Candidate FAQs

Candidate FAQs

The Hourglass service

Registering with Hourglass is easy. Simply submit your CV, send it to education@hourglasseducation.com or call one of our friendly Consultants on +44 (0) 845 812 0201 and they will talk you through the easy registration process.

Hourglass consultants focus on permanent roles, overseas candidates and leadership. Our client schools also often ask us to fill long-term temporary (from around 6 weeks) and fixed term contracts.

As part of Pertemps Education, we can also help education professionals find day-to-day supply work in teaching, non-teaching and support roles within schools and other education settings.

When you register with us, we may suggest you speak to a Pertemps Education consultant, if they would be best placed to help with your job search.

Absolutely. Our consultants deal with a mixture of long-term temporary (from around 6 weeks), fixed term or permanent contracts. If you are looking for a permanent role or want to discuss the next step in your career, please send your CV to education@hourglasseducation.com or call one of our friendly consultants on +44 (0) 845 812 0201 and they will talk you through the easy registration process.

We work with a variety of schools, academies and multi-academy trusts to help them find the teaching staff they require. The majority of our client schools are secondary schools in London, the home counties and the south east of England, but we also work with primaries, post-16 institutions, and those based further afield.

The majority of our client schools are in London, the home counties and the south east of England, but we also work with those based further afield.

What you earn is dependent on a number of factors and will vary between roles. Your consultant will be transparent about the hourly rate or annual salary on offer for each role. Factors that may affect what you might be paid include:

  • Your experience,
  • The level of the role and whether you will have responsibility,
  • The location of the role.

No. We will never ask teachers to pay for our recruitment advice or other services.

Qualifications

The Department for Education (DfE) has been working on expanding its approach to awarding qualified teacher status (QTS). It has acted to make sure the UK has legislation in place to recognise teaching qualifications from overseas.

A professional recognition service sets consistent standards so the qualifications and experience of overseas teachers can be fairly assessed.

Non-UK teachers can now check their eligibility to apply for QTS using this service.

If you’re not eligible to use the new service, you may be able to:

Applicants with a teaching qualification from the following countries and regions can now use the new service to check they meet the requirements for QTS and apply:

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • the EEA
  • Gibraltar
  • Guernsey
  • Hong Kong
  • Jersey
  • New Zealand
  • Northern Ireland
  • Scotland
  • Switzerland
  • Ukraine
  • the USA

Applicants with a subject specialism in languages, mathematics or science and a qualification to teach 11 to 16 year olds from the following seven countries can now use the service to check if they meet the requirements for QTS and apply:

  • Ghana
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Nigeria
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • Zimbabwe

Most of our client schools are looking for teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), or those who are eligible to apply for QTS.

More information on QTS and eligibility can be found on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualified-teacher-status-qts.

However, if you’re a qualified teacher from outside the UK, you can work as a teacher in England for up to 4 years without QTS.

We do help schools with their recruitment of support staff such as teaching assistants, administrative staff and technicians. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you are interested in one of these roles.

Pay & Tax

If you are considering coming to England to teach or train to teach languages or physics, you could be eligible for financial help from the UK government worth £10,000.

This applies to:

  • non-UK teachers of languages, physics and general or combined science when it includes physics
  • non-UK trainee teachers of languages and physics
  • The international relocation payment (IRP) is designed to repay some of the costs of moving to England, including:
  • the costs of visas
  • the immigration health surcharge
  • other relocation expenses

All eligible applicants will receive a single payment of £10,000 from the Department for Education (DfE) around the end of their first term training or working in England. The IRP is a grant – you will not have to pay this money back. You can only receive the IRP once.

Find out more: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/non-uk-teachers/get-an-international-relocation-payment

As the old adage goes, ‘good people know good people’. At Hourglass, we have built a reputation with both clients and candidates as a thorough, approachable and trusted recruitment partner. We know the people we work with will recommend the sort of candidates who will help our client schools achieve their objectives.

Our referral system allows you to recommend a teacher and receive a payment of £250! This can be claimed multiple times, so feel free to spread the word to your colleagues! You can recommend people from the UK or from overseas.

To refer a teacher:

Please send an email to education@hourglasseducation.com with the candidate’s CV attached. Please title the email ‘Teacher referral’.

Terms and Conditions:

  • Referred candidates must be ‘new’ to Hourglass. If we have previously received their details through other channels we cannot pay a referral fee
  • Candidates must be employed as a teacher on a full-time basis. We offer a separate referral fee of £75 for support/ admin staff.
  • Only one person can claim a referral fee for each teacher. In the event of a dispute, Hourglass Education’s decision is final
  • Your referral must be emailed to us and must include the CV of the candidate
  • You must gain the permission of the person in question prior to referring them
  • Your referral fee will be paid by BACS and is taxable
  • We can only pay referral fees if you hold a UK bank account in your own name. Proof of this will be required
  • You must have permission from the person that you are referring
  • Referral fees will be paid when the referred candidate has completed one full term of employment in their new school

What you earn is dependent on a number of factors and will vary between roles. Your consultant will be open and honest about the hourly rate or annual salary on offer for each role. Factors that may affect what you might be paid include:

  • Your experience,
  • The level of the role and whether you will have responsibility,
  • The location of the role.

Search for your next role

Wherever you are in your career, Hourglass is likely to have access to the opportunities which will help you make the next, important step.

Register with us

Are you open to new opportunities? Fast-track your job search by registering with our specialist education recruitment consultants.

Candidate Support Hub

We’ve gathered our expertise to offer careers advice to help you throughout your job search. There’s everything from CV tips to interview advice, and plenty for overseas candidates preparing to relocate to the UK.