Graduate Internship Recruitment Schools’ Choice is delighted to offer this service supporting primary schools to attract talented graduate interns Following the launch of this service through Schools’ Choice in 2015, nearly 60 interns were appointed across nineteen participating schools As well as Ipswich this included schools in Sudbury, Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Stradbroke, Thorndon and a special school in Bury St Edmunds Many of this year’s placements have already secured teacher training places and a number of the 2014/5 cohort are now applying for teaching jobs through the NQT pool Outcomes for all this year’s cohort will be tracked so that we can monitor the impact of internships on teacher recruitment Ideal if you are considering School Direct placements, internships give you access to a potential trainee who may want to continue their career with you The internship scheme works as a route into teaching and other related jobs working with children and young people At the same time you benefit from a resource in your school Schools participating to date have offered work experience in teaching, educational psychology, social work and speech therapy Schools’ Choice will provide a brokered service for interested schools, managing advertising, applications, initial shortlisting, support with assessment design and initial induction day for the group of interns Schools will be highly involved in the selection and appointment process so you can work with other Head teachers to determine the best matches for your schools The advertising process commences at the beginning of March and will include online adverts on a range of sites including university websites, national intern recruitment sites and Suffolk Jobs Direct Internships will also be promoted at careers fairs and other recruitment events The interview and assessment process will take place in late June with dates to be confirmed with participating schools who must be able to confirm availability and willingness to provide an assessor to support the process What are graduate interns? Our internships are one year work based training placements in school prior to teacher training, or other professional training, e.g Social Care, Speech Therapy, Educational Psychology Suitable for new graduates who are still considering their career options and want to get some paid, hands on work experience before committing themselves Interns are given experience across the school, including SEN & behaviour management, and staff training They are expected to raise the progress and standards of the children they are working with – supporting outcomes for disadvantaged children How does it work? Interns are mentored by a designated person in school who ensures that they have a clear role and development plan The programme of learning and work experience is structured to fit each intern’s learning objectives A portfolio of work can also be produced during the internship as evidence of learning in support of applications for further study Schools with experience of running the programme recommend that at least three interns are taken on at a time as this creates a support and learning network for them in school If you decide to take on one or two interns you need to ensure that they are properly supported The wider intern cohort will be encouraged to network with email addresses being shared and joint events arranged A shared training programme is provided across the whole intern group starting with a half day’s induction in September (included in the Schools’ Choice price) Costs of the training programme are reduced by including speakers from the ITT and courses from Realise Futures – you will be charged based on what your intern attends Pay and conditions Paid at the new living wage rate of £7.20 per hour for 30 hours per week term time only, with the expectation that they’ll work flexibly to maximise their learning Target group Graduates living in Suffolk or within easily commutable distance High calibre graduates with a 2:1 degree and B grades in English and Maths Want to get experience working with children and young people Willing to work flexible hours to run clubs or out of school activities Outcomes You get out what you put in! Not all interns go onto further training, however those who are clearer about their career choice and less likely to drop out at a later stage Evidence suggests that a high proportion of interns apply for training during their internship to a mixture of ITT, PGCE and Masters courses with the support of their school Planning your requirements Before deciding to take on interns you need to consider your workforce plan and what your staffing needs are You may be thinking ahead to future vacancies and having a pathway to fill them, or you may be looking for short term resource to improve outcomes in your school Remember that interns come with a training commitment so if you are going to employ them there will be investment needed from you in time as well as money Think carefully about whether they are the right way for you to develop your workforce and how employing them could improve outcomes for children in your school Think about which functional areas your school can offer placements in For example you may have pupil premium funding that could be used to support an intern working with your Family Support Worker or Speech Therapist You may be able to place interns in roles that previously have funded Teaching Assistant posts Are there particular areas that need more support – can these be identified from your school development plan? You will need to budget for ideally or possibly Oncosted salaries will be approximately £12,400 per annum Can you afford this? You will need to provide a mentor Is there someone in school who has the skills and time to take this on or is there someone who would benefit from this as a development opportunity? Could your interns be mentored alongside an NQT? You will need to be able to find appropriate work to within school and put this into objectives for the intern Costs and commitment You will need a salary budget of approximately £12,400 (includes oncosts not pension) per graduate plus any additional training costs You need to be able to commit to participating in the selection process by allocating at least one day of SLT time to attend the assessment days and you need to be able to commit to the intern for the full school year Committing to support through the school year includes: Providing a mentor in school Inviting your interns to all staff training Supporting your interns in creating a portfolio of evidence from their placement Providing release for further CPD sessions as scheduled through the year Supporting your interns in their applications for ongoing training/professional qualifications Providing references for onward applications Recruitment and Selection Process Schools confirm number of placements available and any special requirements Applicant applies online via Suffolk Jobs Direct stating preferred location and any specific interests e.g SEN, Ed Psych All applications are shortlisted against the basic criteria - looking at qualifications, skills and commitment Applicants will be invited to assessment centres based on their location preference and availability Where there's more than one school in a location agreed groups will be created to run their own assessment centres Shortlisted applicant overview is provided to subscribing schools based on geographical location A nominee from each participating school attends assessment centre Following assessment centre - schools discuss and agree placements for interns It’s expected that assessment centres will be run around main county locations depending on demand The assessment centre format will be standardised against agreed criteria In Ipswich due to the number of schools recruiting, all applicants will be asked in advance about constraints on travel and their preferred location based on where the recruiting schools and the number of placements available A number of assessment centres will be run ensuring that all schools get the opportunity to see suitable applicants and are involved in the decision making process Expression of interest If you are interested in recruiting interns to work in your school please go to the estore, select the number of interns required and add to your basket Alternatively contact teachsuffolk@schoolschoice.org to discuss your requirements In signing up to this offer and employing an intern you are committing to provide a mentor and support learning and CPD during the placement as outlined in this pack ...What are graduate interns? Our internships are one year work based training placements in school prior to teacher training,... work flexibly to maximise their learning Target group Graduates living in Suffolk or within easily commutable distance High calibre graduates with a 2:1 degree and B grades in English and... structured to fit each intern’s learning objectives A portfolio of work can also be produced during the internship as evidence of learning in support of applications for further study Schools with experience