Cardiff

After completing my PGCE, I joined New Directions in September. I have so far had a brilliant experience on supply and would recommended anyone to register to New Directions, especially graduates. Supply for me has been a great way to build experience in a variety of settings and year groups.

New Directions have been very friendly and helpful, providing mostly pre booked work as well as bookings for nearly all my available days.

Primary Teacher – Working in the Vale of Glamorgan

I am due to start my third year of working for New Directions. Having worked for other agencies based in South Wales, I have found New Directions to be the most flexible and accommodating and reliable for finding me work. So much so that I have recommended it to several friends and colleagues. At least one of whom is now registered.

My account manager Annie is quite frankly superb. She is aware of my unusual availability and yet is still available to find me bookings in the type of school I am best suited and at a very competitive rate. She is very friendly, yet professional. Emails are always replied to promptly and queries dealt with.

On the one occasion where there was a miscommunication by a school, Annie found a quick and fair solution. I feel she represents the interests of the teacher well and understands the workings of schools. I am always surprised how much knowledge she has about individual schools. Not just the geography but timings, people and whether a teacher is suited to it. I really do enjoy our chats on the phone with talk of holidays, school concerts, West Wales, putting the world to rights and of course organising any bookings too!
Annie has gone the extra mile to ensure that my long term booking is renewed and she even renegotiated my rate, something which I hadn’t expected. Thank you.
I stay with New Directions for a number of reasons. Firstly, staffs are always able to deal with queries quickly and efficiently. I never having to chase work, it’s available when I need it.
The ease of checking timesheets, booking holiday and automatic calculations of mileage online makes things easy. I especially like how I can access payslips and my P60 online. The rules for usage of holiday and filling availability are simple.
The variety of schools used and the type of work available suits my needs. It is not assumed that you wish to work in your local area. I am not always able to take the morning phone call and my account manager always accommodates this.
Because of these and the fact that simply the vibe is calm and organised I will continue to work for New Directions.

Primary Teacher – working in Bridgend

I am currently working for New Directions covering a maternity leave at a Primary school in Cardiff which I started in May 2015. I first met my Account Manager when I was contacted about a long term position. I came into the office to provide my identification documents, and was in the booking within a week.

She has always been really polite, professional and friendly, and I have always felt that I could contact her to ask anything, she never has made me feel like I am a nuisance, or that she is pushed for time. My Account Manager has continuously kept in contact with me throughout my placement and reminded me of any changes or information that I need.

I have also found New Directions on the whole, to be very professional, and a good employer to work for. The time sheets are easy to complete, and I have never had any problems with my pay.

Katey, School Secretary

All in all I feel privileged to be a caretaker working for New Directions. I have been working for them for just under 1 year. The highlight for me is the varied work placements and the excitement of new challenges. Since starting I have rarely been out of work. My Account Manager is constantly in contact with me and is aware when a booking is due to end, so she usually has something for me to go straight into. I speak to my Account Manager weekly whether it be to organise a new placement or to have a chat to make sure everything is good. I feel confident that I can call her should any problems arise and that a solution will be found as little delay as possible. The nicest thing about working for my Account Manager is that she is not only interested in work based problems, but I know that if I have a personal issue or if i just want to have a chat with her she is always happy to listen. She is interested in my life and my interests, I am not just another candidate to her. I would recommend anybody working for New Directions and with my Account Manager.

Gethyn, School Caretaker

I would like to say that as the administrator of a large primary school, the service that New Directions offer is first class.

Our previous Headteacher, who came to us from Swansea, had used New Directions and although we had used them for some supply cover they were not the main agency we would approach.

She asked me to make them the first point of contact when I was booking teachers and teaching assistants. This I have done and I must admit that the service we receive is excellent.

Staff are always very friendly but professional. Their help in finding supply teachers and teaching assistants, sometimes at very short notice, is very much appreciated.

The email confirmation we receive is very useful as our diary can then be updated with teacher names.

I would have no hesitation in recommending New Directions to other schools.

Grangetown Primary School, Sian Phillips

I have been working with New Directions for nearly a year after deciding to do supply work as a means to earn some extra money after I left my permanent job. In that time my Account Manager and the team have been very helpful and informative. I have had plenty of work, and I have regular phone calls checking up on me whilst I am in my long term positions. I would have no hesitation in recommending New Directions to anybody if they are looking for work.

Viv, School Caretaker

I have been working with New Directions as a school caretaker since 2012. During this time I have constantly been kept in work, mainly in long term positions. My Account Manager is great, always very helpful and clear with her messages. She is always keeping me up to date and lets me know of any work or changes in plenty of time. She is always trying to accommodate me and my needs, and is fair with her pay if I am flexible. She is really nice, easy to understand and is patient explaining and repeating things if i need clarification.

Brian, School Caretaker

When I left full-time teaching my friend encouraged me to join an agency, as she had done, as I still felt that I had something to offer to education.
I had no knowledge of how an agency worked, but from day one New Directions have supported me and have helped to give me back the “buzz” I always had from teaching but which I had lost.

I always feel that I can be completely open and honest and that my opinions and wishes will be listened to, are appreciated and used sensitively.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my Account Manager. Since I joined New Directions, communication with her is always professional and she is able to balance my needs with the needs of the school. She always has time to talk to me and is able to help me with any question or problem I may have and resolve it quickly.

The highlight of working with New Directions is the fact that my point of contact has quickly understood exactly what I want from the supply teaching and has made every effort to send me to schools which she thinks I will like. I have felt “looked after” and valued…Long may it continue.

Jill, Primary Teacher, Monmouthshire