A little about us
With over 30 years’ experience, we are proven experts in recruitment and specialise in the education sector. Having seen the best and worst of recruitment agencies, Managing Director Alison Lester founded Red Lester in 2019 to specialise in placing UK teachers abroad.
We’re a small company with a big heart, dedicated to fitting great people with exciting roles in the right place. We insist on getting to know all our schools and teachers individually, which allows us to successfully place candidates as opportunities arise. This, we believe, sets us apart.
We’ve come a long way since placing our very first teacher in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Since then, we’ve consistently supplied teachers to fantastic schools across Alderney, England and Jersey. Now, steered by where our lovely portfolio of teachers want to go next, we’re able to support schools in Dubai with their greatest asset; the right people!
If this excites you as much as us, join us on our exciting adventure…
Meet the team
We’re the team you’re going to be working with and, as a big part of our job is getting to know you, we think it’s important that you get to know us too…
Alison
Managing Director
Ali is Founder of our lovely company and a recruiter with more experience than you could wish for. Having seen the good, the bad and the questionable within the recruitment industry, Ali set up Red Lester to do things differently (and by that we mean the doing things the right way). She’s passionate about helping people and spends every working day ensuring Red Lester delivers quality teachers to schools internationally. Ali prides herself on visiting schools in-person, so she’s no stranger to taking Red Lester abroad to experience things for herself. And if there’s time for a bit of shopping at the airport then that’s a job well done!
Jeanette
Customer Service
Jeanette is all about customer service and specialises in guiding our lovely teachers through the clearing process. She’s an expert organiser and is on-hand to help with everything from onboarding to travel and accommodation.
With an extensive background working in schools, there isn’t much Jeanette doesn’t know about quality and service in the education sector. She’s likely to be your first port of call here in the office, so if you’re a quality teacher, respectable school or a genuine supplier, you’re in good hands. Oh, and she keeps our office in tip-top shape too.
Rob
Recruitment
Rob is an experienced recruiter with a smile. Our very own gentle giant, Rob is on hand to understand where your skills lie, to help you get the perfect job in a school we know you’ll love. Previous experience in commercial recruitment means he’s a whizz with CVs and has a knack for understanding people and business.
With an interest in fitness and running, Rob’s a local football coach in his spare time. He’s big on family, so if he’s not in the office you’ll find him on the school-run. We’ll leave you to ask what team he supports though…
Ellie
Marketing & Business Growth
Ellie focuses on marketing and business growth, so we can keep our teachers (and schools) happy and provide what they want and need. She brings vision from her marketing experience in both agency and client side and has a passion for doing things properly.
A creative at heart, she’s got an eye for detail and communication. She’s the one keeping everyone in the loop, whether it’s via the newsletter, social posts, or just over a cup of tea. She’s lived and studied abroad and also loves to travel… so the question is, where next?
Biscuit
Ali is rarely seen without her little companion ‘Biscuit’. Not only is Biscuit adorable, but she sums up what we’re about; she’s very good at doing her job (she’s the epitome of a cute, playful hand-bag sized dog), loves meeting new people and is always keen to explore.
Awards & accreditations
Professionally accredited
We’re proud to be a Corporate and Professional Member of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), which drives recruitment standards in the UK.
REC members are recognised for their professionalism and the value they provide to clients and candidates. We adhere to their Code of Professional Practice and complete their annual Compliance Assessment to ensure we’re up to date with the very best standards in education recruitment.
Award-winning recruitment agency
We push ourselves to do the best job we can. So, we’re proud to have been recognised amongst the best in our industry for doing what we love – and doing it well.
REC Awards 2024:
Business Leader of the Year – SHORTLISTED
Recruiter Awards 2024:
Agency Recruitment Leader of the Year – FINALIST
Recruitment Agency of the Year 1-9 Employees – FINALIST
Corporate Coaching & Recruitment Awards:
Education Recruiter of the Year 2023 – Channel Islands – WINNER
International Education Recruiter of the Year 2024 – SHORTLISTED
Environmentally responsible
Trees for teachers initiative
We love placing fantastic teachers in schools abroad, but we’ll be honest… getting them there isn’t very green. So, over the past year we’ve made lots of small changes to work towards being carbon-neutral. Whilst we’ve changed the way we print, gone virtual with business cards and electric with cars, we want to do more. Hence we’ve introduced a Trees for Teachers initiative!
We know that planes and ferries are an essential form of travel for our teachers, and we can’t operate without them. But we’ve now found a way to offset them and ‘give back’ to the planet every time we do.
We’ve teamed up with Carma and pledged to plant a tree for every teacher we send out to international schools. When a teacher heads out on their first assignment with us, we’re able to tell them where a tree is being planted in their honour; news that can be shared with schools and pupils. On top of that, we plant an extra 100 trees a month to cover all travel and activity in-between.
So, whether you’re a Red Lester teacher or school, you can rest assured that you’re doing your bit to protect the planet for the future generations you’re teaching, just by working with us. Join us and be part of this exciting initiative.
