A Moment with
J
onathan Price is the
Managing Director of
Eteach
International.
Eteach is an international
recruitment company with its
headquarters in the United
Kingdom. Jonathan, an educator
turned businessman, has been in
the region for several years. He
has in-depth knowledge of the
region’s education system, and
has seen the system change and
grow over the years. Jonathan
was born in North Cornelly, just
outside Porthcawl, South Wales,
when the Rolling Stones were top
of the Billboard 100. He attended
the local primary school and then
the cluster comprehensive school,
before going on to completing his
B.Ed. (Hons). Following his studies,
he began his career in education
as a teacher in East London,
before moving internationally
to teach, some 20 years ago. He
has served as a school leader in
both the UK and overseas, before
moving into the corporate world
with Eteach and setting up Eteach
international. Jonathan’s unique
skillset and deep insight makes
him a person of influence on the
international schools scene. In
this ‘A Moment With’ feature, we
speak with Jonathan about his
life, his work and we draw on his
knowledge about recruitment of
quality teachers in international
schools and the role that Eteach
is playing in this.
Who was your favourite
teacher? Why?
I have had a number of great
teachers, but some do stand
out. Mrs Chess was my Yr. 3
teacher, whom I loved to bits.
She introduced me to the joy of
reading and she always read The
Hobbit to us. It is still one of my
favourite stories and I always have
a copy at home.
You were an educator and a
school leader, what prompted
your move into education
recruitment?
During my time as a Principal in
Dubai, I completed a course in
Human Resources Management,
because I wanted to learn
more about the HR elements
in a school. I always enjoyed
recruiting for my own schools and
had positive feedback about the
hiring process, even from those
who did not get the position.
Ethically, I believe that I make a
difference by finding the right
people for the right role at the
right time and therefore having a
positive impact on the learning in
hundreds of schools.
Share a major challenge
facing teacher recruitment
internationally
The news in the UK and in other
countries portrays the education
landscape in a negative light.
The number of people going into
teaching or even remaining in the
profession is at an all-time low.
This is presenting an enormous
challenge to schools in the UK
and overseas. We are trying to
meet this by continually investing
in our services to ensure that both
the candidates and the schools
are able to link up as seamlessly
as possible. This will not solve
the problem, but it is our way of
trying to make things easier for
the two parties.
What makes Eteach
International different from all
other recruitment companies
in the education sector?
Eteach was formed with the belief
that recruiting excellent teachers
for schools and their students
will result in improved learning.
Good recruitment practices from
the outset means more time for
leaders to lead, resulting in happier
and more effective schools.
Eteach is a family business and
was established by Paul Howells,
an ex-teacher, in 2001, as the first
online job board specialising in
the education sector. It currently
works with over 7,500 schools
both in the UK and internationally.
We have over 150 employees
working across offices in the UK
and overseas. Eteach is NOT just
another recruitment agency. We
offer cost effective recruitment
solutions to schools around three
distinct areas:
1.
Advertise
faster!
better,
smarter,
2.
Managed Consultancy
leadership and faculty.
for
3. School Recruiter (ATS) – the
latest innovation in candidate
attraction and recruitment
software for schools and
groups.
Share two ways in which
schools can recruit and retain
the best teaching staff at
this time of reported severe
teacher shortage
The advent of social media and
the internet means that teachers
can find out every detail of a
school before applying. In order
to attract good talent, a school
needs to ensure that its career
site is set up in such a way that
teachers can relate to life at the
school and decide if it matches
their expectations. School leaders
are busy people and should
trust professional companies to
manage their recruitment from
attraction to hire. Retention is
not only linked to the ‘package’
but also the way in which the
teacher’s voice is listened to and
acted upon.
After The Bell
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May - Jun 2019
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