Kate Bradley, Director of Human Resources, joined us to discuss a career in HR at United Learning
With over 80 schools, three central offices and numerous field-working positions across the country, United Learning offers a variety of career opportunities with plenty of room to grow and develop in your role with us.
Read on for our next ‘Two Minutes with…’
Hi Kate, thank you for joining us today!
Thank you for having me, I'm happy to be here
Firstly, tell us about yourself and your career so far.
I’m Kate Bradley, the Director of HR here at United Learning. I love working in HR and have worked in this field for 30 years now, two years of which at United Learning. Before I began my HR journey I was a primary school teacher, so working at United Learning is a perfect blend of two things that I feel very passionate about. In my spare time I love travelling and walking along coastal paths and hills - and I love Leicester City FC and football in general.
What do you enjoy the most about working here?
I love the ethos: the essence of bringing out the best in everyone. I like the fact that HR contributes to improving the experiences of staff that work for us and that has a direct positive impact on the children we teach. I also love working with lots of varied, committed, passionate and bright people. It’s an all-round great place to work!
That sounds great. How would you describe your team?
Our team are incredibly committed to working with schools and school leaders. Each individual is deeply passionate about making life better for everyone that we employ, and they are all highly professional and hard working. It is a testament to how highly they are thought of within the Group that their advice and guidance is so valued.
What are the biggest challenges you face in HR and how do you overcome those?
HR can be complex and there is never a shortage of things to do, with some cases being more challenging than others - no two days are ever the same! That being said, it presents us the chance every day to make sure we are targeting resources where we think it could be most effective. We also make sure that we maintain a fantastic working dynamic by talking over new cases when they come in.
Something I’m really proud of the team for is our recent revision of the PDR process. We hope that this revision will help to address the challenges of retaining excellent staff and making sure they’re getting the right training and career opportunities, so this is a great example of how we’ve taken a challenge and then used it to improve a process which benefits our employees.
What would you say to those looking to begin a career at United Learning/in HR?
If you want to develop a teaching career United Learning is an excellent place to start with excellent curriculum support, CPD and tremendous colleagues to work with.
If you pursue a career in HR you will be involved in a wide range of different work with lots of opportunities to develop and a great group of people in our schools. Each day will present interesting challenges and you will not only help improve the lives of the young people we serve at United Learning, but also directly impact the lives of your colleagues for the better.
Thank you for joining us today, Kate.
If you are interested in a career at United Learning, you can find out more and view our current vacancies here: Careers