ISC launches Job Zone for teachers

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) has launched a new job search facility to enable teachers seeking work in the independent sector to search for vacancies in over 1,200 independent schools across the UK. ISC is also offering those who are considering a teaching career in the independent sector the opportunity to visit independent schools through a series of free taster sessions.

Recent figures released by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) reveal that, in the last five months, there has been a near 50% increase in the number of people enquiring online about becoming teachers, compared to the same period last year.

To search for vacancies in the ISC Job Zone, visit www.isc.co.uk/JobZone. Further information about the teacher taster sessions is available at www.isc.co.uk/TeacherTasterDays.

Speaking today, ISC Chief Executive, David Lyscom, said:
The ISC Job Zone is a unique job search system. We are confident that the service will quickly establish itself as one of the leading job search systems for independent school vacancies, both for teaching and non-teaching positions.

Independent schools also provide enormous flexibility: enabling individuals with high quality degrees to teach their subject specialisms without having first to acquire a formal teaching qualification; enabling these teachers to qualify on-the-job; and enabling some 1,200 newly qualified teachers to undertake their induction each year. The wealth of experience these teachers bring to the classroom enriches learning and brings a diversity of skills to school life, enhancing the learning experience of the pupils they teach.

The new Job Zone will no doubt make it easier for these individuals to find the right job for them, especially in the current economic climate, when some careers may not be as secure as they once were.

ISC's Head of Schools' Services, Judith Fenn, added:
One of the strengths of independent schools is the fact that many teachers take up their positions direct from the financial world or the armed services, bringing with them specialised knowledge from the ëreal world'. Independent schools allow these teachers to concentrate on the subjects that they love, rather than teach combined subjects to a set curriculum. These individuals also enrich the broad and varied extra curricular provision of independent schools.