Member Article

Unique app launches in London to ease teacher recruitment crisis

Premier Teachers has launched a unique app to help solve the growing teacher recruitment crisis in London’s secondary schools.

Mike Donnelly, the founder of the ground-breaking Evolve Teachers app, says it will ease a situation already exacerbated by the twin effects of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.

The award-winning specialist education recruitment company recently launched the app in two pilot areas - London and the North East of England - before it is eventually rolled out across the rest of the UK.

The tailor-made system is the only one that streamlines the time consuming process of applying for permanent education jobs by allowing candidates to use a single online profile to apply for multiple vacancies via their mobile phone, tablet, or laptop.

It also provides the capital’s schools and education authorities with a searchable database of motivated applicants that exactly match their criteria, speeding up the recruitment process and reducing costs.

Mike, a former teacher in the South East for 15 years, was inspired to develop the app in response to the current outdated method of applying for teaching posts which requires candidates to spend two to three hours filling in individual forms for each post – restricting the size of the talent pool by discouraging a wider number of applications.

The shortage of teachers – set against a background of a pupil population bulge set to rise by as much as 10 per cent by 2023 - is a particular problem in London, especially in secondary schools.

In the past the capital has been able to attract qualified teachers from Australia, New Zealand and Canada travelling on two year working visas to plug the gaps – along with teachers from the EU.

Mike said: “Schools in London were already struggling to fill teacher vacancies and the continuing effects of coronavirus as well as the uncertainty surrounding Brexit has effectively turned off this talent stream. The capital needs to attract qualified teachers from across the UK and this technology is a simple and effective way of doing so.

“This really is a game changer that brings the whole process of applying for a permanent teaching role into the 21st century, delivering huge advantages – in terms of time, cost reduction and ensuring schools recruit the right person for the right role.

“Evolve Teachers is completely unique and has been developed as an answer to a growing problem and I believe it can help address the shortage of teachers in London’s schools.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .