Trainee Recruitment Consultant

Student Times; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary with bonuses

Structured training programme

Flexible working options

Supportive team environment

Job summary

Student Times in Southampton is seeking a Trainee Recruitment Consultant to support schools by sourcing and engaging teaching staff. You will build candidate pipelines, run campaigns, and help deliver compliant recruitment processes.

With structured training and career progression into a Recruitment Consultant role, you will gain education sector knowledge, master candidate management, and work closely with consultants to meet client needs.

Qualifications

• Experience in a customer-focused environment.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Confident telephone manner and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organisational and time management abilities.
• Ability to multitask and prioritise effectively.
• IT skills including Microsoft Office and CRM systems.

Responsibilities

• Source high-quality candidates via job boards, LinkedIn, referrals and databases.
• Build and maintain talent pools for current and future vacancies.
• Coordinate interviews and support candidates through the recruitment process.
• Maintain accurate activity records and ensure compliance across systems.

Skills

Communication skills

Relationship building

Organisation

Multitasking

Target-driven

Team player

Resilience

Telephone etiquette

Education

GCSE English & Maths (Grade C/4+ or equivalent)

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Trainee Recruitment Consultant - Southampton

Purpose of the Role

As a Trainee Recruitment Consultant, you will play a key role in supporting the recruitment team by sourcing, attracting, and engaging high-quality teaching and support staff for schools, colleges, and educational settings.

The role is heavily focused on candidate generation, talent pooling, and market mapping, ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality candidates to support client requirements. Alongside developing your recruitment knowledge, you will learn how to build strong relationships with candidates and clients, understand the education market, and develop the skills required to become a successful Recruitment Consultant.

You will be responsible for building and maintaining candidate pipelines, supporting recruitment campaigns, ensuring compliance standards are met, and assisting consultants in achieving their performance targets. Over time, you will develop the skills required to manage your own desk and client relationships.

Key Responsibilities

Candidate Sourcing & Attraction

• Source high-quality candidates through job boards, LinkedIn, social media, referrals, and internal databases.
• Build and maintain talent pools for both current and future vacancies.
• Proactively identify and engage passive candidates.
• Write and advertise vacancies across multiple platforms.
• Conduct candidate marketing campaigns to generate interest and applications.
• Utilise recruitment technology and AI sourcing tools to maximise candidate generation.

Candidate Management

• Conduct initial screening and qualification calls with candidates.
• Assess candidate suitability, availability, experience, and motivations.
• Build strong relationships with candidates and maintain regular contact.
• Coordinate interviews and support candidates throughout the recruitment process.
• Deliver exceptional candidate care and ensure a positive recruitment experience.
• Obtain references and assist with safeguarding and compliance checks.

Recruitment Support

• Work closely with Recruitment Consultants to understand client requirements and recruitment priorities.
• Match suitable candidates to vacancies through effective qualification and referencing.
• Maintain accurate records and activity within Job Science and supporting systems.
• Ensure candidate and client information is updated and compliant at all times.
• Support consultants with bookings, placements, and candidate management activities.
• Assist in producing activity reports and maintaining recruitment pipelines.

Personal Development

• Continually develop knowledge of the education sector and recruitment industry.
• Build understanding of legislation and compliance requirements affecting education recruitment.
• Work towards becoming a trusted recruitment specialist within your market.
• Participate in training, coaching, and development programmes.

Key Performance Measures

• Achievement of candidate generation and attraction targets.
• Delivery of high-quality candidate pipelines.
• Compliance and referencing standards.
• Database growth and candidate engagement levels.
• Contribution towards desk and team GP targets.
• Consistent achievement of minimum company activity standards.

Essential Requirements

• Experience working within a customer-focused environment.
• GCSE English and Mathematics (or equivalent) Grade C/4 or above.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Confident telephone manner and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organisational and time management abilities.
• Ability to multitask and prioritise effectively.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Competent IT skills, including Microsoft Office and CRM systems.
• Resilient, motivated, and target-driven.
• Professional and positive attitude.
• Team player with a collaborative approach.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Desirable Requirements

• Previous experience in recruitment, resourcing, sales, customer service, or education.
• Experience working in a target-driven environment.
• Experience using LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards, or CRM/ATS systems.
• Knowledge of safeguarding and compliance processes.
• Understanding of the education sector.
• REC Certificate in Recruitment Practice (or willingness to work towards obtaining one).
• Experience building relationships over the phone and face-to-face.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently delivering high-quality candidates to the recruitment team.
• Building strong candidate networks and talent pools.
• Maintaining excellent compliance standards.
• Developing strong market knowledge and recruitment expertise.
• Supporting the achievement of team revenue and performance targets.
• Progressing towards becoming a fully‑fledged Recruitment Consultant.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary with performance-related bonuses.
• Clear career progression into a Recruitment Consultant role.
• Structured training, coaching, and development programme.
• Supportive and collaborative working environment.
• Flexible working options.
• Opportunity to build a long‑term career within a leading education recruitment business.