Teach First launches career change recruitment ad

Teach First has launched a new recruitment advert aimed at recruiting potential career-changers to challenging schools.

The advert is the first ever campaign aimed at recruiting people from other professions and is part of a three month drive to stem the shortage of teachers in specialist subjects such as maths and science.

Teach First usually focusses on recruiting high-flying graduates to train and teach in disadvantaged schools but has announced it will be working on developing ‘flexible’ training for those swapping to teaching from other careers.

The charity will increase its flexibility with regard to accommodating for people who have already put roots down in a particular area, allowing career-changers to carry out their first two-year posting in schools which are nearby.

Teach First aims to recruit 1,800 people per year at early years, primary and secondary levels, consisting of both recent graduates and career changers.

James Westhead, Teach First executive director, said: “We believe untapped potential across the UK can help solve teacher recruitment challenges across low-income schools.

“There are generations of talented leaders in office blocks, in police stations, in law chambers or even on football pitches, who could potentially start an application today that becomes part of a solution to current challenges.”