SET Recruitment Candidate Guide

At SET we are extremely passionate about education, and are always on the lookout for qualified and experienced staff to support our clients' in their objective of moulding and inspiring their every student. But we also realise that only considering those candidates with classroom experience would bring about the swift demise of the industry as a whole. We know that many people from different working backgrounds can have a whole host of transferable skills that can make them fantastic Learning Support Assistants or Cover Supervisors, provided they have the right attitude and the desire to make a difference, and are given the full support of an experienced team of workforce specialists with unparalleled training opportunities and guidance. Such individuals will often make the best candidates, embodying themselves the spirit to learn, and their life-experience will enrich the classroom exponentially. 

In this guide we endeavour to explain all aspects of working with us, from onboarding to payroll, and describe exactly what we will do for you as candidates, whom we consider clients as much as the schools to which we supply. But if you already have experience, or if this has already inspired you, please use the button below to get the ball rolling. 

At SET, we provide the same commitment and high level of customer service to our candidates as we do to our clients. If a client needs staff, then we will, of course do everything we can to provide them. But equally, if a candidate wants to find work in a specific area, then we will do everything we can to make that happen by acting as your agent. Our expert team will create a vibrant profile highlighting your skills, strengths and experience, and market you directly to the schools in your chosen areas. If your ultimate goal is to find a permanent position with a local school, then we can definitely also help with this and have an excellent track record of assisting candidates into substantive roles after a period of supply. You will also have the opportunity to try different schools and areas and be sure you have found the right fit before fully committing. This is especially useful for an ECT (Early Career Teacher), because one school can vary hugely from another, and getting as much different experience as you can at this stage will ensure you reach your fullest potential. 

Agency work is not for everyone, however. To make it work for you, you will need - 

• Flexibility - The more restrictions you put in place, the less likely it is you will get what you want. It seems obvious, but if you only want to work in Foundation Phase, don't have transport and can only get to a handful of primary schools on public transport, then the chances are very slim! The willingness to pick up last minute requests on the day is also vital. We know from experience that these are actually great opportunities, and can often open all sorts of doors. 
• Determination - Once we get you an opportunity, the ball is entirely in your court. First days can often be challenging. If there are staffing issues at a school, the teaching staff will likely be under pressure. You must be willing to hit the ground running, to go above and beyond in helping in any way possible, whatever the circumstance. Your regional coordinator and our candidate care mentor will be on hand to give you all the support and guidance you may need, every step of the way, to ensure you are on a path of continuous development. 
• Patience - We will do everything we can to get you exactly what you want, but we can't manufacture need. We will, however, use our client relationships to present innovative workforce management solutions that other agencies will not. 

As a framework supplier we can offer work in a huge variety of settings and we will discuss these many options during interview. The main divisions are into Primary and Secondary education. Mainstream education also includes opportunities to work with additional learning needs, and Special Schools are now divided into four main categories of communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health; and sensory and physical needs. 

As a Welsh Born-and-Bred Registered Framework Supplier to all twenty-two Local Authorities, SET Recruitment is fully committed to supporting the Welsh Government, both through the supply of the highest quality education workers, and in its Welsh Language objectives set out in its Cymraeg 2050 strategy. Not only do we have Welsh speakers across the business, but our dedicated Welsh Language Coordinator works tirelessly in growing our pool of Welsh Language Education Workers in close contact with Welsh Language Schools nationwide.  

Our state of the art digital onboarding system will ensure we can clear you for work as smoothly as possible and next steps will be signposted as you complete each stage. To work for us you will need - 

• A Passport or Birth certificate that will evidence your Right to Work in the UK along with a document showing your National Insurance number.
• An Enhanced DBS check. SET will pay for your first DBS check if you are not on the update service to allow you to do so. This is a saving of £49.50 and we are the only agency we know of that does this across the board. The update service involves a £16 annual fee. 
• An EWC registration in the appropriate category which entails a annual cost of £45 for a Qualified Teacher and £15 for Support Staff. (EWC renews in April each year regardless of when an individual registration is started.)
• Two professional references on file. We can discuss the conditions of the references in more details with you if you have any questions.   

Once you have conducted your Welcome Meeting with our Candidate Care Mentor (we use Teams for your ease and convenience), SET will provide you with free access to our online training platforms. Four modules are mandatory and you will be asked to complete and then renew these annually.  

We have a dedicated Compliance Team who can see the progress of your onboarding and will be here to help every step of the way. If you have any queries you wish to discuss before you proceed further, use the button below to contact our team. 

Candidate care has been an integral part of our business model for many years, and is only now becoming prevalent in the industry as a whole. Our dedicated Candidate Care mentor works tirelessly to ensure all our candidates are getting all the support they need to perform at the highest level. Whether facing professional or personal difficulties, we will always go above and beyond to help in every way. 

Our regional coordinators will pull out all the stops to find you the work you are looking for, using their extensive knowledge of local schools and their key contacts. They will actively market you out to the areas in which you wish to work using a multi-pronged approach, including on-site visits to ensure your vibrant profile gets straight into the hands of the movers and shakers. 

If you would like to discuss opportunities in your area before starting the onboarding process, please use the links below to connect with your reginal coordinator - 

• Rhondda Cynon Taff
• Cardiff, Newport and Monmouthshire
• Welsh Language and Merthyr Tydfil
• Bridgend and The Vale of Glamorgan
• Caerphilly, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent

In line with Framework guidance, we do not use Umbrella Companies, and all pay is processed PAYE (Pay As You Earn) by our in-house payroll team. Any work completed during a school week of Monday to Friday will be paid on the Friday of the following week. All necessary documentation will be completed as part of our onboarding process, specifically the Confirmation of Bank Details Form, New Starter Checklist, and the PAYE TOE (Terms of Engagement). In order to ensure you are paid every penny you are owed without fail, we use rolled up holiday pay which is paid per shift, allowing you to freely manage this yourself. The Key Information Document (KID) can be viewed here.

Unfortunately, errors do sometimes occur when processing large numbers of workers. It is very important, therefore, that you always check your pay carefully. You will be given access to an online portal where you can view your pay the day before it hits your bank. If you notice any errors, just let us know as quickly as possible and we will do everything we can help. 

In addition, every school week, we run a lucky timesheet bonus. Every shift you work counts as one entry, and the winner is picked at random and will receive their bonus of £100 in their pay, after tax unfortunately. Although you don't have to submit timesheets anymore, they are automatically generated by our system, but this makes it really important that you let us know immediately if there are any changes whatsoever to your normal shift pattern. Pay and charge are inextricably linked, and so if you are overpaid, the school will be overcharged, and time consuming verification will be the result. 

A great way to further boost your pay is to refer a friend, and it's important to know that you are able to refer both education and healthcare staff. Our sister company, MPS Healthcare, supplies qualified and unqualified nurses to the NHS through the All Wales Framework, and to GP Practices, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes, while MPS Homecare supplies staff to complex care packages in the community.