Newly Qualified Teachers

NQT Pool

In September 2007 around 200 Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT’s) joined Medway to begin their teaching career.  If you are looking for your first teaching post we hope you will consider joining us.  We are a small, forward thinking Local Authority (LA) and pride ourselves on our friendly personal approach. At Medway you are not just a number and the Teacher Recruitment Team will ensure you have all the help and support you need to settle into your first teaching job.

Induction

The DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families, formally the Department for Education and Skills) introduced a compulsory period of induction for NQT’s in September 1999.  The induction period must be undertaken by NQTs who wish to work in maintained schools and non-maintained special schools in England.

When NQTs come to Medway they are joining schools and a LA that take induction very seriously.  Medway is committed to supporting teachers and schools in making induction effective for everyone.  The LA has a duty to monitor the progress being made by each NQT and the arrangements made by schools to support them.

As a NQT you will be entitled to

• A timetable of no more than 90% of average teaching time.
• Receive a further 10% planning preparation and assessment time
• An individualised programme of support during your induction year from a designated induction tutor
• A programme of Continuing Professional Development

The period of induction should provide a programme that is tailored to your needs.  The programme must involve a combination of monitoring, support and assessment, which are inter-related.  You should be actively involved in planning the programme, including review and setting objectives.  The school should provide you with records of observations of your teaching and the outcomes of professional review meetings.  Headteachers have a duty to ensure that an induction programme is in place and to recommend to the LA whether requirements have been met.

Your professional development begins with a Welcome Meeting in either September or January and continues with a series of network meetings.  There will also be training on ‘Classroom and Behaviour Management’ and ‘Supporting Pupils with Special Educational Needs.

Visit Medway's Induction page for more information (www.medway.gov.uk/learning).

Medway NQT pool

You are welcome to apply to the Medway NQT pool.  To apply use the on-line application form.  Please complete the form as fully as possible including all information about your qualifications and teaching experience.  Please also ensure that you include a detailed personal statement.  Suitable content could include your ethos as a teacher, your aspirations for your own career and for the development of the pupils in your care. Details of your technical, interpersonal, organisational skills (or similar skill area), your interests outside work and any other information you feel may be of interest to potential employers.

When we receive your application your details will be added to a database, administered by the Teacher Recruitment Team, and sent to Headteachers of schools with suitable vacancies. We will continue to send your details, as new vacancies arise, until you inform us that you have secured a post.   If a Headteacher is interested in your application they will contact you directly.  You are, of course, welcome to apply to vacancies you see advertised directly.  It is always a good idea to call the school to arrange an informal visit.

There is no closing date, but early applications are advised to be eligible for a wider range of vacancies.

If you have difficulties completing the on-line application or if you would prefer a paper based form please contact Julie Jones on 01634 331209 or e-mail teaching@medway.gov.uk.

Teachers from the Republic of Ireland

If you are a teacher from the Republic of Ireland you would normally have completed a period of probation as part of your training.  In this case you should apply to the GTCE for QTS using form EC1.  If you are successful in your application you will also gain exemption from induction in schools in England.

Teachers from Northern Ireland (NI)

**Changes to the golden hello eligibility guidance**
Teachers trained on postgraduate courses in Northern Ireland or Scotland after 1 August 2006 who go on to teach in eligible schools in England will now be eligible to apply for the golden hello under the same terms as their English-trained counterparts.  For more information please visit the TDAs golden hello webpage and download golden_hello_eligibility_criteria.pdf

If you are a teacher from NI you would normally complete a 3-year induction period after successfully completing your teacher training course, which gives you NI eligibility to teach status. If you have completed that induction stage you are exempt from induction in schools in England

If you are a NI teacher who wishes to teach as a qualified teacher in England you must first apply to the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) using form P67.  You should contact the Teaching Qualification Team at the GTCE on 0121 3450140.  If you need to undertake induction in England you must obtain QTS first.

Incentives

As an NQT who is employed by Medway you are eligible for the incentives that Medway LA offers (subject to terms and conditions)