E-scéal 1: Text-a-Sub - Recruit Substitute Teachers by Text Message
- Published: 08 November 2002
'Text-a-Sub' - Recruit Substitute Teachers by Text Message
Worsening teacher shortages this year are leading to even greater headaches for principals in the recruitment of substitute teachers. This situation has prompted the introduction of a new service for IPPN members involving a direct text messaging service, which will significantly increase the efficiency of the substitute recruitment process.
Text-a-Sub is a system whereby:
The Principal / DP uploads the contact details of the school, the nature of the vacant class and the minimum duration for which the sub is required through www.ippn.ie This site will be accessible by IPPN members only from Jan 1st 2003.
This information is then automatically sent by text message to all the local substitute teachers who have registered their mobile phone numbers with www.educationposts.com - substitute teachers re-register their mobile phone numbers and choice of county every 14 days. Currently 247 substitute teachers are registered with TEXT A SUB in 25 different counties
The Principal / DP can offer a school, home or mobile number to receive calls from interested subs or allow the calls go to voice mail.
The Principal /DP then chooses from the most suitably experienced / qualified teachers that have replied.
Upload Substitute Vacancies on www.ippn.ie
Main advantages of this service are:
- Only teachers who are actively seeking work in your county will receive texts.
- The text messages are sent within 5 to 10 seconds!
- When a Principal / DP uploads a substitute vacancy, (s)he is informed of the number of substitute teachers to which the text has been sent.
- Sometimes the need for a substitute teacher is discovered outside school hours - text messages work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
- The Principal / DP controls the times and the telephone numbers at which (s)he can be contacted by substitute teachers.
- The Principal /DP can choose the most suitable teacher from the range of substitutes that reply.
- The service is entirely FREE to IPPN member schools as well as free to all substitute teachers.
- Less time will be spent by Principals / DPs on the telephone and fewer children waiting for a substitute teacher to arrive.
- Substitute teachers, register your mobile telephone number with: www.educationposts.com
