Are you trying to find a teaching job in the UK, but struggling to get things off the ground? Unfortunately, it’s currently not the best time for getting new jobs in any profession, although that shouldn’t necessarily deter you from being as comprehensive as possible in your search. When looking for the best teaching jobs in the UK, you should be prepared to be flexible about where you’re going work, as well as well as what kinds of places you should look for to find new jobs.
In terms of finding the highest density of posts, London remains the best place in which to identify and apply for job opportunities; whether or not you want to move to London in order to work is questionable, as this can mean having to make a significant change in your lifestyle; whether or not you’re willing to take on a more specialist job in a free school or an academy can also dictate the amount of jobs you could find.
When looking at the availability rates of jobs around the UK, a brief survey of job listings websites shows some not unsurprising results – the majority of jobs in the UK are concentrated in London, and particularly at the moment in East London; there’s also more job opportunities, on average, in cities like Manchester and Birmingham. By contrast, job opportunities in sought after parts of the South East around London can be much fewer, as can finding work in the South West of England.
If you are having difficulties finding work in the UK, then it may be worth considering a move abroad to teach your subject, or to teach English as a foreign language; there is a demand for jobs in China and Japan, while other opportunities also exist in the Middle East and areas like South Korea. While there are no guarantees about whether you can get long term work, moving abroad to teach can provide you with significant experience for your CV.
In terms of knowing where to look for the right teaching job, there are many excellent sites that list positions and offer advice and areas in which to discuss work – the Times Educational Supplement, The Guardian jobs website, and agencies and sites such as GSL Education, ETeach, and EduStaff are all worth checking out if you want to keep track of which vacancies are currently available.
It’s important, then, to have some flexibility in the kinds of jobs you apply for, as well as staying on top of different websites. Do you have commitments that you don’t want to break in your current residence, which might include family and friends that you don’t want to leave or uproot in order to work? Similarly, would you rather wait for the right school and vacancy to come along, or are you prepared to take a job that can help you to build up your experience?
Author Bio: Eva Holmes is a teacher who has experience of working abroad. She has found success looking for secondary teaching jobs in London online. You can find Eva advice for finding a teaching job on various blogs.