Tradewind Recruitment
Tradewind Recruitment is a UK-based education recruitment agency that supplies teachers, teaching assistants, and school support staff to schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts across England and Wales through 18 regional offices and a CPD platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tradewind Recruitment does
Tradewind Recruitment Ltd is a UK-based, privately held education recruitment agency founded in 1999 and operating as part of the wider Abaco Recruitment Limited group alongside SANZA Teaching Agency. The company supplies teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, and school support staff to schools, colleges, academies, multi-academy trusts, and alternative provision settings across England and Wales. It serves both temporary/supply and permanent placement needs, with an employer-of-record model on temporary placements that manages payroll via PAYE and umbrella arrangements. The firm operates 18 regional offices led by dedicated local consultants, with London HQ at 110 High Holborn and coverage across cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Nottingham, and others.
The company's core technology is a web-based recruitment platform with job search functionality, candidate registration portals, and a third-party Tranza timesheet management system for temporary workers. A distinctive asset is The National College, a CPD and policy resource library offering over 2,500 courses and webinars to registered candidates, which functions as a candidate acquisition and retention tool. The platform also supports a Refer a Friend programme and an online CV submission flow.
Tradewind earns revenue through three primary streams: temporary/contract placement margin (the spread between school bill rates and worker pay), permanent placement fees for full-time teaching roles, and broader education staffing services across primary, secondary, SEN, and further education. Daily supply rates range from £92.56–£160 for support staff and unqualified teachers, and from £100–£261.78 for qualified teachers depending on subject and region. Qualified teacher permanent salaries fall within the £32,916–£52,490 MPS/UPS band. The go-to-market is sales-led, with dedicated local consultants managing both school and candidate relationships, supported by REC membership, Cyber Essentials certification, and Government Commercial Agency framework approval.
Tradewind Recruitment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tradewind Recruitment
- Legal name
- Tradewind Recruitment Ltd
- Website
- https://twrecruitment.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Tradewind Recruitment is a UK-based education recruitment agency that supplies teachers, teaching assistants, and school support staff to schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts across England and Wales through 18 regional offices and a CPD platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tradewind Recruitment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Services (5613)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Direct Hire (Teachers/Administrators) (BPACAFAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)
Keywords
Where Tradewind Recruitment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices18 records
Markets served
Tradewind Recruitment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Temporary/Contract Placement Fees: Tradewind Recruitment places teachers and support staff in temporary, contract, and long-term supply positions at schools. They act as the employer of record, managing payroll via PAYE and umbrella companies, earning margin on the difference between what schools pay and what workers receive.
- Permanent Placement Fees: The company recruits for permanent teaching positions at schools, academies, and educational institutions, earning recruitment fees for successful placements.
- Education Staffing Services: Core activities include recruiting teachers, teaching assistants, and education support staff for schools, colleges, academies, and other educational institutions across early years, primary, secondary, and further education sectors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Teaching Assistant daily rates |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Qualified Teacher daily supply rates |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SEN Teaching Assistant rates |
| Subscription | Annual | Permanent Teacher salaries (MPS/UPS) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Tradewind Recruitment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tradewind Recruitment is a UK education recruitment agency founded in 1999 that connects teachers, teaching assistants, and school support staff with schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts across England and Wales. The company places candidates in temporary, contract, and permanent roles across early years, primary, secondary, and further education, and complements placements with a free CPD platform (The National College), a graduate route into teaching (Step Into Teaching), and a Wrap-around Care staffing service.
Product overview
Tradewind Recruitment is a full-service education recruitment agency offering a unified platform of staffing solutions for the UK education sector. The core offering consists of recruitment services for teachers (primary, secondary, SEN), teaching assistants, cover supervisors, and school support staff across temporary, contract, and permanent arrangements. Key products include The National College CPD platform (providing over 2,500 courses and resources free to candidates), the Step Into Teaching Programme for graduates, and Tradewind Partnerships for schools. The company operates across 19 UK locations and connects educators with positions ranging from daily supply to permanent roles in early years, primary, secondary, and further education settings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The National College: CPD and policy resource library offering over 2,500 courses, webinars and resources for educators.
- Tradewind Partnerships
Products and services
- Teaching & Education Recruitment Services Core permanent and contract recruitment service placing qualified teachers, trainees, ECTs, teaching assistants, and cover supervisors into schools, academies, and MATs across England and Wales, segmented by phase (primary, secondary, SEN, early years) and contract type.
- Supply Teacher Services Temporary supply-teacher staffing service providing daily and short-notice cover teachers to schools and academies across England and Wales, managed via local consultants and Tranza digital timesheet processing.
- School Support Staff Services Recruitment and placement service for school support staff, including teaching assistants, SEN teaching assistants, and cover supervisors, supplied to schools and academies on temporary, contract, and permanent bases.
- International Teachers Recruitment Specialist recruitment service for international teachers relocating to the UK, supporting placement into English and Welsh schools, candidates seeking overseas-qualified teacher roles.
- The National College (CPD Platform) Free online CPD/training platform providing continuing professional development courses to teachers and educators, used both as a standalone learning resource and as a candidate-engagement tool supporting Tradewind Recruitment's education staffing services.
- Tradewind Partnerships Preferred-supplier partnership programme offering schools, academies, and MATs a structured, long-term relationship with Tradewind Recruitment for their ongoing teaching and support-staff hiring needs.
- Step Into Teaching Programme Structured programme for graduates and career changers entering the teaching profession, providing supported pathways into teaching roles and feeding the candidate pipeline for Tradewind Recruitment's school clients.
- Wrap-around Care Service Staffing service supplying wrap-around care (before- and after-school childcare) personnel to schools and academies, extending Tradewind Recruitment's offering beyond classroom teaching into wider school workforce needs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free access to over 2,500 CPD courses through The National College for all registered candidates
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Tradewind Recruitment
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tradewind Recruitment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature1 record
Tradewind Recruitment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Sanza Teaching AgencycoreTradewind Recruitment and Sanza Teaching Agency operate together as part of the same business structure, both being education recruitment companies providing staffing and recruitment services to schools, colleges, academies, and other educational institutions. They share operations, policies, and compliance frameworks including the Modern Slavery Statement.
- Abaco Recruitment LimitedcoreTradewind Recruitment is part of the wider Abaco Recruitment Limited group, suggesting a parent-subsidiary or sibling company relationship within the recruitment sector.
- Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)coreTradewind is a member of the REC, the professional body for the UK recruitment industry. This membership provides access to industry best practices, professional standards, compliance frameworks, and represents Tradewind's commitment to ethical recruitment practices.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tradewind Recruitment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Protocol Education: UK-based education recruitment agency placing teachers, TAs, and support staff into schools across primary, secondary, and SEN. Closest direct competitor to Tradewind with similar service lines, geographic coverage, and revenue model.
- Reed Education: Education arm of Reed, one of the UK's largest recruitment groups, supplying teachers, support staff, and SEND specialists. Comparable in terms of multi-channel education staffing and nationwide coverage.
- Hays Education: UK education recruitment division of Hays plc, placing teachers and support staff across primary, secondary, and further education. Directly comparable as a multi-region education staffing agency with a strong employer brand.
- TeacherActive: UK education recruitment specialist placing teachers, TAs, and support staff in temporary and permanent roles across mainstream and SEN schools. Comparable national footprint and supply-led business model.
- Aspire People: UK education recruitment agency covering teaching, support, and SEND roles across primary and secondary schools. Comparable in recruitment for hard-to-fill subjects and SEN specialisms.
- Career Teachers: Established UK education recruitment firm placing teachers, TAs, and school support staff on temporary and permanent contracts. Comparable in school-side placements and supply teaching focus.
- Milk Education: UK education recruitment specialist operating across the Midlands and North, with focus on TAs, SEND, and ECTs. Comparable in regional office model and value-added candidate services.
- Celsian Education: UK education recruitment agency supplying teachers, support staff, and SEN specialists to schools and academies. Comparable in MAT and academy trust contract structures.
- SANZA Teaching Agency: Sister brand within the Abaco Recruitment Limited group, sharing Tradewind's London HQ and providing international teacher recruitment to UK schools. Internally comparable due to shared ownership and operational overlap.
Emerging players
- Athena Education: UK education recruitment agency with focus on SEND, SEMH, and alternative provision staffing. Partially comparable to Tradewind's specialist/SEN and alternative provision segments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tradewind Recruitment social profiles
Digital presenceTradewind Recruitment compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Tradewind Recruitment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tradewind Recruitment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Tradewind Recruitment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tradewind Recruitment M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tradewind Recruitment
What does Tradewind Recruitment do?
Tradewind Recruitment is a UK education recruitment agency founded in 1999 that connects teachers, teaching assistants, and school support staff with schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts across England and Wales. The company places candidates in temporary, contract, and permanent roles across early years, primary, secondary, and further education, and complements placements with a free CPD platform (The National College), a graduate route into teaching (Step Into Teaching), and a Wrap-around Care staffing service.
Is Tradewind Recruitment a public or private company?
Tradewind Recruitment is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Tradewind Recruitment founded?
Tradewind Recruitment was founded in 1999. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Tradewind Recruitment based?
Tradewind Recruitment is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Tradewind Recruitment make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Temporary/Contract Placement Fees are the primary driver. The others are permanent Placement Fees and education Staffing Services.
Who are Tradewind Recruitment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Protocol Education, Reed Education, Hays Education, TeacherActive, Aspire People, Career Teachers, Milk Education, Celsian Education and SANZA Teaching Agency. Athena Education is listed as an emerging player.
Does Tradewind Recruitment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tradewind Recruitment.
What industry is Tradewind Recruitment in?
Tradewind Recruitment's product category is Education Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAI, Education Direct Hire (Teachers/Administrators), with a secondary code of BPACAKAG, Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.