Aberdeenshire Council
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the largest authorities in the north of Scotland, with 147 Primary Schools, 4 special schools and 17 Secondary Schools, we deliver the best education to over 36,000 young people in our beautiful region. Our diverse range of schools, from small rural Primaries to state of the art Community Campuses all have quality learning and teaching at the forefront.
We employ approximately 2800 FTE of teachers and spend over £350 million per year on Education and Children’s Services.
Across Aberdeenshire we very much value our diversity and our unique sense of place from mountain to sea, the very best of Scotland.
Aberdeenshire Council has three strategic pillars:
- Our people
- Our environment
- Our economy
What can Aberdeenshire offer you?
Making a move in your career isn’t just about getting a new job, it’s about making more of life. It’s about the importance of balance between professional and personal life, delivering the best outcomes for you and your family.
With a population of 236,000 spread over 2500 square miles, Aberdeenshire offers a mix of coastal towns and beaches with stunning countryside and the Cairngorms National Park right at its heart. With Aberdeen City on your doorstep there is a bustling variety of shops, restaurants and entertainment. There are rail links with Edinburgh and Inverness a 2 hour journey away and Aberdeen International Airport for travel further afield.
More information on living in Aberdeenshire can be found here
Working for Aberdeenshire Council offers great work life balance, with generous annual leave entitlement and flexible working opportunities. We also provide employees with a variety of benefits including savings on living costs and retail expenses, a secure pension scheme and many other types of wellbeing support, including self help, networking and support from colleagues and development opportunities. Find out more about the many employment benefits for Aberdeenshire Council employees.
First Steps into Teaching
If you are a patient, flexible and creative person with excellent communications skills and enjoy working with young people, a varied and fulfilling career in Teaching could be for you. Aside from these personal qualities you will need the formal qualifications and registration.
- You need to complete your 4 year undergraduate degree in education (Honours degree in Education). Universities will ask for different qualification but most are looking for students with Higher English and National 5 in Maths and 2 other subject
- You will need to complete a probationary teaching period of 1 school year (190 teaching days) and register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland
Changing career
Looking for a new career in Teaching? Plenty of people have made the decision to have a career change and come to Teach in Aberdeenshire, so if you are looking to take the next step into the classroom, there are a few simple steps:
If you have already completed an undergraduate course you will need to complete the one-year Post Graduate Diploma in Education course (PGDE).
- You will need to complete a probationary teaching period of 1 school year (190 teaching days) and register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland
Returning to Teaching
Lots of people return to teaching every year, whether you had a career change or just took a break from working it is relatively easy to make the transition back into the classroom.
- You may need to re-register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. Find out the specifics of what you need to do from the GTCS. Recent developments in Scottish education mean that things will have changed since you last practised, you may want to research this.
- You may want to research online for a teaching refresher course, or look into updating your formal qualifications if updating your current skills is something that could be of benefit to you
Registering with the GTCS
The General Teaching Council for Scotland is the governing body for the teaching profession. The GTCS ensures all teachers meet the required set standards to be able to teach in Scotland. GTCS Registration will be in the essential criteria for all Teaching jobs in Scotland so you will need to register to be able to start in the classroom.
For more information on registration please visit the General Teaching Council for Scotland website.
For more information on Funding, Loans and Bursaries please visit SAAS
Qualified in Another Country
There are several different routes into teaching in Scotland if you are a teacher who qualified in another country and want to bring your experience and skills to Aberdeenshire.
If you want to transfer to work in a school in Scotland, you must register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), the governing body for the teaching profession. Generally, English teaching qualifications are transferrable. The GTCS will assess your qualifications to make sure they meet the professional teaching criteria in Scotland. In some cases, they may ask you to submit further evidence or documentation to support your application. You can get lots more details and information that’s relevant to you from the General Teaching Council for Scotland.
Sponsorship
Aberdeenshire Council is an A-rated sponsor. This means we have the required permission to employ sponsored workers under routes such as the Skilled Worker Visa.
For a role to be eligible for sponsorship it must:
- - Be included within the list of eligible roles set by the Home Office - Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- - Meet the required skill level
- - Meet the salary threshold associated with the role
More information can be found on the Home Office website: Skilled Worker visa: Your job - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
There may be cost implications for the service the role belongs to. Therefore, on some occasions you may find that while a role is eligible for sponsorship, the service cannot support the associated costs. However, it is always worth asking as services will be keen to support this where they can.
You can explore the potential for sponsorship at any stage of the recruitment process.
- Get in touch with the Vacancy Contact stated on the job advert or Aberdeenshire Council Resourcing Team before you apply
- Highlight the requirement for sponsorship within your application
- Ask about the potential for sponsorship during interview
If you decide not to explore sponsorship at the stages above, the requirement can be discussed as part of the pre-employment checks, which take place if you are identified as the preferred candidate.
For teachers who are fully GTCS registered and are recruited to a Main Grade teaching post within Aberdeenshire Council, a salary assessment will be completed to determine placement on the Main Grade salary scale, for those who have not previously worked for a Scottish Local Authority. This will be based on previous teaching experience (the number of teaching weeks undertaken during each school session).
For teachers who are provisionally GTCS registered, salary placement will be on Main Grade Salary Point 0, until such time as gain full GTCS registration.
For some teaching posts a relocation package may be available to assist with the reimbursement of relocation costs. If this is being offered this will be clearly stated in the job advertisement.
Primary Teaching
From town schools with a roll of 600+ students to small rural village schools with a roll of less than 30 pupils, our 150 Primary schools will offer a complete range of teaching environments in which you could develop your career.
We offer an excellent array of development opportunities, helping you craft your skills and progress in your career. We also have links with local Universities who provide specific development programmes such as the Flexible Route to Headship.
“Aberdeenshire Council is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland. The people are friendly, the kids are great and the staff are warm and inviting. I chose to work here for the prospect of getting to know a school, staff and cohort of pupils for more than just a year. I am really enjoying my time here so far and don’t see that changing! It’s a great place and a great council to work for.” – Mike, Teacher
Secondary Teaching
We have 17 secondary schools serving 14,000 students across the S1 to S6 age groups, our roll size range from 600 to 1500 pupils.
Lending ourselves to outdoor learning, the environments you’ll find yourself teaching in will not only energise you, but your pupils too. You’ll find that personal and professional life go hand in hand, developing and delivering education in innovative ways. We encourage our staff to push themselves in an environment of friendly, considerate and well-mannered pupils.
“Working in Aberdeenshire feels like painting on a blank canvas…I’ve been allowed to explore and experiment with different techniques to develop my skill set, which I’ve then had opportunity to share with my colleagues in formal and informal settings. Working as a Teacher in Aberdeenshire is stimulating and the supportive environment continues to push me to be the best I can be. The determination and stamina of the workforce here is contagious and has encouraged me to do my best!” – Chris, Teacher