Adding value to Norfolk's Education Workforce with International ITT students

Addressing talent shortages - particularly in subjects such as Physics, Maths and MfL - is a critical challenge identified by Norfolk schools, and recruiting international staff can provide a valuable solution which further enriches the school environment with diverse experiences and global perspectives.

Through collaboration brought about by the Norfolk Learning Ambition's Priority Area 1 'Capacity and Expertise of the Workforce', NCC have been working in partnership with the UEA, the Norfolk School Leader's Association (NSLA) and EducationHR to highlight the value  - in terms of knowledge, skills and experience - which can be added to the county's education workforce by taking advantage of employment opportunities provided by UEA's targeted recruitment of ITT students from overseas, in shortage subjects.

NCC visited UEA to carry out some filming, to find out more about the wealth of knowledge, skills and experience from recent alumni who are keen to advance their teaching careers in Norfolk:

Employing an ITT graduate from overseas does require navigating the UK visa sponsorship process. Visas can be granted for up to 5 years and relate to the job role you have given them - giving employers a long-term solution to the vacancy and therefore also supporting retention.

To support schools to better understand this process, EducationHR have produced a step-by-step guide to becoming a sponsor and recruiting talented individuals who need a visa to work in the UK. The guide is available on the NCC Schools site Recruiting international teachers guide - Norfolk Schools and Learning Providers - Norfolk County Council.

A joint presentation was given by UEA and EducationHR at the NSLA Leadership Update, to showcase the talent recruited by the UEA and to share the newly developed visa sponsorship materials. Powerpoint link (in email)

To increase the diversity of applications to your ECT and/or teaching vacancies, EducationHR run an ECT Talent Pool and a Teacher Talent Pool. Current teacher trainees, including international teacher trainees, are being actively encouraged to apply to the ECT Talent pool so that you can access the best talent at the earliest opportunity. EducationHR work closely with the UEA and other ITT's to promote the ECT talent pool and support ECT's with their employability skills. To request a candidate search of either the ECT or Teacher Talent pool please contact EducationHR at educationjobfinder@norfolk.gov.uk