School Support Staff Testimonials

Catherine Hamlin

Catherine Hamlin has been working for TimePlan since 2008. She is currently working as a cover supervisor and teaching assistant in a secondary school in Harrow. 

"Upon realising that teaching is a path I wanted to pursue, I looked into gaining experience within a school environment, to not only explore whether it was something I was definitely interested in, but to also gain a much-needed advantage for entry onto a PGCE course later on.

After finding various agencies, I joined TimePlan, and found the agency to be just what I needed. While I was originally looking for work in a primary school, I was offered a place at Harrow High School as a Cover Supervisor and Teaching Assistant. While I have found the role very challenging at times, I have really enjoyed being part of the school, have made a number of good friends, and enjoyed being part of a close department. My roles required me to either cover any lesson that was needed, or to support students as a Teaching Assistant, within timetabled classes.

I am coming to the end of two years at the school and have learnt so much from this experience, from behaviour management to what is required when planning lessons. Gaining experience at a secondary level was very beneficial for me. I am so much more prepared for teaching and for the PGCE Early Years course I will be starting this September."

Adoti Folaki

Like many 2009 graduates I was confused as to what my future career plan would be.  I decided that primary school teaching was a real and viable path for me to follow.  Upon making this decision, I was directed to TimePlan London by a friend who was with TimePlan herself.  Within a few weeks of having had an interview I was placed in a primary school in East London working as a Teaching Assistant. 

The placement was only supposed to be for a week but it turned into three amazing months in a brilliant school.  I worked primarily in a wonderful year one class.  It was a great experience for me because I had first hand experience of how a school runs, the superb work that teachers do and most importantly, I realised that I really want to be a teacher myself.

The above experience would not have been possible has it not been for TimePlan’s hard work on my behalf.  The staff listened to what I wanted and they delivered.  Even though I only met a couple of the TimePlan staff, I developed a wonderful rapport with them over many telephone calls I received making sure that I was happy in my placement.  I was so impressed by TimePlan that I recommended them to a few friends and I plan on sending more friends their way!

Kyle Bernath

Kyle has been working for us since the summer term: After moving from Canada to London, I was a little overwhelmed with finding a job in England. I was put in touch with TimePlan who made it really easy for me to use my Canadian early childhood experience to get work with a nursery. The first place I was sent to was an excellent match and I am still there now working as a Nursery Officer! Emily or Annabel check in with me to make sure that everything is going well and always make time for me when I call.

Jack Hughes

Jack has been working for us for the 2010/2011 school year. I have found Timeplan to be an extremely reliable, hard working and efficient teaching agency. Over the last 12 months they have provided me with the opportunity to experience a variety of classroom support roles within both primary and secondary sectors, a factor which was instrumental in helping me secure a place at the UK's top teacher training institution for 2011/12. At Timeplan there is always someone on hand to answer queries and solve problems and staff are exceptionally warm, friendly and helpful at all times, even at the crack of dawn! I was offered a variety of professional development courses at Timeplan which really helped consolidate my practise and give me the confidence I needed to be the best I could be in my various roles. They also run monthly social events that allow you to meet other teachers and support staff, swap stories and chat about the crazy world of the classroom. I always felt supported and encouraged by Timeplan but what sets them apart is that they don't just care about finding you work, they care about finding the right work for you.

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