Pool West

What Pool West does

Pool West (Stichting Pool West) is a Dutch non-profit foundation operating a regional substitution pool for primary education in South Holland, Netherlands. Established and governed by 18 affiliated school boards, the foundation matches substitute teachers, teaching assistants, teacher supporters, and PABO students with 230+ primary schools in the Delft-Pijnacker-Nootdorp-Lansingerland-Zuidplas-Den Haag-Zoetermeer-Leiden corridor. Its stated mission, "geen klas zonder leerkracht" ("no class without a teacher"), positions Pool West as a coordination intermediary rather than a commercial uitzendbureau: substitutes are employed directly by the affiliated school boards under the CAO Primair Onderwijs (CAO PO) collective labor agreement, and the foundation does not extract the high per-booking mediation fees typical of temporary employment agencies.

The core matching service runs on the Solvidi platform and accompanying smartphone app, through which teachers receive substitution requests, manage availability, and filter matches by location, grade level, contract type, and denomination. Beyond the core matching loop, Pool West has assembled a portfolio of adjacent programs to address structural teacher shortages: DoeDagen (full-day creative lessons delivered by trained WO-student teachers), PoolWorkshops (6-8 week rotation models), Hybride Docent (side-by-side teaching by industry professionals), Vakdocent subject-teacher placements paired with the LevelUp professional development track, BBL work-study traineeships for teaching assistants, and the Zij-instroomtraject fast-track for career changers entering primary education. Substitute supply is reinforced through formal partnerships with six PABO teacher-training hogescholen (Hogeschool Inholland, Haagse Hogeschool, Thomas More, Hogeschool Rotterdam, Hogeschool Leiden, Driestar Hogeschool), and recruitment uses a website with searchable vacancies plus organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) and online information sessions.

Pool West's commercial mechanics are typical of a coordinated consortium: no per-booking pricing is publicly disclosed, no revenue figures are reported, and the entity is funded through contributions from its 18 affiliated boards rather than external capital. Distribution is regional and direct—schools contact Pool West when coverage is needed, and substitutes register through the foundation's front door—thereby capturing the entire matching workflow without competing temporary-employment middlemen.

Name

Pool West

Legal name

Stichting Pool West

Website

https://poolwest.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pool West is a Dutch non-profit foundation that runs a regional substitution pool, matching 300+ substitute teachers with 230+ primary schools across 18 affiliated school boards in South Holland via the Solvidi platform to address teacher shortages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Substitute Staffing

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuation & Credit Recovery Schools (EDAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Substitute Teacher Permitting & Authorization Offices (EDADAJAO)

Keywords

• Substitute teacher pool
• Primary education staffing
• Teacher substitution services
• School workforce matching
• Education substitution pool

Headquarters

HQ city

Nootdorp

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Administrative/Matching Services: Pool West operates as a non-profit foundation (stichting zonder winstoogmerk). The organization charges schools no high mediation fees for matching services. Schools pay for the substitution services through the school boards, and substitute teachers are employed directly by the school boards. Pool West acts as an intermediary, not a temp agency, so no money goes to an employment agency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pool West is a regional, non-profit substitution pool that matches substitute teachers (invallers) — including qualified teachers, teaching assistants, teacher supporters, PABO students, and specialized subject teachers (vakdocenten) — with 230+ affiliated primary schools across 18 school boards in South Holland (Delft, Pijnacker-Nootdorp, Lansingerland, Zuidplas, Den Haag, Zoetermeer, Leiden). Schools contact Pool West when they need coverage for absent teachers; substitute teachers sign up once and gain access to all affiliated schools through the Solvidi matching platform, with teachers directly employed by the school boards under CAO Primair Onderwijs conditions.

Product overview

Pool West is a non-profit substitution pool foundation for primary education operating across the Delft-Pijnacker-Nootdorp-Lansingerland-Zuidplas-Den Haag-Zoetermeer-Leiden region in South Holland, Netherlands. The core offering is a matching service that connects substitute teachers (invallers) with 230+ affiliated schools across 18 school boards. The platform offers various staffing solutions including short-term substitutions, long-term placements, and specialized programs like DoeDagen (creative educational programs) and PoolWorkshops for schools facing teacher shortages. Additional services include career transition programs for professionals wanting to enter teaching, BBL work-study traineeships, and subject teacher placements. Pool West operates without profit motive, directly employing substitutes at school boards under the CAO Primair Onderwijs collective agreement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pool West Substitution Pool The core substitution pool service that connects substitute teachers (invallers) — qualified teachers, teaching assistants, teacher supporters, and PABO students — with 230+ primary schools across 18 affiliated school boards in the Delft-Pijnacker-Nootdorp-Lansingerland-Zuidplas-Den Haag-Zoetermeer-Leiden region. Substitutes register once and are matched to school requests via the Solvidi platform based on preferences (location, grade, availability).
• Short-term Substitution Service Flexible substitute placement service for various short-term staffing needs in primary schools, covering teachers in training, teacher supporters (leraarondersteuners), and teaching assistants (onderwijsassistenten). Substitutes set their own preferences for location, grade level (groep), and availability.
• DoeDagen Creative educational program solution addressing teacher shortages in primary schools. DoeDagen provides specialized content lessons (techniek / technology, burgerschap / citizenship, leesplezier / reading enjoyment, wereldoriëntatie / world orientation) delivered by trained university student teachers (WO-student docenten) using hands-on learning methods.
• PoolWorkshops Alternative organizational solutions for schools facing teacher shortages, offering 6-8 week programs or rotation models to structure and deliver education content as a stopgap when regular teaching staff is unavailable.
• Hybride Docent (Hybrid Teacher) Service Service connecting professionals from other industries who want to teach part-time alongside their main job with primary schools, bringing valuable practical workplace experience into the classroom while supplementing the regular teaching workforce.
• Subject Teacher (Vakdocent) Placement Placement service for specialized subject teachers (vakdocenten) in areas like music, technology, philosophy, theater, science, and arts, who can teach at primary schools without holding a full primary teaching credential.
• LevelUp Program Professional development program for (kunst)vakdocenten (art and subject teachers) who want to further develop their skills and increase their impact in primary education through structured training and coaching.
• BBL Traineeship (Work-Based Learning) Work-study program (beroepsbegeleidende leerweg) combining employment as a teaching assistant (onderwijsassistent) with pursuing an mbo diploma, offered across more than 200 schools in the South Holland region.
• Zij-instroomtraject (Career Changer Program) Fast-track program (zij-instroomtraject) for career changers holding an hbo or wo degree to become certified primary school teachers within approximately 2 years, combining paid work in schools with formal teacher training.
• Information Sessions Regular online information meetings (informatiebijeenkomsten) for people interested in working in primary education, explaining available roles, training pathways, and required skills (open to prospective teachers, teaching assistants, teacher supporters, and career changers).

Quantifiable outcome

• No class has to miss a school day due to teacher absence - ensuring educational continuity for students

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• UnicozmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool governing body affiliated with Pool West, representing multiple primary schools in the region.
• Spectrum-SPCOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation for Protestant-Christian education with 8 schools in Lansingerland, affiliated with Pool West.
• SKOP PijnackermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic school foundation with 5 schools in Pijnacker and Delfgauw, member of Pool West.
• Scholengroep Holland (SCOH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool group affiliated with Pool West for providing substitute teachers.
• SCO DelftmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool organization in Delft affiliated with Pool West.
• PROO Leiden-LeiderdorpmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool board for primary education in Leiden-Leiderdorp region, Pool West member.
• PCOWmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool foundation affiliated with Pool West.
• OctantmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian primary school foundation with 9 schools in Pijnacker, Nootdorp, Delfgauw and Ypenburg (Den Haag), member of Pool West.
• Lucas OnderwijsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool board affiliated with Pool West.
• LibrijnmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic education foundation with multiple schools in the region, Pool West member.
• Laurentius StichtingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic school foundation with 31 schools and nearly 9000 students, member of Pool West.
• West Openbaar OnderwijsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic education foundation, Pool West member.
• Stichting KronenburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool foundation affiliated with Pool West.
• Noor Stichting Islamitische ScholenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIslamic school foundation with schools in Leiden, affiliated with Pool West.
• Panta RheiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool foundation affiliated with Pool West.
• OPOZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool foundation (possibly for special education), Pool West member.
• SolvidicoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform/app used by Pool West for matching substitute teachers with schools, managing availability, and processing substitution requests.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kelly Education: Kelly Education is the K–12 staffing division of Kelly Services in the US and places substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and special-education staff across primary and secondary schools. It mirrors Pool West's focus on K–12 substitute coverage at much larger scale and is the closest US direct comparability on substitute-teacher placement, differentiated mainly by its commercial (vs. non-profit) employer model.
• Swing Education: Swing Education is a US-based K–12 substitute-teacher marketplace that connects schools with vetted substitute teachers through a tech platform and app-driven matching, frequently recruiting student teachers and career changers. It is the closest international analog to Pool West's app-based, school-board-aligned invaller matching model, serving the same fundamental need of finding qualified substitutes for primary classrooms.
• Solvidi: Solvidi is the workforce-management platform that powers Pool West's invaller matching and is exposed via Pool West's branded iOS/Android apps (Apple id 1571853908; Google Play nl.invalpool.solvidi). It is directly comparable because it is the underlying matching engine for Pool West and also serves other Dutch educational and staffing pools, making it the closest technology comparability in the Dutch substitute-teacher matching space.

Others

• Visma Circle (formerly Circlewood / Invalpool tooling ecosystem): Visma (via acquired Dutch education and workforce platforms) supplies back-office, HR, and substitute-teacher tooling that competes and integrates with Solvidi/InvalPool solutions used by Pool West. It is an adjacent enabling vendor rather than a direct competitor, but it shapes the Dutch substitute-staffing software stack that Pool West relies on.

Broad incumbents

• House of HR: House of HR is a Belgian-Dutch staffing group (parent of USG People, Bright Plus, and others) with education staffing lines operating in the Netherlands and Benelux. It competes with Pool West for substitute-teacher and education personnel demand via commercial staffing brands, but with broader geographic and vertical coverage rather than a single regional K–12 pool.
• Adecco Nederland: Adecco is a global staffing leader with a Dutch subsidiary operating an education-staffing vertical (Adecco Onderwijs) that places substitute and permanent teachers in primary and secondary schools. It targets the same schools and substitute population as Pool West but does so via a commercial, fee-based agency model rather than a non-profit school-board foundation.
• Tempo-Team: Tempo-Team is a major Dutch staffing agency (part of the Randstad Group) with a dedicated education vertical for substitute teachers, teaching assistants, and school support staff. It overlaps with Pool West's substitute-coverage value proposition and competes in Dutch primary-education staffing, but operates as a generalist staffing brand rather than a regional pool foundation.
• Randstad Nederland: Randstad is the largest Dutch staffing provider with a dedicated Randstad Educatie vertical covering primary, secondary, and special education substitute and permanent placements. It competes with Pool West for the same substitute-teacher and educational-staffing demand in the same Dutch market, but at much larger scale and as part of a broader staffing portfolio rather than a specialist K–12 pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StichtingPoolWest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/poolwest
• Instagraminstagram.com/invalpool.poolwest

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pool West