Teaching Agencies are the Pits

I put up my CV on various job websites last year. I took some time out to rest. Since then I have had job offers from the Middle East - lucrative packages to go and teach there. Unfortunately, I don't feel I can at the moment.

I also joined various agencies and keep applying for jobs through them but have not had any luck so far. The one time I asked for feedback, they told me to ask whoever had put the post up. As there were no contact details, that was not really a helpful bit of advice.

First Agency -

I contacted them to apply for a job in the Bentham area. They asked for my CV, so I sent them it. I asked the guy to arrange for me to visit the school which he promised to do as he was visiting the school and seeing the headteacher. However, when he had not contacted me a couple of days later, I asked him to let me know what was going on. I received no answer, in spite of trying to contact him several times.

Second Agency - Reed Global

I uploaded my CV on to their site in July 2012. Several posts came up and I applied for them with no luck. It was them I asked for feedback as stated above....

In November, one of their people contacted me to ask me to send me my CV as there was a job for which he would like to put me forward. I replied that it was already on their site. I also said that several posts had been advertised by them which I had applied for. Could he explain why I had not been considered for these posts? He said I need a standard CV to apply. I said that's fine but please could he give me an answer to my question. That was the last I heard from him.

Following my experiences with Randstad (see below) I complained to the Reed Management. After they put someone on the case, their excuse was it was an error. Their Global website had not passed on my CV to the local office / Education website. Really?

Just for information, Reed are in partnership with Lancashire LEA to recruit teachers for them.

Third Agency - Randstad

I received an email from these people in January, asking for references and an updated CV. I provided all these and we set up a meeting for an interview - for cover work. We had to cancel due to personal circumstances. The appointment was rearranged for January 2013.

On the Friday, at 5pm, I received an email saying the meeting had been cancelled. I rang up on Monday to find out what was going on, as requested. When I eventually got through, the guy (Frazer) told me that as I had not taught since September 2011, I needed to go back into school on a voluntary basis to get reacquainted with things. He said it was a Department of Education regulation and being a recruitment agency, they had to stick to very rigid rules. This was a blow, but I said I would do that.

However, I spent the evening looking for this regulation but I couldn't find anything. The next morning I rang up and asked whether he could send me a link or a document with the regulation in it. He promised to do that. I asked him how long I should do voluntary work for and he replied, "Uhhhhh, two months".

After I got off the phone, I rang up the NASUWT who refused to help but offered me the number of a teachers' helpline. They gave me the number of the Department for Education, who passed me on to the Teaching Agency's Return to Teaching helpline. After a bit of research, they informed me that there was NO such regulation OR guideline. I contacted Randstad again at which point their guy said, there was no Regulation, it was just a guideline. So I asked him again for a link or a document. He said he would let me have one. He also apologised for not noticing, for 3 weeks, that I had had no teaching since September 2011.

Since then, there has been no document or link forthcoming. I have had an email saying one of his managers will contact me on Monday to sort everything out. I emailed back to say if he could send me proof, that would resolve the issue in 2 minutes. There was no call from his manager. When I rang back, he said the compliance officer would ring. She didn't either. I had emails saying they had the wrong number on my CV. There was no reply when I called and emailed back to tell them I had left my number with their receptionist.

Eventually the CO asked me for my complaints. I wrote them down for her and she promised to get back to me within a fortnight. So, 5 weeks later, I received a letter by snail mail telling me that they wouldn't be send me their documentation because they don't want rivals to see it. She accused me of being rude to Frazer. She also said it was just because he was inexperienced, he had made a mistake. Firstly, if he is inexperienced and not had enough training, he should not be taking calls. Secondly, I heard him asking people in the office about what he should say. Every time I rang he said he would check. That excuse simply does not wash. I do believe ignorance is not an excuse you can use in Court. I emailed this back to her and also asked her why she had taken so long? Why use snail mail when she knew I preferred email or phone? Was she trying to delay me taking the case to tribunal? At this point, she asked me whether I was taking the case to tribunal and on what grounds. I replied I had told Frazer that and put it in my emails to them before, so why was she surprised?

I reported the matter to the agency which regulates the Teaching Agencies. I told them as well that I was taking it to Tribunal. I put a complaint into the Employment Tribunal and they are taking it seriously. I also complained about the agencies in general but they want a separate complaint about each.

Fourth Agency - Key Stage Agency

They contacted me immediately I sent in a CV but when I rang back and left my phone number with the receptionist, they did not get in touch. Shocking!

Fifth Agency - Capita

I applied for a job through Capita. They said I had been shortlisted. I have contacted them 3 times but they haven't been in touch about what this was about.

My Opinion

What I think, backed by other people, is that the agencies have a profile of the type of person they want - and I am too old to be considered. This profile is drawn up in reaction to how schools act. I don't believe the agencies act in isolation. This is age discrimination in all but name but also, I believe, sex discrimination as it will affect women who have been out of school due to maternity care or taking time off while they were raising a family.