Now Teach

In April we shared the surprise news that the previous government had decided not to reprocure the Career Change Programme that Now Teach delivers. This was an effective cut to our budget and meant we did not have the resources to inspire, recruit and support any more experienced professionals to become teachers in 2025. However, following a successful fundraising campaign, our Board of Trustees has agreed to move ahead with recruiting a new cohort of 250 teachers to start training in September 2025. This means we can carry on inspiring and supporting experienced people to become teachers.  The short-term bridging funding we have received has given the Board confidence that we can work through this uncertain period and keep up the momentum we have created. We still believe it is important that our work is supported by the Department for Education and will continue to press this case with the new government. However, the philanthropic commitments we have received means that we can now build a more sustainable future funding model. This is entirely down to the generosity of donors and the vocal support from people such as yourselves who stood up when we most needed it. On behalf of the young people that our future recruits will teach, we thank you all.  If you are one of those people considering teaching, then good news: you can join our Network. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eZ3nq94j Join Now Teach: https://lnkd.in/ep8fQedw #NT2025

Earlier this month Now Teach co-founder Lucy Kellaway and I had the pleasure of presenting to a very engaged audience at AKO Capital at the invitation of Philip Lawford from the AKO Foundation. At Now Teach, we are fortunate to have had the backing of the AKO Foundation for several years and are absolutely delighted that they recently agreed to extend their support for our work through to 2027.     It’s only with the help of organisations like the AKO Foundation that we are able to continue encouraging and supporting more career changers into teaching; inspiring educators like Dr Jo Young who changed career in 2020 and recently won an The English-Speaking Union Award after setting up a debate club at Jack Hunt School in Peterborough. https://lnkd.in/eij4qjFm   If you would like to find out more about how you or your company can get involved in Now Teach’s work to bring industry experience and skills into schools, please do get in touch.

Changing career to teaching is not straightforward, and Dr Emma Kell FCCT is one of the people who helps us support Now Teachers through their transition. If you're interested in becoming a teaching and want to explore how to thrive, follow Emma as well as applying to Now Teach! Her insight on work-life balance in teaching, and being a parent and a trainee teacher has helped many Now Teachers navigate their first years in the profession. She's shared her wisdom with our team as we've developed our support and she brings huge value to our trainees through her coaching and the great sessions she's run for us at our annual conference. Thank you.

Q: Can you thrive as a career changer to teaching? A: Yes. Jo Young joined Now Teach in 2020. Last week she won the English Speaking Union's Rutland Foundation Teacher Award for setting up a debate club in her school. Jo said, "Now Teach's support and expert guidance is a big part of why I feel confident in the classroom." Reflecting on why she started the debate club, Dr Young said: "I know from experience that oracy is power. "I can't really think of many jobs where you don't have to be a good communicator. "One of our young people has already secured a part-time job after impressing employers with her ability to interact with customers during a work placement." Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/dcCrGgsv

There are so many ways that career changers are making an impact in schools - from sharing career experience to 'just' being great teachers. Congratulations to Jo Young for winning the English Speaking Union Rutland Foundation Teacher Award, after setting up a debate club at Jack Hunt School in Peterborough. Reflecting on changing career in her 40s, Jo said she feared she had "left it too late to retrain". But with support from Now Teach, Jo (former Egyptologist) became an English teacher. "Now Teach's support and encouragement and expert guidance is a big part of why I now feel confident in the classroom," she said.

Ageism in recruitment is rife, according to a recent Totaljobs poll reported in the Times. Job hunters aged over 57 are seen as 'too old'. We are changing ageist attitudes by enabling people to change career to teaching in middle-age. Our co-founder Lucy Kellaway became a teacher at 57. Experience counts. Our joint letter with Teach First on the issue has been published: "With a shortage of skilled workers in this country, we should be celebrating the wealth of experience those aged over 50 can bring to new careers. And for those who want to make a real difference, look no further than teaching." Change career with confidence. With Now Teach. https://lnkd.in/eC6xBpyy (£)

The Institute of Student Employers surveyed its members on how many had embedded a skills-based approach to talent management. Only 10% said they had fully adopted a talent programmes that focus less on a person’s age, education or experience to focus on skills and hire talent from a broader range of backgrounds. But 58% said they had partially adopted this approach and only 3% aren't doing anything. So progress. However, none of the organisations surveyed by ISE had attraction and recruitment strategies for older workers, and only 15% have recruitment pathways for career changers. To quote the report: "That doesn’t mean organisations don’t hire these groups. For example, Now Teach has a career-changers programme and Connectr works with Phoenix Group on its apprenticeship for the over-50s. "In fact, our survey found that approximately half of respondents hire these groups, just not through specific initiatives. Although 31% do have specific pathways to hire ex-military personnel." Closing thought: Does your organisation have strategies that allow hiring managers to identify on skills, rather education or background? And how do career changers and older workers fit into this? https://lnkd.in/gYudQcPU #careerchange #skills #talentmanagement #diversity #age

We're #hiring a new Communications Executive to help recruit and support more career changers into teaching! Now Teach are the charity that supports experienced people to become teachers, bringing their insight and skills into classrooms. The successful candidate will work on a wide range of communications projects, from our annual recruitment campaigns, blogs, social media, public relations, website, brand and internal comms. You'll co-ordinate production of communications for target audiences from beginning to end – from planning, writing, and editing of copy to measuring effectiveness of communications. Location: Flexible, with monthly co-working days in London Salary: £31k - £34k depending on experience and qualifications (+11% employer pension contribution) Working Arrangements: Full time; 37.5 hours a week. We are happy to consider requests for flexible or part time working Click below to find out more. #communications #content #marketing #recruitment #careerchange #education #charity

Lucy Kellaway gives her view about AI teaching on the BBC's Today programme. She wonders how an AI teacher could inspire its students and motivate them to learn. "As someone who has encouraged hundreds of people to become teachers, part of me is appalled. And part of me is really interested." Listen to the whole interview here: https://lnkd.in/eBVNzeW6

Zeynep Holmes changed career to teaching with Now Teach in 2018, leaving her role as a senior banker behind. Zed's career now goes beyond teaching economics and business studies and, as Theresa opens with, she also works to develop her students' skills in conflict management and authenticity. To sum up this interview in one line: "Life is too short to stay in a career that no longer excites you." And we're so very glad that Zed is still excited by teaching young people.