ACS Cobham has recently introduced a new programme to recruit newly-qualified teachers. Fiona Whitworth, HR Director, tells us more
ACS Cobham has recently introduced a new programme to recruit newly-qualified teachers (NQTs).
This programme aims to positively impact student learning outcomes by inspiring lifelong learning for early-career teachers, through an innovative programme of educator support, talent development, and career progression.
Fiona Whitworth, HR Director, tells us more.
What inspired ACS to introduce this scheme?
Globally, international education is expected to expand, leading to an increased need for high-quality educators; simultaneously, our workforce is reaching retirement age, and the number of people entering the profession is diminishing.
We also have been exploring opportunities to extend the reach of the great teachers we have, keeping them in the classroom whilst still enabling them to progress in their careers. Synthesising all of this, we did a significant amount of research into best practices around the future of education. That ultimately led to the design of the Inspiring Minds: Teacher Residency Programme for hiring and developing early-career teachers, one that integrates them into ACS whilst creating a career ladder and leadership opportunities.
Above all, we expect it to positively impact student learning outcomes and inspire lifelong learning through this innovative programme of educator support, talent development, and career progression.
Our ideal candidates are…
• Caring. A good listener who displays genuine empathy, compassion, and respect
• Collaborative. Enjoys being part of a team, celebrates the success of others, and knows how to give and receive critical friendship Coachable and open.
• Culturally Responsive. Appreciates the richness of the international experience, bringing students’ cultures, languages, and life experiences into the classroom
• Engaged with the community; aware of local and global challenges; willing to pitch in and give back
• Optimistic with a high degree of self-efficacy (a belief that you can make a difference) and a sense of humour
• Passionate for the subject and profession, committed to the welfare of children. Self-disciplined with high personal standards and an ambition to learn
• Resilient. Doesn’t give up or grow discouraged in the face of challenges, set-backs, or hard work; willing to take the long view. Able to change course, make new plans, and try a different way
• Responsible. Exercises good judgement, acts with fairness and integrity, and complies with regulations and programme requirements.
What kind of response have you received, applications-wise?
We’ve heard from a number of diverse candidates interested in beginning their careers with us.
We have also identified universities with particularly strong credentials in the field of international education, and have targeted and started to build relationships with those that are particularly strong in building world-class education programmes. In addition to advertising through our own careers website, we have run a social media campaign to announce the programme, and also advertised it directly with the targeted universities.
We have also run an online webinar for interested candidates to learn more about the programme. This targeted campaign is resulting in applications from high quality candidates. We are now at initial screening stage and will be putting candidates through a selection process which is focused on the personal attributes and capabilities we are looking for.
Is there appetite for NQTs to teach in the international system vs the UK school system?
Yes, there is a high level of demand from candidates all over the world (including the UK) to gain teaching experience in an international school. We are particularly keen to attract a diverse range of candidates across the world which mirrors our student population, rather than to attract only candidates from the UK.
How will our students benefit?
We have constructed the development programme in a way which extends the reach of our highly effective, experienced teachers across a wider number of students. This means that our excellent teachers will now be in classroom contact and responsible for the learning of a larger number of students. New graduate entrants will be fully supported in their classrooms.
Equally, we expect recent graduates of world-class education programmes to bring us the benefits of new learnings and innovative approaches developed through research in leading educational practice.
Is this scheme unique to ACS?
It is bespoke to fit our context, but it is based on the successes of other programmes we explored. We conducted research into early-career teacher development programmes at other schools and school groups as well as national/state programmes in the UK and the USA. We have also reviewed research into what new graduate teachers are looking for as part of their early career development.
Many programmes fall short in terms of the levels of support provided at the critical early stages of teacher development and we know that this is critical to success. We have designed our own scheme to meet the specific circumstances of our own schools and will be testing it as a pilot programme initially before we extend and develop it further.
Are there particular subject areas you’re looking to recruit to?
Running a small multi-year pilot allows us to take advantage of subject area opportunities as they arise. For the 2022-2023 year, we are currently recruiting Teacher Residents for Middle School maths, with Middle and High School social studies, maths, English, and science all possible places for expansion in the first or second year.
This scheme is currently only available at Cobham. Are there plans to extend it to our other schools?
Based on our review of the success of the two-year pilot programme at Cobham, we will look to extend a similar approach to our other campuses, both in the UK and Qatar.
