Vida Education Cumbria Branch - Carlisle

Nicholas H.

Marcus supported me really well getting me into schools quickly and well informed. I always felt that he had listened to my needs and expectations and was available to answer any questions I had. He also had good relationships with the schools I went into.
If thinking of supply teaching I would happily recommend Vida education.

Charlene C.

I joined the Vida team in July 2023. Since then I have been in multiple schools both primary and high school, meaning I have been able to gain valuable experience as a Teaching Assistant. The team in the office are so helpful and supportive. I would highly recommend Vida to anyone looking to gain experience within the education sector.

Catherine M.

I’m a recently retired PE teacher and wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do any supply teaching. I made some tentative steps and was introduced to Jonathan ( the agent for Cumbria) from Vida. From that first phone call I couldn’t fault him. He has been so encouraging, supportive, friendly and honest. I am able to contact him at any time and he always replies. He quickly found me appropriate work and I was even offered a permanent position! Vida acknowledged my experience and negotiated a very good rate of pay for me with schools and have always paid me on time every Friday and, if possible confirm hours early (usually the day before)and the work has been plentiful. My agent acts as the go between with schools and everything has been very smooth. I know I can contact the company at any time if there is a problem and they will support me and try to find a solution. Indeed, Vida are a highly professional company and all the paperwork and liaison with schools has been very efficient and easy. I would definitely recommend them and especially Jonathan who is just lovely to work with .

Adam R.

The people at Vida Education are professional and friendly, offering training to those new to this kind of work and can offer work suited to your schedule. They are accommodating if you are or aren't available at short notice and don't hound you or pressure into being available. They foster brilliant working relationships with the schools they do work with, so my experience in the school I worked for was great. I would 100% recommend this company.

Imogen S.

I was recruited as a cover supervisor (secondary) and found all the staff to be incredibly helpful and polite. My consultant always went out of his way to call me after visiting a school to see how my day went. Vida provided excellent pre-placement training and I always felt like they did a good job of handling any issues encountered with schools.

However, I was hired under the agreement that my pay would range from £90-£105 a day. These figures are also advertised on Indeed as the daily rate. Acutely aware that Vida is a business and also needs to make money, I asked several times about whether they take a commission or any other fees from the £90-£105 I would be earning. They always said “no”. I even got it in writing “we don’t take any money off you for working”.

They were correct. VIDA weren’t taking the money, but I worked for two weeks before they informed me that the umbrella company they used (People Group Services), DO charge for processing your pay. And it deducted a substantial amount (about 20%) from my earnings. That was before tax. Not only are you paying this umbrella company £15 for the pleasure of being paid, but you also pay your employer’s NI and apprenticeship levy, among other things. On a week I earned £365, I took home £272.

But even that wasn’t clearly explained to me by Vida. The day before my first payday, I was told “it’s gonna look like they’ve taken loads [of money] off, but we (Vida) pay you a bit more to compensate for that”.

Thinking that there was no way I would have been lied to several times, and remembering the salary listed on the Indeed ad, I interpreted this to mean that the compensation would be added on top of the £90-105 day rate. I was wrong. It was inclusive.

I confronted Vida about this and they offered me the option to be paid via PAYE (through them), but this would only pay me £80 a day - not the £90-105 I had agreed to.

Once I googled umbrella companies and all of the bother people get into with them, and feeling ashamed that I fell for Vida’s lies, I joined another agency (common for agency workers to get as much work as possible). Vida needed a lot of pestering to give me a reference.

Once I had successfully transitioned to my new agency, I became fully booked up and couldn’t wait to cut ties with Vida. I rang up and explained I wanted to leave. They insisted that THEY call the umbrella company to arrange my final pay and P45. Two days later, I called the umbrella company. This was the first they had heard about my leaving. Probably another lie by Vida to trick me into staying. I arranged my P45 with the umbrella company myself.

I’m sorry to be leaving Vida on this note, as the office staff are kind and seem helpful. Do remember that they are salespeople at the end of the day and they are experts in endearing themselves to others and taking advantage of your relationship with them.

Tony W.

Like other retired teachers, I wasn't sure supply would be for me. However, I've been very happy with Vida Education and with Jonathan's help and support, it's been smooth and straightforward. He's quick to respond to queries and get you a good rate of pay. I would highly recommend Vida to others thinking about supply.

D R.

I started working with Vida in December 2022.
I had been out of education for a few years and was nervous going back into a school.
Vida made me feel at ease, went over everything in detail, chat if I need to and really helped me settle back in.
Communication with the team is superb.
I can’t recommend this company enough, I’m so pleased I work with them.

Charlotte M.

I am relatively new to Vida Education but I would absolutely recommend them to anyone who wants to work in education but isn't sure how or where to start. I had a limited experience in education so I assumed that this wouldn't be the right path for me but I was definitely wrong. My consultant made the whole getting started process so simple and got me into work so quickly and always just at the end of a phone for any problems or queries. The best thing is it fits around me and my commitments 😊