A leading online independent school reports it has seen a rise in the number of teachers applying for a job, having had their eyes opened to new possibilities around technology following the pandemic.
Writing for Education Technology, Lawrence Tubb, headmaster at Minerva’s Virtual Academy, said that teachers are now more confident using learning technologies than they’ve ever been.
“There is a notable trend in the number of experienced school teachers applying to teach at online independent schools following the period of remote learning, where many adapted to teaching virtually,” he wrote.
Tubb added that these are teachers who “remain driven to support young people in their learning and who see the potential of new approaches to education”.
Technology has the potential to enable educators to deliver more laser-focused lessons with smaller groups of pupils, Tubbs suggests – but also to reduce the “significant burden of the non-core demands of the traditional school teacher role”.
“The job is extremely rewarding and a sustainable career choice long-term, but the extent to which the traditional teaching environment will continue to be viewed as attractive post-Covid is something that is up for debate, and this will resonate with many NQTs (newly qualified teachers) coming into the profession.”
He urged schools to be more inventive with how they support teachers to build a sustainable career in education, and how they can enable them to channel their energies into teaching rather than everything else that traditionally comes with the profession.
“We may not be able to stop a future recruitment crisis, or the next teacher from resigning, but we can be more open minded about teaching careers, about the positivity of change, agility and adaptability,” he concluded.
