Schools FAQs

Hourglass’ fees vary depending on how you appoint staff, whether it be on a permanent contract, a long-term temporary contract or an agreed daily rate. If multi-academy trusts and other client schools interview and appoint a number of teachers throughout the academic year, Hourglass is happy to discuss preferential rates. Contact us to discuss our fees and Terms of Business.

Each candidate is screened and vetted before they are introduced to a school. We will provide guidance on getting the best out of a video interview. Many of our client schools ask teachers to prepare a lesson plan and presenting that lesson will take place during the interview.

We can arrange a time and date for you to ‘meet’ as many overseas teachers as you choose via video link. 

If you have multiple vacancies, why not commission a unique recruitment drive? Either virtually, using video technology, or face-to-face in the host country.

Either way, Hourglass will present you with an interview schedule made up of pre-vetted teachers, handpicked according to your own unique requirements.

Whether you decide to travel, or stay in the UK, these are extremely efficient, cost effective methods which allow schools and academies to conduct meaningful interviews and make swift, informed hiring decisions.

Offers of employment can be made immediately, and our dedicated team will follow up, offering support with contracts, visa applications, relocation preparation, and taking full responsibility for security, identity and professional competence checks.

The immigration process has not only been simplified, but it now allows schools far greater freedom to widen the net and recruit high-calibre teachers of all subjects from overseas.

Many teachers have UK Ancestry or British passports which give them the right to work in the UK. Teachers under the age of 31 from New Zealand, Australia and Canada are eligible for the two year Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa. 

Teachers of ‘non-shortage’ subjects such as business studies, geography, economics and food technology, as well as high-demand subjects like maths, physics and English, are now eligible to apply for the Skilled Worker Visa.

The Skilled Worker Visa replaced the Tier 2 (General) visa and is now the main immigration route for non-UK resident workers. It is open to individuals of all nationalities whose sponsor has offered them an eligible skilled job in the UK. This route can lead to settlement and applicants can be joined by dependent partners and children.

This means a much wider range of subjects are now eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa. There is now no need to advertise non-shortage roles and the minimum salary threshold has come down, meaning early career teachers (ECTs) are now eligible for sponsorship. Additionally, there is no national limit to the number of certificates of sponsorship.

As a result, sponsoring schools are free to widen the net and recruit teachers of all subjects from overseas. 

Hourglass has a team of overseas specialists who will be happy to discuss your particular requirements.

Hourglass works with each teacher to ensure that their teaching qualifications are recognised in the UK and comparable with those awarded in British institutions. Where appropriate, teachers apply to ECCTIS for a comparability statement to underline the quality of their training. 

A teacher trained in New Zealand, Australia or Canada is classified as an Overseas Trained Teacher (OTT) and can apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Some teachers with comparable teaching qualifications are eligible to gain QTS through the Assessment Only Route, or Schools Direct. They are often keen to work with schools who will support and encourage them through this process.

All our teachers are screened and interviewed by one of our specialist recruitment consultants. 

We are committed to APSCo Compliance+ principles which take us above and beyond our statutory obligations, and our in-house compliance team undertakes rigorous training. In turn, they ensure all staff complete Safer Recruitment Skills training.

We carefully check a candidate’s CV, verified references, visa, passport, proof of address, proof of identity, qualifications, overseas police checks and DBS. 

Hourglass consultants are happy to review applications from education professionals anywhere in the world, but will not introduce them to schools unless they are suitable for employment in UK schools. 

To date, we have successfully found teaching jobs in the UK for teachers who started out in Australia, Barbados, Canada, France, Ghana, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, USA and Zimbabwe.

It’s easy to get in touch! Complete our contact form and one of our specialist recruiters will come back to you to discuss your requirements in more detail.

Our consultants work hard to get to know their client schools. They know that their reputation rests on the quality of the service they provide, and the calibre of their candidates.

Absolutely! We recruit for a wide range of positions within schools. Whether that’s a business manager, facilities personnel, ECT, subject specialist, head of department or phase leader, we can help.

If you’re looking to strengthen your SLT, we have dedicated Leadership specialists who use a blend of traditional search and selection methodologies. They approach every search assignment by taking the time to get to know each client’s specific requirements, timeframes and strategic objectives. Contact Sarah Catchpole to find out more.