Family & Education
Thought of teaching? This new organisation can help
TalentEducators is looking to bring new people into Jewish education
August 3, 2020 11:33
TalentEducators is looking to bring new people into Jewish education
August 3, 2020 11:33Gemma Peters is on the lookout for new talent.
She is the UK regional director of a newly launched global initiative, TalentEducators, which wants to recruit high-quality educators for both formal and informal roles.
Sponsored by the Jewish Agency and Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, the scheme is being piloted in Britain and the United States as one of a number of projects to strengthen Jewish identity in the diaspora. “What better way to strengthen Jewish identity than through supporting the ultimate change agents — Jewish educators,” says chief executive Aharoni Carmel.
Its aim is not only to attract people into the educational profession but enable those already working within it to upgrade their skills. It will cover nurseries, schools, youth groups and also posts in higher education.
“We want to find untapped talent,people who may not have thought before of going into teaching but have the right skills,” says Mrs Peters. “They might have done youth work in the past or have a high Jewish-content background because they went to yeshivah or sem.”
They will be someone “who wants to be a Jewish studies educator, with or without experience, but is ready to take on a new role. Once they have secured a role, we will support them with mentoring and training.
“We have relationships with dozens of educational institutions around the UK, and are therefore able to match our fellows with the perfect position for their talents.”
Candidates could also be “an experienced educator moving roles who has never got qualified,” she says.
“There are already some excellent educators in schools. What we are trying to do is to provide more educators and upskill existing educators.
Formerly deputy head of Beit Shvidler Primary in Edgware, she has worked in both the Jewish and general sector and has several years’ experience as a special educational needs co-ordinator.
At the beginning of this month, TalentEducators had placed 34 people in positions including some in the UK, had 45 openings and more than 500 educators in its database.
For further details, see gemma@talentednetwork.org