Delivering the highest possible standards to our partners across the education sector is a top priority for us here at The Supply Register. We work with the best teachers and support staff in the market and ensure that our specialists have the cultural, academic and professional fit with the schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) that we place them with. But how does our bank approach provide the very highest levels of candidate quality?
Supply teacher recruitment
As either a supply teacher or a school or trust leader, you won’t need us to tell you that this is a challenging education recruitment market. Teacher vacancies in the UK have nearly doubled since before Covid, with data from November last year showing 93% more available roles than at the same point in 2019, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research. This tight market is partly why there is a growing reliance on the specialist skills of supply teachers, and that’s where we can help.
Why a bank approach is best
The schools and MATs that we work with greatly benefit from our bank approach to supply teacher recruitment. Once we partner with a new institution, we align them with a vetted, suitable bank of talent, which is supported by a neutral selection of agencies. This means that the teachers we provide our partners with will understand the professional and cultural nuances of the role better than anyone else on the market. They will be placed into specific roles or banks because of their fit, rather than solely because they’re available at the time.
When there is a bank resource in place, the school or trust chooses the specific individual teacher from a range of options, rather than an agency choosing who to send where, which brings a human touch to both sides of the relationship and ensures a better fit that benefits everyone in the chain. And even when the bank approach has been exhausted, school and trust leaders can fall back on our panel of agencies operating at fair and standardised rates. Â This provides a supportive net and enables them to source candidates from a range of suppliers, rather than just one, which would be the case when dealing with a master vendor style approach to sourcing staff.
Teacher benefits
The teachers that form our banks will be those who match the professional, geographical and cultural demands of the role and there are numerous benefits from this side of the relationship too.
Rather than just being an external resource, our bank teachers form part of the wider ecosystem of the school or MAT they partner with, and become a key part of the community. This is one of the many reasons why – across our client base – candidates who form part of these banks score considerably higher in reviews, and are also happier in their roles, than those supplied by external agencies.
Our neutral positioning also provides teachers with a more transparent, and fair, approach to pay and ultimately means they will often take home more than when using another option, where hidden fees will be considerably higher. It also reduces the likelihood of being called by an agency at the last minute with a change of plans, which naturally boosts job satisfaction and provides greater stability for teaching staff.
Our bank teachers also gain from professional development opportunities through their work with The Supply Register. They will be able to utilise inset days that schools offer permanent staff and will also be updated on all available opportunities before other agency workers. Our supply specialists working in this way also gain greater insights into the MAT or school that they work with, and therefore have a deeper understanding of its specific mission, vision and values, enabling them to feel more like a permanent member of staff.
Supporting better hiring in education
This combination of development opportunities, better take-home pay and security, an improved user experience, and greater familiarity with schools they work with, are all advantages for supply teachers from working with us in this way. For schools or trusts, all of our candidates are thoroughly vetted and paid at the best market rates, meaning they will have access to the best quality teacher specialists. And, of course, the ability to ensure teachers have access to the best possible experience in the process benefits schools and Trusts as much as it does the individuals, by cementing a positive employer brand that will only aid future recruitment strategies.
There is also no up-front cost or ongoing management or license fees to pay, and our specialist partnership management team is here to provide support should it be needed. Ultimately, our approach reduces costs by up to 20%.
If your school or trust is looking to build its expert bank of talent, or if you are a supply specialist looking to work with us in this way, then get in touch with our expert team.
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