Job hunting is never fun, especially for busy teachers who have lessons to plan and essays to mark. However, Cambridge is a great location for any teaching trying to find work, so if you are looking in this location you might just be in luck. There are lots of teaching jobs Cambridge has available, and one of them might be the perfect fit for you and the stage you are at with your teaching career.
Finding work as a teacher in Cambridge will largely depend on the age groups you teach, the aspirations you have for your career and the areas where you want to teach – Cambridge is an expansive area and it is good to narrow your search down where possible. If you are new to the teaching profession, it can be a good place to learn more about it and have some more defined aims for your future, but it is good to go in with clear expectations of a possible outcome. Begin targeting particular schools, specific areas, and schools that have certain curriculums that interest you from a professional point of view.
Finding the right opportunities for you as a teacher in Cambridge
If you are further away from Cambridge currently, you might need to look at the area more extensively, ensuring that there will be easy routes for you and the school you will be working in will fit in with your lifestyle. Always think about the holistic aspects of your teaching career, as well as what happens in the classroom. If you are less familiar with the area as well, you should consider talking to a specialist recruiter who works in the education sector. They will be able to tell you a lot more about the area and the locations of schools you are considering, as well as the schools themselves.
Recruitment specialists in education will also be a good connection in general during your job hunting, whatever your current situation might be. They will be in direct contact with schools and will find out about positions early, so they will have access to some of the latest and best job opportunities in the education sector. Once you establish contact with an agency, stay in touch – find out from them what jobs are coming up, what is new to the sector and what you should know about them. Even when you find your ideal teaching job and are happy and settled in your school. it is worth maintaining these kinds of relationships as you never know when you might want to make another move in future.
Sometimes teaching recruitment specialists might have more supply teaching opportunities than full time permanent positions. If this is the case, you might want to consider supply teaching in the Cambridge area for a while. You will meet other teachers and headteachers, and experience different schools, their ethos, their curriculum and their behaviour policies. You will have an insider view of them and will know where you want to teach when permanent positions come up.