aussieteacher

Hi there

I am not a British expat but I figured this would be the best place to ask my question!

I am an Australian school teacher. I have been teaching 4 years at a UK curriculum international school in Beijing.

This week I have received a Working Holiday Visa for UK valid til November 2010, max. of 1 year working.

My question is this - if I want to apply to a UK school directly for work, would they be interested in me, or is it too much hassle to deal with? I am registering with some employment agencies too. It's just I saw some really interesting jobs on tesjobs this week.

I was just wondering if any of you had had experiences of WHV teachers in your schools and what the school's "perception" of hiring them was!

Thanks! aussieteacher

saoghalbeag

Perception? *cheap labour* hmm, maybe not that bad, but teachers without QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) earn less. You can teach for up to 4 years without it, then you will no longer be allowed to teach EVER in England or Wales.

I heard recently that Timeplan teaching agency were telling Aussie teachers that they could still teach for the whole 2 years of their WHV as technically teaching hours/term time etc only added up to about 12 months of full-time work. You could also look at getting work permit sponsorship by a school/local education authority but apparently UK Immigration are going to alter the list of shortage occupations and will no longer include ALL teaching, just Maths/Science and other hard to fill positions.

Agencies are great for a first timer as they can assist you with adapting to the new curriculum and answer all the newbie questions that you will have.

I would apply for jobs via TES without an agency if you have the time/energy but you may not get much luck until you are actually in country. The other alternative is to sign up through an agency who can get you a job before you arrive (or guarantee you some supply work), then, once you've found your feet and have a bit more knowledge of the system and how it all works, start applying on your own.

My biggest word of warning is: if you love it after 6 months or a year and have a feeling you are not going to want to leave after your WHV expires, start searching for a school who will support you to obtain QTS and also sponsor your work permit...ASAP. The time can really fly and I cannot even begin to describe how not having QTS (long story) farked up my life plans - i am STILL trying to get back to the UK and probably won't get there for a few years yet. :curse:

Also: don't think that London is ALL that the UK has to offer. I spent 99% of my time in Scotland and that is where I plan to settle down as soon as immigration will let me! You are also able to get another WHV in Ireland if you are looking for ways to extend your stay (as you are no longer allowed to do this through all the other means that others have used in the past - new immigration rules make you return to Oz first) and there are heaps of EU countries that have reciprocal WHV arrangements with Australia.

Have a great time.

Check out TES Staffroom as well. It's not so great since they changed the layout but there should be HEAPS of old posts with information for you!