Author Archives: Andrew Lifford

Teaching abroad

You may be interested in teaching abroad, it can be an effective way to immerse yourself in a different culture, broaden your teaching practice and to travel the world. As a qualified teacher from the UK you will be bringing many skills and experiences which international schools will value.

What do I need to know about GDPR?

You will have heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) but might be unsure about your role in data protection at your school. Essentially, GDPR is designed to protect personal data stored on computers, organised filing systems and to give people more control over data which is held about them.

Pay portability for teachers

Pay portability was a term to describe your current salary transferring with you when you started a new role at a different school. Since September 2013, there is no longer pay portability for appointments in maintained schools in England and Wales.

Teacher pay scales

This article provides an overview of teacher pay scales in England for 2024/25. If you teach in a maintained school in England, you will be paid accordingly to a nationally agreed teacher pay scale. If you teach in an academy, free school or independent school, your pay will be set according to your school’s pay policy.

Shared parental leave: how does it work?

If you are thinking about taking maternity or paternity leave you can have the opportunity to share it between yourself and your partner. This is called shared parental leave (SPL). There are quite a lot of specific rules and criteria for SPL which are outlined in detail on the GOV.UK website. In this article, we explain what SPL is, how you can apply for it and how much you can expect to receive for shared parental pay (SPP).

What do I need to know about TUPE?

You might be concerned about your employment rights if your school is converting to academy status. TUPE is a process designed to protect employees against unfair treatment as a result of a transfer of their employment. It is a common process and many thousands of school employees have gone through the TUPE process.