Contacts:
School Workforce Development Team Tel: 01438 844871
Links on this page:
Succession planning Networking Recruitment fairs Exit Interviews Using agencies Things to check
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Finding it Difficult to Recruit?

If your school is finding it difficult to recruit, for whatever reason, please do be aware that we have a School Workforce Development Team based at Hertfordshire Development Centre available to assist you.

The team is experienced either with an education or commercial recruitment background. We are happy to get involved as much or as little as you need/want.

Teachinherts.com – your online database

YOUR FIRST STOP TO RECRUIT A TEACHER . Last year, many schools did not need to advertise their posts anywhere else and as this is Hertfordshire Schools own online recruitment website, there is no charge for advertising vacancies online.

If you are not already familiar with advertising your vacancies and accepting online applications, please look at:

• Teachinherts - recruitment web site for school workforce

for further information about using the website, or contact us on 01438 844871.

Teachers and support staff register their details on this database too and you can search for candidates for hard to fill posts, quickly and effectively.

Succession Planning - Grow your Own!

Speak to your existing staff about their future plans and ambitions. Get a feel for whether there are options within the school and if so, if they would apply. Don't hold back teachers who are looking for the next step on the ladder - they will find it somewhere else if you can't offer it. Help them to plan ahead.

Networking with Existing Staff including Support staff, Parents and Neighbouring Schools

Promote vacancies at the school through existing staff, new recruits and helpers to friends, ex-colleagues or fellow students and neighbours! Think about incentive schemes to encourage applications or expressions of interest.

Pass on good applicants to other schools in your local area if they are not successful at your school (with the candidate’s permission). Let other local schools know that you are looking for staff so that they can also share with you! Don't forget that if your school does not offer the candidate a post, they may go outside the county and be lost to Hertfordshire. In a couple of years' time, they may be ready for promotion and useful to your school again!

Encourage support staff to look at teaching as a profession. Those staff with a degree may be interested in the Graduate Teacher Programme and with their experience of working within a school and knowledge of your school's working practice and children may be ideal candidates for this employment based route into teaching. For those staff who are currently working towards a degree, the Registered Teacher Programme may be of interest (see the relevant page on the grid for further information).

Encourage all staff to be active in their own continuing professional development.

Recruitment Fairs - National and Local

The School Workforce Development Team represents Hertfordshire as a county and teaching in general at Recruitment Fairs. We attend c 20 University Recruitment Fairs at ITTs throughout the UK, and talk to student and trainee teachers about opportunities in Herts schools and the NQT induction programme (which has an excellent reputation throughout the country).

In addition to this, we also attend more general careers fairs to talk to the general public about careers in schools and help to organise our own Hertfordshire Schools recruitment fairs in locations around the county where there may be recruitment problems.

Local Recruitment Fairs

In the past, we have organised local fairs in Cheshunt, Borehamwood, Stevenage, South Oxhey and Watford, working with local schools and consortia to raise awareness of the opportunities for teaching and support staff in our schools.

Exit Interviews

Have you thought about why staff are leaving? If you would like independent confidential exit interviews undertaken by the School Workforce Development Team, please contact us.

Using Agencies

There are agencies throughout Hertfordshire offering supply and permanent staff for schools. Hertfordshire has its own supply service (HESS, Hertfordshire Education Supply Service, which is managed for us by Supreme Education - 0844 880 2577) and we would recommend that you try this service first for supply staff (see supply section for further information).

For permanent posts, we do not, as an LA, recommend any agencies. If you have exhausted all other avenues, including the teachinherts database of permanent teachers looking for a job you may decide to enlist the services of a commercial agency.

Things to Check Before Proceeding

Salary or daily rate for teacher

Terms and conditions of business:

How much will the fee be and what service will be provided.

Read the small print

Don't get tied into relationships with agencies unless you are happy with the service and have tried and tested them.

Temp to permanent fees

If you take a teacher on a supply or temporary basis and then want to offer them a permanent job, you may be charged a percentage of their annual salary as a fee. If you use the Hertfordshire Education Supply Service (HESS), you will not be charged as long as you use the service for a minimum of 20 days throughout the school year.

• Hertfordshire Education Supply Service (HESS)

Overseas trained teachers

What support will be given to relocating teachers?
Are they provided with access to gaining UK QTS

FOR MORE GUIDANCE AND ASSISTANCE WITH HARD TO FILL POSTS, CONTACT THE SCHOOL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TEAM.