit of information so I could do my own research. Seven years later, I still remembered the trustworthy face I spoke with and I reached out.

When I applied to Protocol a lovely lady organised a meeting with me near where I lived. I was a bundle of nerves at this point – so excited and also terribly scared to make such a huge life decision. She got my information, took a photo, interviewed me and left to create my portfolio to send out to UK schools. I was quickly contacted by UK representatives who wanted to know a bit more about me (and I guess if I would fit their schools).

It was amazing how fast I heard back about a school interview, especially for a January start. The UK representative organised my interview time and details. Within half an hour I was offered a job. Winner! This position turned into a permanent job, and finished in August of the following year.

From there I managed to get casual work until I came back home. The team worked hard to get my name out to schools in different areas near where I was living. They also understood when I blocked several weeks off at a time to squeeze the last bit of travel in.

Why Protocol Education?

Here’s just some of the reasons I would suggest to go with Protocol if you are planning on teaching in the UK. They provide:

• A wide range of schools they recruit for across the UK.
• A wealth of knowledge being a well-established company, working for over 15 years.
• Helpful, friendly staff – any questions I had were answered within a day (or two if it was the weekend).
• An Australian team who put you in touch with representatives from the UK who have school listings.
• Help organising bank accounts and a National Insurance number.
• Access to interviews via Skype with the school (usually a deputy, lead teacher and governor).
• Guaranteed casual work when you sign a Guaranteed Work Agreement. Even if you don’t work, you will still get paid! Winner!
• Professional Development
• A variety of career opportunities – casual or full time roles and even classroom support roles. I worked full time and at the end of my contract, I was permanent with the school. Hello holiday pay!
• Recruitment consultants across Australia, including: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
• An induction upon arrival to the UK to say hello and give you a ‘welcome package’ with all documents you will need to get you started.
• PARTIES! Protocol organize many social gatherings throughout the year for their recruits to mingle. They even hold travel nights and offer discounts on certain travel companies etc, with the opportunity to WIN a holiday at the end of each night!!

 

Documents you will need to organise:

Before you leave:

After you make contact with a teaching agency, you’ll be required to get the following paperwork (your agency should help you organise these):

• UK Visa or passport
• Certified Australian Federal Police (AFP) certificate – if you live in Australia
• Proof of registration from your state teaching body

 

After you arrive:

• Bank account to get paid. Most agencies help you sign up for a bank account when you first arrive. This is easy to do because you can use the organisations address to open an account.
• Apply for a National Insurance (NI) number. Again, your agency should do this for you, but in the off chance, you’ll need to make sure you have one.

 

Qualifications needed

Luckily, you do not need to study any extra courses to be able to start teaching in the UK. As long as you have a Bachelor of Education, you will be able to apply.

 

Resume

It’s always a good idea to keep your resume up to date – you never know when you will need it. You’ll be amazed at all the new skills and responsibilities you can add to it each year.

When writing your resume for a position teaching in the UK, it’s fairly similar to what you would expect to include back home. Make sure you cover the following:

• Name
• Qualifications: including date you completed it, institution and any additional qualifications you received that complement teaching
• Specialist areas (specific to subject areas or age levels)
• Employment history:
  • o   Position you held
  • o   Employer
  • o   Years of service
  • o   Key responsibilities you had at the school, including any achievements
  • o   Extra-curricular involvement
• Professional development

The resume should be as succinct as possible so it fits onto two pages. You should also include a Cover Letter outlining your teaching style, interests, behaviour management and main accomplishments/ beliefs about education. An example paragraph could include:

I am highly motivated and determined to implement and develop my teaching practices to achieve my goal of encouraging students in their vital formative years to be excited about entering the classroom each morning. I believe it is my role as an educator to facilitate a nurturing learning environment that promotes intellectual curiosity and personal development.

Blow your own horn! It isn’t cringe-worthy. The employer won’t know anything about you unless you tell them.  You want to ensure you sell yourself and leave the employers wanting to find out more about you and what you could bring to their school.

 

How to ace the interview

Time to put your best foot forward! The interview is a crucial phase so make sure you leave an impression. When you apply to teach in the UK, you can expect to have a few interviews. The first interview will be with your recruitment agency. It’s usually quite informal, however you need to be professional. This is how they ‘sell’ you to other agencies in the UK.

The next interview will be with the school the agency has linked you with. Mine occurred over Skype as I was still in Australia. This worked in my favour as I tend to get nervous in interviews.

The key to acing an interview for teaching is to give examples. Tell the panel when you have demonstrated the particular skill they are asking for.

Some important questions you’ll come across in UK school interviews include:

Tell us a bit about yourself.

o   “I like the colour green?!?” If you’re anything like me, this is the hardest question to answer. What they’re looking for is whether your personality and interests matches the school. Tailor your answer to suit teaching – don’t talk about your wild nights out. Make sure you also do your background research on the school so you get an understanding of their core values.

Have you had any experience teaching Special Needs students? How would you cater for someone with….?

o   They want to know the skills and strategies you have used to accommodate a range of learning needs within the classroom. Remember that this doesn’t just include learning disabilities but also how you would cater for high achievers.

The scenario: How would you deal with negative student behaviour in the classroom?

o   You will most likely be given different scenarios and asked how you would deal with them. This is your chance to show your skills ‘in action’. In this example, they would like to hear that you’ve read the behaviour policy already and use it in your explanation.

How do you plan a unit of work?

o   The UK uses the same strategies as Australian schools I’ve worked in. Look at the UK National Curriculum documents, look at the assessment task or criteria (if there already is one), plan the unit of work using the key content descriptors.

 

Salary to expect

This really depends on your experience. You can look at expected salary ranges here. Keep in mind that there are different pay scales depending on where you teach. Inner London teachers receive more pay due to the price of accommodation being higher.

When you apply for different positions through your agency, you have the chance to discuss your pay. I was getting £135 a day working in Essex. A friend of mine (who had more experience than I did) worked at the same school earning £150 a week. Be confident when you discuss salary. If you think you deserve more, there’s no problem asking. The worst that can happen is they’ll say no.

Be prepared, as an Australian teacher, to get paid less than you would in Australia. It’s all about the experience.