Yearly Archives: 2020

Balancing home and work life

Posted on December 20, 2020 at 8:28 pm

It is always important to try and get the balance right between home and work life. If you tip the balance too much over to work then you will often find that your home life suffers because you cannot spend enough time with your family or you are too tired when you do. If you tip the balance in favour of home too much then you may not work as much as you need to and therefore not earn as much as you need to. It is unlikely you will get a promotion or pay rise if you do not even put yourself out for work I.e. working overtime when asked on some occasions.

This years has meant that lots of people home / work life have at times blended in to one. It may be that you have had to work from home and also tried to look after your child whilst taking work calls. This has not been easy for many people but as everyone was in the same situation, it didn’t matter. If possible, try and put aside time for work and then time for home life. If you are still working from home then why not set up a desk in a corner of the room or a space room so you have a dedicated work area.

Posted in News

Want that promotion? How to boost your chances.

Posted on November 16, 2020 at 1:36 pm

For many people, the prospect of staying in the same role with the same company for years is not an attractive one but gaining promotion either within the current department or changing to a different one often brings a fresh outlook.

It is important to be proactive in your approach to promotion and make it clear to your employer that you are interested in any opportunities that would be available to you. A meeting with your line manager to discuss your ambitions and ask about any further training that you could undertake to make promotion more likely is advisable because if your employer is not able to offer you promotion either because a position is not available, or they are unwilling to consider you it may be necessary to seek alternative employment that offers better progression prospects.

Many companies have mentoring programs running where a junior employee is mentored by a more senior member of staff. This is useful as the mentor can act as an advocate in any promotion bid and can offer valuable career guidance and training.

Evidence of any achievements that have been made during employment, especially if they have benefitted the company should be kept and provided to support any promotion bid.

Posted in recruitment

Is your CV up to date?

Posted on October 23, 2020 at 10:27 am

At the moment unemployment is rising rapidly so it is important to give yourself the best possible chance when you are applying for a job. One of the first requirements is usually to fill in an application form and possibly submit a CV so it is important that your CV is up to date and relevant to the job you want to get.

Updating a CV need not be onerous if it is done regularly and should certainly be updated after any new training is undertaken or any new experience is gained. It is wise to tailor the CV to the role you are applying for it may even be worth having slightly different copies depending on the jobs. It is however always important to be truthful in a CV as employers could check your qualifications and training record with previous employers.

If you want to maximise your chances of getting a job you could send your current CV out to potential employers with a covering letter stating that you would be interested to hear of any vacancies in their company. This is a good way to get yourself known to business owners and may result in them keeping your details on file.

Recruitment firms are typically happy to receive copies of your CV to keep on file and should a suitable job come available they may forward it to a potential employer.

Posted in recruitment

What help is available when it comes to job hunting?

Posted on September 5, 2020 at 12:12 pm

Job hunting can be a nightmare at the best of times but at present it is even harder than usual. Many businesses are not looking to take additional staff members on at present as the future is still very much unknown and they are worried about if they will have enough work to keep the staff they currently have busy.

If you are in apposition where you need to look for employment but don’t know how or where to start, then do not stress, there is help out there. You may have to apply for more jobs that previous and you may have to expect it to take longer to find a vacancy but there are still jobs outs there. Depending on your age, younger people can go to careers advisors that are often based in schools or colleges or may have their own offices. These advisors should not charge a fee and will offer impartial advice on what you need to do get employment and where you can look to start to apply for positions.

If you are an older person looking for employment, then the Job centre can offer a similar service. They will usually ask you to take a questionnaire to find out what skills, experience and qualifications you have so they can advise you on what may suit you best.

Posted in recruitment

Changing career paths can be hard work

Posted on August 18, 2020 at 1:46 pm

When we are younger, it is often drilled into us that we need to know what we want to do when we are older. From the age of when you have to choose your GCSE subjects you may already be limiting your choices as certain careers require you to have very specific qualifications.

It can be hard to try and change your career choice once you have already entered the world of employment especially if you have a number of financial commitments that you need to uphold.

Teaching is one career that has changed over the years and more and more of them are leaving the profession within a few years of starting.

If you are sure that a career move is right for you then you need to assess whether you need to do any additional training or qualifications. When attending an interview, you may find that you are up against people that already have experience or qualifications in that sector so the more you can do to further yourself the better. Finding jobs that are similar to what you already do may help your chances of landing them, but you need to be sure that it is a move in to the career you think you will be happy in otherwise you will be doing it all again in the near future. 

Posted in News

Could a job as a private tutor be a good career?

Posted on July 24, 2020 at 10:21 am

If you are thinking of starting up your own tutoring business and have the appropriate qualifications and experience you may be wondering whether it is possible to make a good living from this career or whether it is more of a temporary occupation. Many parents are eager for their child to make good academic progress at school but feel unable to support them educationally. These parents will often seek the help of a private tutor to provide extra lessons and support for their child so the potential for business is high.

The outgoings for a business such as tutoring will usually be relatively low as the internet is a valuable source of excellent quality resources that can be used to support learning. Using these good quality and up to date resources alongside current teaching methods will guarantee positive results in terms of pupil motivation and therefore client satisfaction.

The pricing structure for your tutoring business will be dependant upon the area in which you are working and so it is a good move to research what the usual rate is per hour for that area. For instance, if you are working in the London area you would be able to charge a higher rate than if you are employed in a more rural location.

Posted in education

What are the advantages to working in a small primary school?

Posted on June 23, 2020 at 8:01 pm

When looking for a teaching job it is important to consider whether you prefer teaching in a large primary school or a smaller rural one as the difference between the two in terms of teaching practice is great.

Although for some teachers the idea of teaching a class where you may have a wide range of ages in the same class can be daunting it can be a much more fulfilling experience as you see children supporting one another across the age range which leads to a feeling of belonging to a family. 

It is common to have a high level of teacher support by teaching assistants in a smaller school with the teacher planning the work but it being delivered to some groups by the teaching assistant. In this way it can really feel as if you are part of a team working together for the good of the pupils.

The flexibility that is necessary in a small school is a plus point for a lot of teachers. For example, if there are only two classes, assembly times can be changed to accommodate extra activities that may be going on in school as long as it suits both teachers equally and the same goes for break times too.

Posted in education

What is going to happen to those who were supposed to be taking exams?

Posted on May 13, 2020 at 11:58 am

With the current unprecedented situation in the UK and the majority of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many pupils are wondering what is going to happen when things start to return to normal. Children have been off school now for nearly 7 weeks and many of those that are currently being home schooled should have been sitting exams this year.

As this is a situation we have never been in before, n one knows exactly what is going to happen but they have said it is very unlikely that pupils will have to sit these exams, instead they will probably be graded based on their work they have already completed in the classroom.

For some students this will work out well, as it may be that they excel in the classroom but really struggle in an exam sitting. But there will always be those children that the opposite is true. They may not do very well in coursework and in the class room but somehow just seem to fly through exams. For those students this may not be the best option for them.

IT is such a complicated situation, we don’t really know what is best but hopefully no one will be penalised because of this.

Posted in education

Worrying times for the self employed

Posted on April 15, 2020 at 3:24 pm

Being self-employed can be extremely stressful at the best of time but especially at the moment buti it can also be extremely rewarding and allow you to run your own business how you wish to but you need to have the right work ethos to be able to do it.  Some people can also make a lot of money from running their own business but you do need to have the motivation, skills and discipline to make it a success.

Currently lots of self-employed people are still unable to work so are having to rely on savings or universal credit to keep them afloat. In June many self-employed people will be getting a grant that should cover some of their earnings but this grant will be taxable and will affect tax credits / universal credits. This is bringing a lot of uncertainty about and people simply do not know what the future holds for them.

The first year or so of running your own business is often testing the water and a bit of trial and error. You will learn a lot in your first 12 months of trading but if you make changes based on the learning you have done you can often make it a success. If this is your first year, you may decide to put it on hold until after this crisis is over or use it as a time to learn and get all your business in order.

Posted in News

Supply teaching as a choice not a necessity

Posted on March 16, 2020 at 10:43 am

For some teachers supply teaching is only considered if a contracted teaching job can’t be found or if you need your job to fit in with family commitments but there are a growing number of teachers in the primary and secondary sector that are actively seeking supply work as there are a good many benefits to this far more casual way of working.

An initial choice will need to be made as to whether you seek work through one of the teaching agencies or whether you are going to source supply teaching posts independently. Many local authorities will only accept supply teachers who are signed up to an agency, but sometimes smaller schools are more flexible in their approach. Agency work may result in slightly less pay but you may be guaranteed regular work if you want it.

One of the main advantages of supply teaching is that you are in control of the days that you are available for work so for instance it enables you to fit in hobbies or holidays to suit you and your family. This is a major factor in the growing popularity of supply teaching as an employment choice as a contracted teaching job is very inflexible in this regard.

Posted in education

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