TEACHING jobs in ENGLAND and Agencies!

MissSilly · 06-01-2015 2:36pm

No fees really I think we paid £54 for our Garda Vetting and that was it.

LeonDen · 06-01-2015 8:57pm

Thanks for all the info everyone, great to see that's it not all horror stories from everyone who has moved over. The more posts I read here the more positive I feel about moving over. I'm also thinking of going with uteach. What does their training week consist of? From looking at their website they seem have two different programmes- one where you do the weeks training in England and then 1-3 weeks of placement or the other is just a weeks training in Ireland. Is there any difference between the two?

Afroshack · 07-01-2015 12:24am

Hunter gatherer wrote: »

What kind of fees are involved if you use an agency like UTeach? Once all of the paperwork and CRB checks are out of the way and you are placed in a school are there still fees involved?

20 quid a week went to the people who calculated my wages - Clarity I think they're called. uTeach themselves don't charge anything.

Hunter gatherer · 07-01-2015 12:01pm

Afroshack wrote: »

20 quid a week went to the people who calculated my wages - Clarity I think they're called. uTeach themselves don't charge anything.

20 a week is very steep considering there is little to be done by them once you are placed. Did they give you some form of continuous professional development? Like, what are they actually charging for?

gubbie · 07-01-2015 5:10pm

Hunter gatherer wrote: »

Do Engage help source accommodation or do you flat hunt yourself?

They didn't help me with anything. My school sent out an email asking if anyone wanted to share a place and a few of us replied. Then I did the rest of the leg work.

Be aware that if you are being paid through Uteach or Engage, you're a contracted worker and you won't be paid for holidays or sick days.

If you are a Maths or Science teacher going over, I would strongly suggest that you don't go through an agency. Schools are crying out for these-I got hired just by a phone interview where as a colleague teaching Humanities had to go through the usual teaching a class, interview with the students, interview with the principal...

rebel girl 15 · 07-01-2015 6:23pm

gubbie wrote: »

They didn't help me with anything. My school sent out an email asking if anyone wanted to share a place and a few of us replied. Then I did the rest of the leg work.

Be aware that if you are being paid through Uteach or Engage, you're a contracted worker and you won't be paid for holidays or sick days.

If you are a Maths or Science teacher going over, I would strongly suggest that you don't go through an agency. Schools are crying out for these-I got hired just by a phone interview where as a colleague teaching Humanities had to go through the usual teaching a class, interview with the students, interview with the principal...

I'd second the bit about being science or maths, I started my maths post in my school and had an interview within 6 weeks for a permanent position

Afroshack · 07-01-2015 10:05pm

Hunter gatherer wrote: »

20 a week is very steep considering there is little to be done by them once you are placed. Did they give you some form of continuous professional development? Like, what are they actually charging for?

No and that was the one thing that I would have liked - I did email them during Sept/Oct of my first year asking for some sort of training on the English curriculum as I was totally overwhelmed by all the new stuff I had to cope with in school, and I felt like everyone was too busy in my department to REALLY sit down with me and explain it all. I felt like I was playing catch-up for months and it's only in my second year now that I realise how nervous I was. uTeach did a sort of introduction to the UK day back in Dublin which was embarrassingly useless. It was just stuff like 'join clubs' 'get out there' 'have fun' etc. There was nothing really concrete or practical about their training.

Hunter gatherer · 07-01-2015 10:12pm

That is a consideration. Other teachers will naturally be busy and you don't want to bother them too much even if they are helpful. Playing catch-up ad navigating through the curriculum yourself (though possible) is not ideal. A proper training course would be preferable. Wishy washy 'join clubs' advice is common sense so I agree with you there. Doubt you'd have the time to socialise with all the paperwork and marking in the first year. I'd say a lot of free time would be spent sleeping.

rebel girl 15 · 18-01-2015 4:24pm

dalalada wrote: »

Reading through the thread and im new to all this. Im a nqt. Qualified in 2014. Ye say that the agencys pay ye 120ish a week? Why are agencys paying ye? And for what? Does the dept of edu not pay ye for yer teaching

120ish a day, not a week!!!!!!

Unlike Ireland, schools in the UK are funded and managed in different ways. Some schools are run by local authorities, some schools are given funding from the government to spend as they like. The teachers are paid by the school rather than the government, so with agency workers, the school pay the agency, who take a fee, and they pay the agency staff.

My payslip for my permanent job at an academy is from the school, whereas at home, the hours I did were paid by the department of education

Afroshack · 18-01-2015 4:25pm

dalalada wrote: »

Reading through the thread and im new to all this. Im a nqt. Qualified in 2014. Ye say that the agencys pay ye 120ish a week? Why are agencys paying ye? And for what? Does the dept of edu not pay ye for yer teaching

Teaching agencies pay us for teaching in schools. Schools pay them, they pay us. I have no idea where you are getting the 120 a week from.

dalalada · 18-01-2015 7:16pm

It was a simple mistake garda i meant per day.

Y bother with the middle man agency?

dalalada · 18-01-2015 7:21pm

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

120ish a day, not a week!!!!!!

Unlike Ireland, schools in the UK are funded and managed in different ways. Some schools are run by local authorities, some schools are given funding from the government to spend as they like. The teachers are paid by the school rather than the government, so with agency workers, the school pay the agency, who take a fee, and they pay the agency staff.

My payslip for my permanent job at an academy is from the school, whereas at home, the hours I did were paid by the department of education

Can the school decide how much you deserve to be paid in a week or is the amount set at the start of the academic year in a contract?

Afroshack · 18-01-2015 7:22pm

dalalada wrote: »

It was a simple mistake garda i meant per day.

Y bother with the middle man agency?

Money was it for me - they help arrange your flights and accommodation and cover your interview and relocation expenses. Had I gone through the school that wouldn't have been an option.

dalalada · 18-01-2015 7:28pm

Afroshack wrote: »

Money was it for me - they help arrange your flights and accommodation and cover your interview and relocation expenses. Had I gone through the school that wouldn't have been an option.

I see. But thats a short term benefit. In the long term when you get the job would you be at a loss?

Afroshack · 18-01-2015 8:58pm

dalalada wrote: »

I see. But thats a short term benefit. In the long term when you get the job would you be at a loss?

No I got a permanent contract after my agency year and a pay bump with that.

rebel girl 15 · 18-01-2015 9:02pm

dalalada wrote: »

Can the school decide how much you deserve to be paid in a week or is the amount set at the start of the academic year in a contract?

It is a set salary that is reviewed every year, depending on your performance management data. It is an upwards scale, and to go up from one band to another, you have to have evidence that you meet certain criteria.

M1-M3 is one section where you are just starting to teach, then M4-M6 is a more towards you becoming a nearly a middle leader, leading other staff and contributing to the overall school life

dalalada wrote: »

I see. But thats a short term benefit. In the long term when you get the job would you be at a loss?

It gets your foot into the system much easier than having to apply for a load of jobs - and generally when schools like you, they want to cut out the agency, and offer you a permanent contract

dalalada · 19-01-2015 1:04am

Afroshack wrote: »

No I got a permanent contract after my agency year and a pay bump with that.

Would you not have got that anyway?

rebel girl 15 · 19-01-2015 1:08am

dalalada wrote: »

Would you not have got that anyway?

It's not like Ireland where you get an automatic pay rise, your pay is performance related, so if you don't hit your performance targets, your pay won't rise

dalalada · 19-01-2015 2:19am

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

It's not like Ireland where you get an automatic pay rise, your pay is performance related, so if you don't hit your performance targets, your pay won't rise

Sure but hitting your targets is down to you not the agency so i dont see any correlation? Seems a short term gain for long term loss. Unless upon the second year you can cut lose from the agency if your offered a full time job and not have them taking a cut?

gubbie · 25-01-2015 1:15pm

dalalada wrote: »

Sure but hitting your targets is down to you not the agency so i dont see any correlation? Seems a short term gain for long term loss. Unless upon the second year you can cut lose from the agency if your offered a full time job and not have them taking a cut?

Well this is just what happened in my old school, but the school enters into a contract with the agency to find someone for them who then gets paid through the agency. You're essentially a supply teacher and get paid similarly. If the school decides they want to give you a permanent contract then they have to buy you out of your current contract with the agency.

The agency do have a "Years Experience Pay Scale"

dalalada · 25-01-2015 2:11pm

gubbie wrote: »

Well this is just what happened in my old school, but the school enters into a contract with the agency to find someone for them who then gets paid through the agency. You're essentially a supply teacher and get paid similarly. If the school decides they want to give you a permanent contract then they have to buy you out of your current contract with the agency.

The agency do have a "Years Experience Pay Scale"

This is a whole different kind of conversation now! how long are you tied to an agency? Where can i see this years experience pay scale? Is it less than the standard pay scale like? And if one is getting 120 odd a day, is this for the days yoi work subbing or for days you work in a fixed term contract? This is getting more confusing as i delve into it.

allic · 26-01-2015 9:21pm

has anyone any experience with Tradewind/Sanza? What are they like?

gubbie · 27-01-2015 1:51am

dalalada wrote: »

This is a whole different kind of conversation now! how long are you tied to an agency? Where can i see this years experience pay scale? Is it less than the standard pay scale like? And if one is getting 120 odd a day, is this for the days yoi work subbing or for days you work in a fixed term contract? This is getting more confusing as i delve into it.

To be honest, I can't remember. I remember somewhere that you say how much experience you have and you get like £5 extra a day per year of experience. Roughly, I dunno, it was a while back and I don't work with them anymore.

You have a fixed term contract, but I likened it to subbing in that you only get paid for the days that you work.

You get paid more per week with the agency so if you're in good health, the most economically beneficial way is to work with the agency until Easter and then get changed to a permanent contract so that you get paid over the holidays

dalalada · 01-02-2015 2:58pm

Can anyonr explain how you claim expenses? And what exact expenses are we claiming here? for example my bus ticket costs 2.50 and 50pence of it goes towards the governement tax, is it this 50pence i get back in my net salary? Or wat

Afroshack · 01-02-2015 8:55pm

dalalada wrote: »

Can anyonr explain how you claim expenses? And what exact expenses are we claiming here? for example my bus ticket costs 2.50 and 50pence of it goes towards the governement tax, is it this 50pence i get back in my net salary? Or wat

give your receipts and travel tickets to the agency ; they reimburse you

dalalada · 02-02-2015 12:56am

Afroshack wrote: »

give your receipts and travel tickets to the agency ; they reimburse you

that adds nothing to what i asked

Afroshack · 02-02-2015 9:04pm

dalalada wrote: »

that adds nothing to what i asked

go ring them yourself then.

allic · 02-02-2015 10:23pm

can you register with multiple agencies? are you then tied to an agency it you complete forms but seek work from a different agency?!!
also agencies have sent me links to complete DBS login but what if I have already consented a different agency to carry out DBS do i get charged twice??

neevydillon · 06-02-2015 9:06pm

You shouldn't be charged for your CRB ? I came to the UK with engage three years ago and I never paid a cent for anything like that, however, once I went on the school's pay roll I had to have another one .

I signed up for several agencies to begin with, it doesn't matter how many you are with. I'd advise you to go to as many schools as you can and take your time choosing the right school! There are a lot of really bad ones out there!

Also, there's a lot to be said for applying to schools directly via TES or similar! This way, you can get straight on to the main pay scale and you have much less faffing about with agencies and expenses ect,.

Just a thought.

LeonDen · 12-02-2015 9:22pm

neevydillon wrote: »

You shouldn't be charged for your CRB ? I came to the UK with engage three years ago and I never paid a cent for anything like that, however, once I went on the school's pay roll I had to have another one .

I signed up for several agencies to begin with, it doesn't matter how many you are with. I'd advise you to go to as many schools as you can and take your time choosing the right school! There are a lot of really bad ones out there!

Also, there's a lot to be said for applying to schools directly via TES or similar! This way, you can get straight on to the main pay scale and you have much less faffing about with agencies and expenses ect,.

Just a thought.

How did you find engage? I'm thinking of registering with them and their iday event sounds quite helpful but I've also heard that they aren't that supportive after you've gotten a job.

TEACHING jobs in ENGLAND and Agencies!

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