How the Process Works
1. Create a profile in the OTSA Applicant Pool making it clear that you are a trainee teacher seeking a school placement.
2. We will write to partner schools to tell them about you.
3. Partner schools will be able to view your profile and will contact you if they can offer a placement.
4. If a school offers you a placement, you will need to connect them with your ITT provider so the appropriate arrangements can be made.
How to Create an Effective Profile
1. When creating your profile, select the “Trainee Teacher” option from the 'Applicant Status' field.
2. In the 'Your Professional Headline' Field please indicate that you are looking for a school placement, using the following format:
"Trainee Teacher Seeking School Placement - Secondary Geography"
Or
"Trainee Teaching Seeking School Placement - Primary".
3. In the "Short Biography" Section you should include :
- The date the placement will begin
- The number of weeks required
- Your preferred locations
- Mentoring requirements
- The fee the school will receive
- Whether you are seeking a permanent position at the end of training
- Any other relevant information, e.g. prior experience
4. DO NOT add anything to the 'Additional Skills' field - if there is something you would like to include, please add it to the biography above.
Other Recommendations
- You can include a professional headshot (clear and appropriate for a teaching profile)
- If you wish, you can either upload your CV or complete the ‘Employment History,’ ‘Education,’ and ‘Certifications’ sections in more detail - but there is no requirement to do this.
- You may wish to consider including a short video (up to 2 minutes) to introduce yourself. You will need to upload it to a video hosting site (e.g., YouTube) and add the link to your profile.
Final Steps
- You must unhide your profile to make it visible to schools.
- Once approved by OTSA, we will tell schools about you.
- Schools who may be able to offer a placement will contact you directly.
Important: If your profile is incomplete after two working days, it will be deleted. You will need to start again if you still wish to register.
