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Maandag® helps keep education running because every class needs a teacher or lecturer. To cope with the teacher shortage, Basisschool Bilal in Amersfoort works with Maandag®. Head of Bilal primary school, Latifa Benbouker talks about her experiences with how Maandag® approached the assignment and with the seconded teachers.
In the Central region, as in many other parts of our country, there is a huge labour shortage in education. Basisschool Bilal is starting to notice this tightness more and more, Latifa tells us. ‘In recent months, no one with the right profile has responded to our vacancies. For instance, we get applications from teaching assistants who want to work as teachers, but we need people who can stand in front of the class right away. We have grown rapidly in the past year and have also faced other challenges. For instance, a colleague suddenly fell ill and will be absent for a long timeand there was just no match with another teacher. We only found that out a few weeks after the school year started. Then you have to be able to adapt very quickly. Because of the higher costs, we try to avoid hiring supply teachers, but due to such situations we called in Maandag® to find new teachers. Right from the start, this turned out to be a hit: Maandag® sometimes manages to find someone within just a few days!’
In search of the dream teacher
There were already lines of communication with Maandag® through the umbrella board, so many agreements (e.g. on taking over teachers) had already been established. Of course, there still had to be a click on a personal level. ‘I came into contact with account manager Fatih Uzun. We had personal contact from the start and met face to face. What struck me in those introductory meetings is that Fatih was genuinely interested in our school,
philosophy and in myself. He is very much focused on connection and thinks in terms of our assignment.’
According to Latifa, this personal approach helps in several areas. ‘It not only makes our collaboration pleasant, but also ensures that Fatih knows the context of the assignment better. For example, our school is based on Islamic principles, and it is important that teachers fit in with this. Because Fatih understands the context well, we will only need to discuss the exact profiles when another vacancy comes up in the future. For instance, a new teacher, Mark, is coming to work here next year, and he will cover group five and has a maths specialisation. This is because we have a new method, World in Numbers, and an analysis has shown that children struggle to master maths strategies. I share that information with Fatih, and he searches in a very results-oriented wayfor a teacher who has experience in this.’
Team players
Maandag® has already seconded several teachers to Bilal primary school. For example, two kindergarten teachers have joined due to the growth of the school. In addition, two group six teachers have been seconded, due to sudden illness and to another teacher resigning. ‘I don't know how Fatih does it, but Maandag® really provides excellent people. They fit the profile, our professional culture, as well as our Islamic identity. That Islamic basis is unknown territory for many. Fortunately, the seconded teachers are not only good at their profession but can also get behind our identity and the agreements we have.’
According to Latifa, there’s always some trepidation as to whether there will be a match with new teachers. ‘To be honest, I initially thought they would be people who focus purely on their assignment, work in isolation and then go home. But they really are team players. They feel connected to the school: you can't tell the difference with the permanent staff.A couple of teachers recently said to a seconded colleague after a month: “It’s like you've been working here for years!”’
Working on the future
In principle, seconded teachers stay until the end of the school year at the latest. ‘Ideally, I would like to employ them all. But then again, they are often people who deliberately choose individual assignments. Nevertheless, two teachers will now become permanent employees. As a school, we are also working on the teacher shortage through lateral entry routes by training people to become teachers. Of course, this is a long-term approach. Until then, our relationship with Maandag® is indispensable: without Maandag® our school would have simply stopped running.’