Blog

School technicians support and assist staff and students by preparing materials and equipment and are involved in practical aspects of lessons. Typically, a school technician will specialise in a certain subject area such as science, IT, or DT.

‘Tis the season for Christmas jumper wearing and today we donned our festive knits to help raise money for St. Mary’s Hospice Birmingham.

Working in a nursery can be a very challenging job but it is important that in that environment and around the little ones you know how to work effectively. Here are 5 quick tips to help you become the best nursery worker you can be.

It's all getting very festive in the Smile office and starting to look and feel like Christmas.

Considering exam invigiluation but not sure what is required? We have the answers you've been looking for.

Bernie is one of our longest-serving (and hardest working) supply teachers and has been with Smile for years! So, if you are working what it's like working for a supply teaching agency or what the job of a supply teacher involves and getting some tips then keep reading.

Our Coventry Education Recruitment Consultant, has been spending a lot of time in Coventry recently, registering teachers and teaching assistants and meeting with schools. During their downtime, he’s been spending some time exploring the lovely city of Coventry and finding out what it has to offer. What they discovered are some really fantastic places that would be perfect for school trips or even a fun family day out. 

Planning on registering with our teaching agency, but can’t make it to our offices? Don’t worry - we’ll come to you. 

Learn more about what you need to do to become a support worker.

An insight into our most recent cover supervisor training workshop.

We are so thrilled to announce that this year we are the winners of the CSR Initiative of the Year award 2019!

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a support worker is like? Well, wonder no longer. 

Ever wondered what life is like for an NQT? James tells all.

We are proud to announce that we have just opened our very own Cannock office! 

Back in June, some of the Smile team walked the Malvern Hills to help to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

We sat down with Anna, one of the headteachers from the Erdington Schools Collaboration, to find out more about how the collaboration works. 

A shout out to all the caretakers, cleaners, administrators, IT technicians, subject technicians and exam invigilators out there who make our schools better places.

Teachers inspire us in many ways and primary school teacher, Chrystel is no different. Except it’s not just her lessons that are inspiring children, it’s her astonishing weight loss journey.

We are really proud to have officially launched our residential division. 

Everything you need to know about the role of a cover supervisor.

Each year we ask all of our schools, teachers and support staff for their opinions on Smile and we are pleased to say that we have received some great feedback this year. Here is what they had to say...

One in seven NQTs who had qualified in 2017 had dropped out by the following year. To help reduce this number, here are some survival tips to pass on to your NQTs to ensure that they make it through the year in one piece!

We'd like to give a very warm welcome to Laura, who recently joined us as our Director of Leadership. The role will see Laura work alongside our school supply team and place headteachers and other school leaders in roles across the Midlands.

We are thrilled to announce that we have been shortlisted for the CSR Initiative of the Year in the APSCo Awards for Excellence 2019.

Science is complex and at times can be confusing. So, in order for students to retain the information you are teaching, we advise that you make lessons as engaging and hands-on as possible. Doing so will help you bring the subject matter to life and ensure that they remember all about energy or cell biology or whatever you might be teaching!

Teaching is a great and rewarding career where you will have the opportunity to touch the lives of many young people. The biggest decision you have to make, however, is whether you would like to be a primary or secondary teacher, as while they may look similar on paper, in reality, they are very different.

As an English Teacher, you have a pretty important job as you are the person responsible for teaching children to not only read and write but to learn from their peers and have challenging conversations.

Doing a teaching degree and set to graduate soon? We bet we can guess that you are feeling a little nervous. Not to worry though, that’s completely normal - we’ve all had first-day jitters!

Your NQT year will be full of new experiences. While some of them will be good, others might be more of a challenge. For example, you’ll get to witness children grasping a complex idea as a result of your teaching. On the other hand, you’ll also be confronted by some, at times, hairpulling (maybe literally) situations. But don’t panic, we have some advice on how to deal with them.

Your QTS is in the bag and all that stands between you and your full qualification is your NQT induction. So, what’s in store?

As a teacher, it is important to sometimes place yourself in the students of your students. For example, imagine you are given a task to complete, only to find that it’s been written in Egyptian hieroglyphics that you cannot understand. It’s likely that your confusion would quickly turn to frustration and then to disinterest. Not a nice feeling, right?

We are very proud to work with some fantastic special educational needs schools and residential homes across the West Midlands, as well as some amazing SEN teachers and support staff. We understand that working with children with special needs can at times be challenging but know that ultimately it’s very rewarding.

Taking on a Teaching Assistant role is a great way of getting first-hand classroom experience before you embark on a PGCE. To help rid you of any first day nerves, we’ve put together a list of helpful tips to help prepare you for life in the classroom.

The team at Smile is made up of consultants and compliance admins. While our consultants work hard to find you work, it’s our compliance admins who make sure that you are able to work. Get to know Conor, our Senior Compliance Administrator, a little better and find out what his day is like.

Emma, our Director, previously worked abroad as a holiday rep before joining Smile. This is her story and why she thinks that those who have repped make great recruitment consultants. 

Recruitment companies often have a bad reputation but not all of them deserve it. Katy, MD of Smile, talks about the values which Smile has that makes Smile different than the rest.

We recently signed the Time to Change to show our commitment to mental health in the workplace.

We have done our bit for the local community by donating 38 advent calendars to Eyeland Optician's collection for the Black Country Food Bank, helping them to beat their current donation record. 

Last week, we are proud to report that we hosted our third SEN football tournament at Aston Villa. A total of 12 local special needs schools attended and we provided refreshments and trophies for the children who participated in the event.

No one really likes revising but it is essential for exam success. However, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom, in fact, there are ways for you to make revising more interesting and fun. Here are our top revision tips we think that your students should know.