Teach First is ranked 5 by UK humanities, liberal arts and education students

A national expansion has seen applications to Teach First increase by 63 per cent. A combination of making a difference and being professional is proving to be a recipe for success with Generation Y.

By Michelle Boyde

Interview with James Darley, Director of Graduate Recruitment at Teach First.

 “Teach First feels strongly about positioning ourselves as Teach First, not a charity, not a route into teaching, not a traditional graduate employer, just Teach First.”

 

After working at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, why were you drawn to Teach First?
I enjoyed working in investment banking, you meet some of the most challenging and intellectual people in the world. However, Teach First provided a truly unique opportunity to deliver graduate recruitment the way it should be done. I strongly agree with the mission of Teach First: to address educational disadvantage by transforming exceptional graduates into effective, inspirational teachers and leaders in all fields. In the UK, the greatest determinant of a child’s academic achievement is the wealth of their parents. We need to change this.

How does Teach First prioritise employer branding?
Initially, it was simply a case of ‘getting air in the lungs’ and getting done what had to be done. After a year and a half, we had used five different campaigns on campus.  We then concentrated on delivering a recognisable brand (images and messages) to build our employer value proposition. Teach First feels strongly about positioning ourselves as Teach First, not a charity, not a route into teaching, not a traditional graduate employer, just Teach First.

What employer branding initiatives have you undertaken recently?
‘Brand managers’ was an initiative started two years ago. We employ students to help us promote our brand on campus, they undergo extensive training twice a year, as well as catch up weekly with a recruiter.  The most exciting thing is, in 2009, we went full circle and now have our first brand manager, who was a student from a Teach First school. They were helped through their GCSEs and A-Levels and are now at university. They were supported by Teach First and now they support Teach First.

How do you think graduates perceive Teach First?
I hope they see us as an honest employer, a charity really trying to make a difference. Of course, I also hope they associate Teach First with professionalism.

Teach First has performed well even with economic circumstances, are you worried this will diminish when things pick up?
We have certainly experienced a step-up in applications. However, we believe this is mainly due to our national expansion rather than the recession. There is always a risk that talent will move when economic circumstances improve, but we believe that our selection is robust enough. Many Teach First ambassadors leave and come back, this happened recently and an ambassador working in consulting has now been appointed as head-teacher of a new academy.

 

About James Darley
With 11 years graduate recruitment experience James Darley now works at Teach First, an independent UK charity which takes exceptional graduates, trains them to become great teachers and places them in challenging schools. James joined from Credit Suisse (European head of graduate recruitment) five and a half years ago and before that travelled the world for a year after having worked at Deutsche Bank.
Education: BSc in Psychology and Computer Science and Information Technology from Liverpool University
Most striking thing on my CV: At 30 years old I left my job and went travelling for a year.                             

 

About Teach First
Teach First is an independent educational charity which takes exceptional graduates, trains them to become great teachers and leaders and places them in challenging schools.
Number of employees:  100                                                                                                                                                               Something you would not expect: You do not need a degree in the subject you want to teach – an A-Level in the subject is sufficient.