Sunderland education company secures £100k investment for teacher recruitment app

A North East company has received a £100k investment to fund the development of a new teacher recruitment app.

Premier Teachers, based in Sunderland, secured the funding from angel investor Gary Dewhurst, who has an investment portfolio of ten companies.

The firm’s new app allows teachers to apply for multiple posts via mobile using a single submission form, as well as providing schools and local education authorities with a searchable database of applicants.

The serial entrepreneur opted to invest in Sunderland-based Premier Teachers after recognising that the app could cut recruitment costs while expanding the talent pool – increasing a school’s chances of hiring the ideal candidate.

Mike Donnelly, founder of Premier Teachers, commented: “This £100k investment was absolutely critical as we had taken the product as far as we could and were unable to access the necessary funds to make it a viable product.

“It is a simple and scalable tech solution to address a nationwide shortage of teachers in a profession that has missed government recruitment targets for secondary school teacher trainees for the seventh year in a row.”

The app is due to undergo testing next month and is scheduled to be launched later this summer.

Gary said: “I’m excited to be investing in Premier Teachers and its app as it offers a simple solution to ease the chronic shortage of teachers.

“I have three children in education and have seen first-hand the challenges that both teachers and schools face in recruiting the right people.

“I value education highly and that is my main motivation behind this investment.”