In the early days at Zen Educate, well before the online teacher supply platform was launched, we asked:
‘How can we create the best experience for both schools and supply teachers?’
We understood the supply teaching experience both personally and from family members. Typically, the teacher experience was: wait for morning phone calls, with complete uncertainty of work, struggle to locate schools with poor signage, not visible from the road in unfamiliar areas, be given little information about the school from the agency (even the basics like parking and dress code) let alone the complexities of the children’s needs and preferred practice.
We discovered the school experience had frustrations too: last minute or late confirmations, only finding out who the cover teacher was as they entered the building and laborious invoicing processes.
On top of that, the costs are startling:
- £2 billion spent by schools each year on supply
- £400 million on agency fees
Education recruitment agencies often charging nearly twice the margins of recruitment agencies in other industries.
Clearly a better solution was needed. Today, we’re helping over 400 schools in London and Manchester coordinate and book supply cover with ease. Our schools use the Zen online platform to search for best fit staff, make and manage their bookings. They can re-book staff who know the children and the school well. They see the cost savings and develop a flexible community of supply teachers and teaching assistants for their school. They receive an email in advance of the teacher arriving complete with a photo and DBS. Supply staff see a profile of the school with useful information to help them prepare including the location marked on a map and estimated travel time.
New systems and technology can feel overwhelming. ‘But we’re too busy to save money!’ is a phrase heard by the Zen team from schools. The lyrics from Queen’s Under Pressure pop into my head every time it comes up. We all have this dilemma. I could potentially save some money on my domestic fuel bills, but is it worth the time required from my life to make the switch? And, what are the odds of the tariff from the new provider going up days after I’ve made the switch? What would the cost of the switch be to me?
Last year I met and chatted with Michael, a psychologist from the US, a chance encounter during a hotel breakfast. In a wide-ranging conversation he introduced the concept of ‘switch cost’. I’d not heard the expression before, but it resonated. Task switching experiments can be conducted looking at how long it takes to get everything done and measure the ‘cost’ time for switching tasks.
It’s completely right of course to evaluate the ‘switch cost’ and see at exactly what point cost savings from implementing a new system can be realised. Achieving value for money is an ethical and good responsibility when we work in the public sector. So, as part of our research, we’ve gathered some data on the ‘switch cost’ for schools moving to Zen Educate. Here’s what we found.
Once a school is set up on the platform, the savings made with each booking are recorded for you. If you’d like to make a phone call and talk to your account manager or one of the team, we’re here 7am – 9pm at no extra charge.
Zen Educate was set up because we saw a broken system which could be improved, bringing schools directly into contact with the staff they need. We’re proud of our Social Enterprise Status and committed to ensuring good value for money and an unsurpassed experience for schools, teachers, teaching assistants and most importantly, children and young people.
‘The cost of a thing is the amount of what I shall call life, required to be exchanged for it.’
David Thoreau.
If you’d like to know more, do get in touch with us. We’d love to help!
London: 020 3870 4413
Manchester: 0161 504 0521