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In Conversation with… Zen Khan, CEO Education 1st Recruitment

Participating at GESS for the first time is a great experience that many of our exhibitors have experienced at some point. This month, we interviewed our first time exhibitor, Zen Khan from Education 1st Recruitment. Read all about her experience of starting a company, plans for GESS Dubai 2018 and more in our conversation below. That's not all... Zen will be also speaking on ‘retaining teachers in a transient environment’, in the Innovations conference room on 28th February 2018 at 11.30am the World Trade Centre, Dubai. Calling all enthusiastic educators to attend her session!

Zen, you have founded Education 1st Recruitment Ltd. What was it like to start a company that aims specifically at providing ambitious teachers and leaders to the right type of school?

Starting up a new company is always challenging, and extremely rewarding at the same time. Education 1st was established to support Partner schools and improve education in the region by supporting teachers to find the right schools for them and vice versa.

Having worked as a Senior Leader in schools both in the UK and Internationally, I realised very early on that to enable a school to run effectively the right staff must be in place, having consistency in staffing is key when running a school. The Education 1st team therefore, only recommend schools after we have taken into consideration, the requirements of both the candidate and school.

Please tell us more about your company…

Education 1st Recruitment offers a personalised recruitment service to our Partner schools and our Candidates. Specialising in the Middle East, our global consultants strive to exceed expectations by hard work and commitment.

We provide qualified, native English speaking teachers in line with the requirements of our Partner schools.

The Education 1st team is unique and breaks down barriers and status quo, we recruit professional mums from around the globe, who are supported and trained by myself, they are all dedicated and work tirelessly to meet the needs and expectations of our Partners whilst balancing work with home life. Education 1st believes that our team can work both as professionals and more importantly as mothers, both can be achieved parallel.

As recruiters, they often go over and above their role to ensure our candidates are regularly supported and guided, moving to a new country is always daunting, my team are on hand to answer any questions that candidates may have and help them to settle into their new role.

We are thrilled to have you on board for GESS 2018 & this is your first time exhibiting with us. What are you hoping to achieve and who should visit your stand?

We are very excited to be exhibiting at GESS 2018. The exhibition will provide us with the opportunity to form new Partnerships with schools, teachers and educational professionals. Myself and my UAE team will be available to network with others and share with them our enthusiasm and company aspirations.

What can our visitors expect to see at your stand at GESS 2018?

We will be providing information about our Recruitment & Consultancy services.
We will be on hand to answer any questions and we look forward to welcoming everyone.

How do you select potential educators for the UAE? 

We select based on International good practice and on the needs of our Partner schools, this enables us to find high-calibre candidates who meet the school’s expectations and will fit into their organisational culture. 

What exciting projects are you currently working on?

This is a very exciting time for me and the Education 1st team, we have many new projects that we are currently working on which include the launch of our new website and Education related Training & Development courses as well as training schools on how to use data more meaningfully.

We would love to know your secret to staying innovative & how you developed a passion for education…

Our secret to staying innovative is our passion to exceed expectations, by circling every square and by that we mean thinking outside of the conventional ways and ensuring our schools and candidates are well matched, we aim to support both with their recruitment and developmental needs.

We offer a personalised recruitment service to those we work with and go above and beyond to ensure their needs are met.

As a mum of 4 boys I have always had a passion for education, having had the opportunity to work as a Senior Leader in the region it has enabled me to contribute and make a difference to those that I have worked with. It is important to share our experiences ,our candidates and schools know who we are and how we will help, we innovate by being different whilst upholding to all professional expectations.

Is there anything you would you like to say to some of our lovely readers and visitors?

I am very excited to be speaking at the GESS 2018 exhibition about ‘retaining teachers in a transient environment’, I look forward to seeing everyone there, the session will be in the Innovations conference room (exhibition floor) on 28th February at 11.30am.

What takeaway tips would you like to share with educators who are planning to start their careers in the UAE & those who have been working here for some time?

Enjoy your time in such a country which has grown so much in education, the opportunities here are endless and every member of the education profession can grow, the only thing that can restrict us is ourselves!  So grow yourselves, nothing stops you.