Business Profile: Educated Recruitment

OM Magazine, Issue 131, December 2019

26th November 2019

Business Profile: Wonder Nights

26th November 2019

Published by on 26th November 2019

The job market is perpetually evolving. We now live in an age where candidates drive the market and as such, firms need to be doing more to attract the right talent. As a small collaborative consultancy team of seven, Educated Recruitment has become an award-winning agency who pride themselves on their approachable, competent, and can-do attitude. Educated Recruitment is looking for experienced and newly qualified teachers and teaching assistants who are interested in working flexible hours with competitive rates of pay, and for teachers who want to gain experience in a variety of different learning environments across the South West, including Devon, Cornwall and Somerset in school’s that need relief staff on an emergency, or long-term basis.

Marie Cleave, owner and director of Educated Recruitment, has worked in recruitment for around fifteen years and started her successful business from scratch with just a telephone, a computer, and a couple of contacts in her spare bedroom at home. Since starting her business in 2013, Marie has recruited six staff members whose incredible work ethic makes her a proud director. OM spent the morning with Marie and office manager, Emma Woodhall, who gave us an insight into how Educated Recruitment was built and how it has evolved into the successful recruitment agency is has over its short 6 years in business.

Marie never envisioned starting up her own business. When finishing education, Marie dove into a career in banking for some time, and after working her way up the ladder in a few different banks, she became a successful mortgage adviser.

Although she loved her job and enjoyed working closely with her clients, Marie decided on a career change and started her first job in a recruitment agency where she worked for three and a half years.

After being employed by a further two recruitment companies, where she met Sam Parramore, Educated Recruitment’s Plymouth and Cornwall Consultant. Marie, with the support of her husband, then decided to start her own company and Educated Recruitment was founded in 2013.

Upon deciding to start up her own business, Marie spent her evening’s typing-up application packs and creating check-lists ready for her business to go live in mid-August 2013.

“Self-motivation was hard, and money was tight. My husband was a key part of keeping me motivated.”

It was in August that Marie nervously held her first open day at the Passage House Hotel in Kingsteignton. With the open day being a success, several teachers came on board with the company, so when the schools re-opened in September, she was able to start making phone calls and from there, her business took off.

Marie had hired an assistant in October 2013 shortly after going live. Her assistant worked in her spare room at home and handled her admin whilst she was away from the office. Marie soon realised that as the business was growing, her living space had shrunk and business premises was next to tick off her list.

At this point, Marie starting looking at renting or purchasing offices in Newton Abbot, and came across the premises they are in today, which was originally listed as a house. After seeing the potential for something more and negotiating to transform the house into a business building, Marie used every penny she had saved up from her second year of business and secured a mortgage.

Educated Recruitment is now celebrating almost five years since setting up in their Newton Abbot Head Office.

It was shortly after setting up; Marie received a call from now office manager, Emma Woodhall. As a qualified teacher, Emma had previously been in contact with Marie about supply teaching upon completing her degree in teaching. After talking with Marie and receiving some helpful honest advice, Emma secured another teaching role, separate from Educated Recruitment.

It was three years later, after working in various roles from teaching, sales and recruitment that Emma decided to make a phone call to Marie enquiring about roles at Educated Recruitment. After a conversation and instant connection between the pair, Emma’s career with Educated Recruitment began on the 25th February 2015 and she has now worked her way up to Office Manager and Exeter Consultant.

“I had no thoughts in my head that she couldn’t do the job. It was a no brainer. I am blessed to have Emma” — Marie.

Since hiring Emma, Marie has employed five other permanent staff members, all with different roles. Sam Parramore, Plymouth and Cornwall consultant, Maddie Holland, Torbay and Teignbridge Consultant, Abbi Hall, Taunton Consultant, Kate Anderson, Compliance and Finance Administrator, and Educated Recruitment’s most recent team member, Zoe Andrews, Apprentice in Administration.

“It’s amazing to work here, I love it. I have found something that I have confidence in and I am good at what I do. I have an amazing team and an amazing lady [Marie] who saw it all in me” — Emma.

The most important qualities Marie looks for in a consultant are resilience, confidence, honesty, and great communication. Both Marie and Emma describe how efficiently the team work together to ensure everyone is supported and appreciated every day.

Every member of the team has gone through intense training to ensure that all processes are followed in a timely manner. All calls to the Educated Recruitment team will be answered in a friendly and informative manner by a member of the team, who will answer all of your enquires through specialist experienced knowledge.

“We do our best to give back.”

The Educated Recruitment team also work together outside of office hours regularly to raise money for a whole host of charities, including recently supporting Rowcroft in a 24K bike ride, a 5k marine challenge in Exmouth for Devon Air Ambulance, and regular coffee mornings for McMillan.
Their biggest charity fund so far was for the Children’s Hospice where they raised £1100 during a charity quiz night.

Educated Recruitment pride themselves on looking after and paying their teachers well. The team meet all of their teachers face to face, they either come to their offices, or a member of the team will meet them nearer to their location. As of now, Educated Recruitment has around 400 teachers on their books.

“If a school invested in us and gave us a chance they wouldn’t look back.”

Educated Recruitment is looking to expose and expand the number of teachers and schools in the Plymouth and Ivybridge area. Sam Parramore, consultant for Plymouth and Ivybridge, frequently goes to networking events in the area and is keen to take on local experienced and newly qualified teachers.

With weekly and competitive rates of pay, flexible working days, and the opportunity to work and gain experience in a host of different learning environments, Educated Recruitment can offer teachers and teaching assistants roles that fit around their existing commitments and lifestyle. With the bonus of a fast registration process, free CPD courses and available support at all hours, every day of the week.

Educated Recruitment will keep all of their teachers in the loop for all teaching opportunities and with in-depth knowledge of all the schools they cover, the team will do their best to match teachers to their preferred teaching jobs, whether that’s in a subject-specific area, age range, or near to their location.

Educated Recruitment offer work in primary schools, secondary schools, and special educational needs schools, for day-to-day, emergency, short-term, and long-term cover across Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset.

If you are a teacher who would like the chance to work with an award-winning, local, independent agency, or, if you are a school that needs a Science teacher next Monday or a three-month-long absence covered next term, Educated Recruitment would love to hear from you.

Educated Recruitment work in affiliation with The REC to ensure strict compliance is always maintained and work closely with Devon County Council in reference to DBS disclosers and vetting procedures.

For more information on Educated Recruitment, the services they offer to teachers and schools, and the areas they cover then head to www.educatedrecruitment.co.uk or call the team on the details below.