In many countries there are simply not enough teachers to fill every classroom. In countries where we don’t have a direct government partnership we run community schools, employing and recruiting teachers directly from the communities we serve.

In some countries, newly qualified government teachers can wait months if not years to be allocated a job in the public education system. The vast majority of teachers in our community schools have government qualifications and we work in partnership with local teacher training colleges.

We comply with all the differing and individual government requirements for teacher certifications in our community schools and work to find practical solutions in areas with severe teacher shortages.

All Bridge teachers go through an intensive training program which focuses on the Bridge teaching philosophy and effective classroom management techniques. Once in the classroom, all Bridge teachers benefit from being part of a continuous feedback loop which sees them individually supported by their school leader, academic field officer and leadership and development coach—each and every week.

Every Bridge teacher is equipped with a device (‘teacher computer’) on to which they download teacher guides for over eight hours of engaging lessons a day, freeing them from the demands of lesson planning and allowing them to focus on what they love the most—teaching! All lesson guides are based on the local national curriculum.

Bridge seeks to recruit entirely from the communities in which we serve, providing local talent with the opportunity to be trained as a teacher and to become leaders and role models within their communities.

Many community teachers from Bridge are likely to spend some time teaching in public schools during their career taking with them the experience and training they get from Bridge. As such the Bridge approach to teacher training is also benefiting  public school systems.

Our teachers benefit from better income security, professional development and a stepping stone to a better future. More than that, it gives them status in their communities and pride in their profession as they see their pupils learning more quickly.