An innovative pilot scheme has helped local education authorities (LEAs) in
London cost-effectively recruit teachers from abroad.
Concerned about the high costs of using staffing agencies to recruit
teachers from Australia and Canada to work in the UK, seven LEAs asked the
Government Office for London (GOL) for a solution.
The GOL approached jobs board Monster, which built a website for the LEAs
and placed banner advertisements within its ‘Global Gateway’ section.
It not only enables job candidates to register, but also provides
information about living and working in London, as well as other practical
information.
Around 50 teachers have been recruited so far through this method.
Paul Jennings of the recruitment and retention unit at the GOL, said:
"The LEAs are placing teachers from the pool, and the full success of the
scheme will be known in September. However, we are discussing with the LEAs how
the scheme can be taken forward into 2005."
According to the LEAs, staffing agencies can charge fees of up to £5,000 per
placement, and pooling their funds has resulted in a significant return on
investment. The cost-per-hire now costs less than other traditional recruitment
methods.
Joe Slavin, managing director of Monster.co.uk, said: "There is
increasing pressure for schools to find a more cost-effective and timely way to
recruit candidates for teaching positions. This scheme has shown that online
recruitment fits the bill."
