Our work shapes our culture

That’s where our values come in. They underpin our culture and guide how we meet that challenge as we work together to rewrite the future for children facing disadvantage.

Purpose: Ending educational disadvantage guides us
We stay focused on our mission and strive to get better every day.

Community: We are a movement for change
Together we are stronger, we support and learn from one another, working with and through the diverse communities we serve.

Bravery: Change requires courage
We take bold risks and aren’t afraid to try, fail and learn in pursuit of our vision.

Innovation: We will succeed through new ideas
We are restless for impact and creative with our solutions.

Together, these values guide how we work to rewrite the future for children facing disadvantage.

Bring your whole self to work

Our challenge is to give every child, no matter their background, the opportunities they deserve. To do that, we need a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we work with.  As a charity committed to tackling educational inequality, championing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is fundamental to our mission, and everyone’s responsibility. Read more about diversity and inclusion at Teach First.

What you’ll notice when you apply with us

Application

We ask you to remove all identifying information from your cover letter and CV.  

Why? We want to assess your application based on what you’ve told us, your experience and potential.

Shortlisting

We operate blind screening during shortlisting. That means no one who assesses your application has access to any of your personal details.

We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2), which means if you declare that you have a disability, request to be part of the scheme, and meet the required criteria on the job description, you will be offered an interview.

Interview

We’ll send you the interview questions in advance so you can prepare and perform at your best.

Everyone who sits on an interview panel has completed our inclusive hiring training to help us hire the best and most diverse talent.

Affinity groups

We believe in the power of networks to improve outcomes for individuals and drive change.

Our affinity groups are made up of colleagues connected by similar interests, backgrounds and experiences with a focus on creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Groups hold regular events, safe spaces and talks to create community and connection.  

Current affinity groups:

• LGBTQ+ Network
• The Ethnicity and Race Equity Network
• Working Families Network
• Women’s Network
• Neurodiversity and Disability Network
• Socio-economic Class Network

The other ways we ensure EDI is at the heart of everything we do:

• EDI learning programmes give us a shared language and strong foundations.
• The EDI Community of Practice brings together colleagues from across the charity to share insight, advise the Executive on best practice and review proposals through an EDI lens.
• Pay gap reporting and diversity targets provide transparent data and clear commitments that hold us accountable.
• The Equality Impact Assessment tool ensures EDI considerations are built into policy reviews and decision-making.
• EDI scoring gives us a regular measure of progress and helps us identify where we need to focus.

Pay and benefits that support you

At Teach First, we want you to thrive because when you’re at your best, our mission moves forward. We offer pay, benefits and flexibility that support your wellbeing, and in return we ask you to bring your energy, commitment and passion to giving pupils facing disadvantage the chances and choices they need to thrive.  

Pay

We’re transparent about pay from the moment you apply. Salaries are reviewed regularly to stay competitive across the charity sector. Find out more about Our level structure and pay scales (PDF).

Benefits Package

Holiday

You’ll get 27 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays), increasing with service. Three days are taken during our winter shutdown so we can all pause and reset together. Most bank holidays are flexible to take when it works for you and your team.

Find out more in our Annual Leave Policy (PDF).

Pension

We’ve all got to think ahead so we’ll match up to 6% with employer contributions.

Private healthcare

We can’t fight education inequality if we aren’t feeling our best, so we provide Vitality Health Insurance for all of our colleagues. Through Vitality not only do all our people get private healthcare, but access to all sorts of incentives to live a healthy and balanced life. This includes discounts from your favourite brands and health clubs to help you thrive, no matter your goals.

Agile working

Work is one part of life. You’ll agree with your manager how and where you work best, using our Agile Working Policy.

Flexible working

If you need a more structured pattern, let’s explore it. Over 100 colleagues already work flexibly. Find out more about Flexible Working at Teach First (PDF).

Life assurance and income protection

If life takes an unexpected turn, we’ll support you and your loved ones. And even more options…

There's a lot more exciting Benefits (PDF) to choose from.

Family life and work

If you have caring responsibilities or are planning a family, we want work to work for you. Our policies often go beyond statutory requirements, and we’re proud to be a Top 30 Working Families Employer for the fourth year running. Find out more about our:

• Annual Leave Policy (PDF)
• Other Leave Policy (PDF)
• Family Policies (PDF)
• Carers Policy (PDF)
• Bereavement Guidance (PDF)

Wellbeing

The work we do is important and we want you to feel supported, energised and able to thrive while you do it. Your wellbeing matters, and we expect everyone to play their part in creating a healthy, supportive culture. Here’s some of what we’re doing to make this happen:  

• Wellbeing Days: Up to four Wellbeing Days each leave year no explanation needed.
• Employee Assistance Programme: Free, independent and confidential support 24/7, 365 days a year.
• Mental Health Champions: Champions play an important part in building a community where mental health is valued and we can speak openly about it. They help to raise awareness, share information and resources, and encourage colleagues to look after themselves and each other. Vitality: Our Private Medical Insurance provider offers lots of tips to stay well.
• Headspace: Mindfulness and meditation are a hot topic for a reason and we want you to know about it. So much so, you can use it for free!

Policy Disclaimer

The policies published on this website are provided for information purposes only. They do not form part of any contract of employment or offer of employment, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Eligibility for, and application of, these policies may vary depending on role, length of service, location, and operational requirements.

Teach First reserves the right to amend, replace, or withdraw these policies at any time.

Growth to meet the challenge

If we’re going to rise to the challenge ahead of us, we need to unlock the potential of everyone who works at Teach First. While you’re with us, we want you to grow and develop.

Performance feedback

We all want to know how we are doing and that’s why we don’t wait for an annual cycle to have those conversations.  

We believe feedback is critical to high performance, so you’ll regularly receive feedback on how you’re getting on. We commit to making feedback as specific as possible and will always focus on the impact of your actions. This way we believe you’ll build on your strengths and perform in new situations.

Apprenticeship options

Apprenticeships aren’t just for those new to the workplace. We’re using our apprenticeship levy to make sure our people have the skills and knowledge needed to grow in their roles. We offer apprenticeship options in management, project management and many more. We’re open to discussing converting many roles into apprenticeships where a government approved scheme exists.

Management development

We’ve all experienced good and bad management. And we all know which we’d like more of. That’s why we provide specific development opportunities so our managers and teams can excel.

Career break

Sometimes getting experience outside of Teach First or having a bit of a break from the norm will help you grow. And we know that you’ll bring what you learn back with you, so we can grow too. We offer career break options for all our employees with two or more years’ service.

Volunteer days  

For up to three working days a year, you can get involved in a project outside of your day-to-day role to connect to the Teach First vision. You could fundraise for the charity, provide coaching to pupils, run a reading group, creative workshop and much more. 

Your journey to day one

So you’ve found out why Teach First is a great place to work. Now’s the time to apply.

• Create an account: You’ll only need to do this once, no matter how many vacancies you apply for.
• Submit a CV and cover letter: Let us know why you’re fired up about working for us and how you meet the essentials, plus “nice to haves” from the job description.
• Application Review: Your application will be reviewed by our Talent Acquisition team and subject matter experts within the charity. To be shortlisted you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria, and if we have a high volume of applications, the “nice to haves”.

If you are shortlisted, you’ll be invited to interview within 10 working days of the vacancy closing. If not, we’ll let you know via email. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide feedback at the application stage due to the number of applications we receive.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to any candidate who meets the essential criteria, has a disability, and applies under the Disability Confident Scheme. If you would like to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme, please contact careers@teachfirst.org.uk, to let us know, alongside your application number, if you have it.

• Assessment: This depends on the role you’ve applied for. It could be a one or two stage interview and could include a task. We provide interview questions and task details in advance to ensure you can be as prepared as possible. These will be based on the job description and will be a range of competency and scenario questions.
• Outcome: We will be in touch within seven days of the interviews being completed. If you’re successful following your interview, the hiring manager will get in touch to give you the good news and you’ll move to the offer stage. If not, we’ll let you know via email, and you’ll have the opportunity to request feedback to help further applications.
• Offer: If you get an offer this will include the key details like your salary, hours, and location. After that it’s on to the paperwork.
• Child Safeguarding: We follow safer recruitment practices for every role. Safeguarding children is non‑negotiable, so you can’t start working with us until a DBS check is in place and references have been completed.
• Onboarding: This will include us getting in touch with professional references that cover the last three years, checking you have the right to work in the UK and a DBS check.
• Start: Your new line manager will get in touch to let you know the plan for your first day. You’ll receive IT equipment before your first day so you’re ready to get started! We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Teach First!

Top tips

We know a lot of time and effort goes into an application. So, we want you to make the best use of that time to create an application that makes you stand out. Here are some top tips:

Application

• Start by letting us know why you want to work with us to achieve our mission.
• Read the job description and tailor your CV and covering letter. Tell us how you meet our criteria. The easier you make it for us to see how you meet the essentials and any nice to haves, the more likely you are to make it through to the next stage of assessment. Why not use headings for each essential criterion to make your application stand out?
• We’re passionate about our work and rewriting the future for the pupils who need it most. Tell us how you’re aligned with our purpose and the role you’re applying for. Find out more about our vision.
• How we work is as important as what we do. We’re focusing on our culture and doing the best work we can – together. Read our values. How will you contribute to our culture and help us succeed together?
• Keep it focused. Ideally no more than two pages for a CV and one page for a cover letter.
• Use plain English. We’re on a mission to ditch the jargon and acronyms. Join us.

Interview

• Most of our interviews take place online via Microsoft Teams. We know tech can be challenging at times, so we’d recommend you test your tech before the interview. If your connection drops out during the call, don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Just log back in as soon as you’re able to or if needed, we can reschedule.
• There isn’t a dress code for the interview so wear something you feel comfortable in. Make sure you’re in a quiet place, have a drink and we’d suggest blurring your background.
• We share interview questions in advance so you can feel as prepared as possible on the day. We’d recommend you make some notes for each question, using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method where possible. You’ll be able to refer back to your notes during your interview too. The questions and task will be based on the job description so do review this when you’re planning your responses.

FAQs

We know starting a new job can bring up lots of questions. That’s why we’ve noted down some FAQs we hope will help - scroll down below to see these. If anything hasn’t been covered, please do get in touch with the Talent Acquisition team at careers@teachfirst.org.uk. Role specific questions will be passed to the hiring manager and answered wherever possible. 

Policies that support how we work

Browse our people policies and guidance documents below.

• Annual Leave (PDF)
• Agile Working (PDF)
• Flexible Working (PDF)
• Other Leave (PDF)
• Recruitment and Selection (PDF)
• Family Policy (PDF)
• Carers Policy (PDF)
• Bereavement Guidance (PDF)

Policy Disclaimer

The policies published on this website are provided for information purposes only. They do not form part of any contract of employment or offer of employment, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Eligibility for, and application of, these policies may vary depending on role, length of service, location, and operational requirements.

Teach First reserves the right to amend, replace, or withdraw these policies at any time.