What time of year should you head to the UK to teach?

The UK school year is not the same as it is in Australia and New Zealand. It begins in early September and ends in mid-July. There are 3 terms referred to as Autumn (Sep), Spring (Jan) and Summer (Apr) terms. It is important to bear this in mind when considering which times are busy or quiet for finding teaching work.

Most long term positions start in September and schools receive resignations up until the end of May. Those schools recruiting teachers from overseas are often interviewing well in advance for September positions and it is wise to get your CV registered with us early in the year so that all documentation can be sorted out before interviews commence. Some schools are interviewing overseas teachers as early as March and April for September positions!

Generally most permanent and long term positions for the coming September have been filled by the end of the school year in July and not much at all happens during the summer holidays from July to September.

Teachers who have not organised work for September will find that the beginning of term can be quiet but there are still jobs around. Schools will require teachers to take the place of others who have simply not started as expected. They will also require teachers to replace staff who were expected to return but for some reason cannot (illness, unexpected circumstances) on a temporary basis. In both cases, the schools will want to see potential candidates teach and so are likely to book teachers in for a week or more and then decide whether to retain them. Other schools will book teachers in for the half term or full term. Day to day supply (relief) teachers begin to be required approximately 4-5 weeks into the term.

There is a similar pattern in January too, but with winter ‘flu doing the rounds there is a lot more day to day supply around at the beginning of term compared to September. There are a lot of long term roles which start in January and go for the remainder of the school year. These tend to be organised in advance so it pays to get your CV in early to be considered for these positions.  Those who wait until the Christmas holidays to get organised for a position in January are often disappointed to find it is too late to get something lined up before the schools go back in the first week of January. If you are looking for a job to be lined up in advance for January, you should plan to get your CV registered by around August.