A glimpse into careers at Harris and top application tips - Q&A with Harry Bond, Head of Talent Acquisition

The education sector has ample opportunities, and Harris is an employer with many careers to choose from. But what teams do we have, what qualities do we look for in applicants, and what’s the best way to stand out in a wide pool of applicants?

For National Careers Week, we sat down with Harry Bond, Head of Talent Acquisition to discuss the roles that exist at Harris, what his team looks for when reviewing candidates, and his advice for anybody interested in working here.

What is Talent Acquisition and what do your team do?

My team supports academies with the recruitment process, recruitment marketing, and job advertising. Firstly, the employer branding which is attracting people to come and work here. Then with the jobs we have, whether that be teachers, leadership, or support staff, we go out and source candidates for those roles, support academies to process those applications, and guide candidates through the recruitment process. A lot of the work the team does is also around advice, training, and guidance, and bringing in technology that drives efficiencies. 

 

What do you and the team look for in candidates?

I think the overarching value we seek in candidates is that they are interested to work in an organisation such as Harris. We are an education charity which has a very meaningful impact in the communities we are based in, and in the world of education as a whole. Staff will be part of that culture and will join an organisation delivering transformative work, so we look for people who really value that in an employer and want to work somewhere that has a purpose. 

We also look for people who are dedicated to what they do. For teachers, we want people who are really passionate about the students and who love their subject. For leaders we want people who want to turnaround schools and make them outstanding places of learning. And then the support staff, we want people who recognise that they are just as valuable to the academies and are a bit like the backbone to the schools – they may not be teaching the kids, but their role is just as important to the running of the school.

There are going to be skills and qualifications that are needed for different roles; and both core skills and softer skills will be important. But I’d say the main skills we look for across all roles is around communication and collaboration as that is so crucial to being able to work well in such a complex organisation. 

All our academies are very different, each one has their own context and who they are, and what they might look for in terms of that cultural fit. But overall, we look for people who are really committed as our standards and expectations are very high to match the aspirations we have.

 

For those who haven't worked in a multi-academy trust (MAT), can you explain some of the roles and departments we have that people might not think exist in education?

As a MAT, we deliver a service that ultimately supports the core services of an academy.

We have departments that will facilitate going out and supporting schools but who are also based centrally at head office. Some of the biggest teams include:

• IT – a particularly big department where they have lots of technicians on the ground, so roaming support as well as at head office. 
• Procurement – we have a lot of contracts that are maintained by the Federation to drive cost savings and this team are invaluable in driving those efficiencies.
• Estates – they are really important for the maintenance of our academies and looking at some of the new sites that we would take on as a Federation.
• Recruitment and HR – supporting with finding and onboarding talent into the organisation, and the management and development of our people.
• Consultants – a really big value-add in terms of going out and working with departments, educating and working with the Principals to help turnaround schools, and also just to maintain the high standards around subject areas and curriculum knowledge, and are a central force for being able to deliver rapid school improvement. 

We have around 260 people across the central team. And we have growing teams like Fundraising, who focus on how we can generate extra money for academy-based initiatives and resources. We also have someone in the Federation who looks at how green we are and our approach to climate change and our commitment to environmentally friendly based practices. We also have our Executive Leaders and Directors so we have a strong, central leadership capability too. 

 

What makes Harris different to other MATs?

Other Trusts do similar great work in terms of turning around failing schools and having an impact in education. But ultimately, we operate in an area that is quite different; so those other MATs tend to be spread out geographically especially the larger ones. We are the only MAT our size that is just based in London, which works to our advantage in terms of the support that we can deliver, and the collaboration culture that comes with Harris. We are within the M25 which means that we can take advantage of how we can work together as a group of academies.

And we have a culture here of having high standards; there is a high expectation both in teaching and support staff, and there is an ultimate commitment to the students and pupils within the schools. And this is proven in our track record of results from academies and how quickly schools get turned around. We do look to work with people who strive to be the best and ultimately have the students at the centre of everything that happens. 

 

What application advice would you give someone interested in a role at Harris?

My top advice is to do some thorough research on the school that you are applying for, make sure you understand what the school is about in terms of its values and where it is based. I’d definitely recommend engaging with the central recruitment team; have a conversation with one of our recruiters to ask any questions, and learn more about the role. 

On the teaching side, it would be really valuable to visit that academy and meet with the Principal to understand the dynamics, how they work, and that can then inform how you would write your application.

The supporting statement is really key to identifying the motivations of why you are interested in working there and what it is about the job that appeals to you, but we really want to make sure that it is an opportunity that would be a good fit for the long term.

 

Do you have any interview tips?

To prepare for the interview, make sure to read what you put in the application and that when you arrive at the interview you know what you said and that you can fully explain your experience. It’s important to make sure that you can articulate why you are right for the role.

If possible, try to get some experience by practicing with a friend or colleague, maybe do some role play. 

Crucially, be yourself and try not to be nervous. For a teaching role, you will need to do a classroom lesson, and for a support role, you may be asked to do a presentation, so do your best to stay relaxed.

But really it is about showing why you want to work at Harris, that you understand the benefits of being at Harris, showing the commitment to your job, and making sure you understand our values and what we do, and that you want to be part of the bigger picture we have here. 

 

Can you recall a particularly memorable interview, and what that person did to stand out?

I attended some Consultant interviews which are usually a very intense day because they have an early start, and includes a presentation, classroom teaching, and a panel interview. It was great to see candidates who were so prepared, really keen to work at Harris, and full of energy and passion for what they do. There was one person who from pretty much the moment they arrived at the interview, they had a really good energy and presented themselves in a way that it was clear that they would be a really good fit for the role. 

Another one was someone in my team who I appointed to be an apprentice focused on digital marketing and content production. She was looking for a chance to prove her skills and capabilities, and she just ticked the boxes of someone who would have a really good work ethic, someone who wanted to try hard and prove to herself that she could do something and commit to the programme. She also had a really good mindset around the creativity needed in the role. And overall, she just showed the energy that I like to find in people and I knew that she would work well within the team. And she did a really good job with us, and when it came to her leaving and her exit interview, she got emotional because she really enjoyed working here but she felt it was the time to move on and to try something else, but she was really good in the team, she learnt a lot, and has gone on to do some really great work.

 

What’s your favourite thing about working at Harris?

I would say it’s the pursuit of an end goal - a set number of academies, all fully staffed; but as a growing organisation, I know that’s not likely to happen. So it’s about the everyday of having a new challenge, with an end goal in the distance, but we can see the value that we’re adding along the way. 

Harris has got a really friendly approach in terms of its head office culture and its academies. And being part of something where you’re working with likeminded people who are on the same journey to help the schools to do what they need to do and having the impact in terms of the wider Federation. I think having a role that has an impact and means something is really important, and that’s shared across the board at Harris with everyone here, so being part of that environment is very rewarding. 

It’s a great, enriching place to work because there’s lots of things you can do; if you are willing and able, you can have opportunities to develop and take on things that you think will work. You’re continually encouraged to try new things so there’s lots of opportunities to grow and evolve which may not present themselves elsewhere. 

 

Inspired by what we offer here, and want to put those tips into action?

See our current vacancies