Herts, Beds, & Bucks Office
TimePlan House
960 Capability Green, Luton, LU1 3PE
Phone: +44 (0)1582 635 741
Email: hbb@timeplan.net
Covering: Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Luton and Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire.
Why Herts, Beds, Bucks and Northants?
TimePlan has been providing teachers to schools throughout the counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire since 1996. During the last twelve months we have also been working closely with schools throughout Northamptonshire.
The stunning counties of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire lie north of London and offer a wonderful location in which to live and teach. The region is an area of outstanding beauty with excellent shopping facilities, modern bustling towns and quaint villages. There are good transport links to the Capital, Europe and other parts of the UK so you will never be short of things to do.
There are three major motorways - the M1, M4 and M40 - that all run through the area and converge on the M25, the major ring road around London. All major towns have train links into London, and the west coast mainline from London to Scotland has an inter-city station at Milton Keynes providing a gateway to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel. Heathrow, Stanstead and Luton Airports are all close by and support a variety of low cost airlines operating flights to hundreds of European destinations. Visit the easyjet website and see how cheap and easy it is to see the rest of Europe.
In short, there are few places in the country with such close links to London, Europe and the rest of the UK.
The schools we cover
There are nearly 1500 schools in the area, ranging in size from 32 pupils up to 1500. Schools vary in character depending on their location and socio-economic environment. Schools throughout the counties are well represented in league tables. They range from rural village schools to those with an inner city flavour. Secondary education in Luton, Bedfordshire was revolutionised this academic year with the Government go-ahead for two new specialist training academies, sponsored by Barnfield College. The multi-million pound shake-up of the local education system holds out the promise of much improved academic and vocational results for thousands of Luton students. The academies are the first anywhere in the UK to be sponsored by an FE college. The Government has selected Barnfield College as the sponsor for the key skills project because of its well-established reputation for training and education best practice. TimePlan has an extremely close working relationship with the new academies and our teachers are thoroughly enjoying the experience of working in such a dynamic and innovative setting.
Things to do
Three Shires areas should offer enough diversity to fulfil most needs. Here are a few suggestions:
St Albans - Once known as "Verulamium", one the largest and most important Roman cities in England. This small city not only boasts some of the best Roman remains in this country, but allows a glimpse into the past 2000 years of British history in it’s buildings and cobbled streets.
Film Studios - There are three main film studios in this area: Elstree Studios where Indiana Jones and Star Wars were made, Pinewood Studios, the home of James Bond and Leavesden Studios, associated with Titanic, The Beach, and lately, Harry Potter. TimePlan Three Shires provide teachers to studios to teach between takes.
Outdoor activities - For those who enjoy the great outdoors, Xscape in Milton Keynes is the longest man-made ski slope with real snow in Europe, while the aquadromes at Rickmansworth and nearby Billing provide watersports such as windsurfing and waterskiing.
Live performances - The unique theatres and majestic stately homes around this beautiful part of the country play host to productions, concerts and recitals throughout the year. The Stables in Milton Keynes is one of the UK's leading live music venues, offering excellent live music for all tastes - jazz, blues, folk, rock, classical, pop and world music.
Accommodation
House shares and lodgings will generally cost between £60 and £80 per week and one bed-roomed flats from £400 to £500 per calendar month. Be aware that most lettings are for a minimum of six months. Pubs also provide a cheap method of accommodation and may also provide a way of supplementing your income. We have sourced a number of good guest houses throughout the four counties, close to public transport links. In Luton we can fully endorse Elite Letting, a company providing accommodation solutions just for teaching professionals.
Socials
Our social events are held every half term in various locations around the counties. Where possible we try and select a location that is easily accessible, however covering such a wide area it is not always possible for some of our teachers to join us. Most recently we invited our teachers to the curry club at Wetherspoons in Hemel Hempstead where curry and drinks were on us.