FAQs

Each job has a specific closing date which will vary. By default, applications will close at midnight on the closing date, unless specified otherwise in the advert.   

In some instances, we may choose to interview as and when suitable applications are received, and may appoint a candidate and close the job before the advertised deadline without notice. In this situation, you will still be able to access and amend your application form, but you will not be able to submit it.   

We always recommend submitting your application as soon as possible after seeing the advertisement to ensure that you are considered. 

You are free to apply for a position of interest and we will consider your application(s). We are a tier 2 sponsor for overseas applicants if successfully employed in our trust.  

We cannot advise you on your work eligibility status, but we do not reject any candidate because of their need to obtain an appropriate work permit / visa. 

Please be aware that any offer of employment will be subject to the relevant DBS, identification and reference checks prior to your start date.

If you are making an application from outside the EU, here are some useful links: 

Check if you need a UK visa

Apply for a UK visa

Our quick and easy application form contains the following sections:

• immigration details
• personal details
• education and qualifications
• professional membership
• employment details
• supporting statement
• references
• notice period and availability to start work
• equality and diversity monitoring details
• data consent and safeguarding declarations

Yes. You can check the status of your application at any time by logging back into the applications portal.

The status of all your live applications will be listed under 'Your Applications' as soon as you have logged in.

Your password can be reset by requesting a Password Reminder email via the applications portal login screen.

No. It is trust policy at Dixons not to accept applications made solely with a CV and / or cover letters. Applications must be completed and submitted in our application portal. 

Once you have applied for a position through our application portal, you will receive an automatic email confirming receipt of your application. We endeavor to shortlist for interview within three working days of the job closing. You will then receive an email to confirm if you have been shortlisted for an interview. Due to the number of applications we receive, we don’t always contact unsuccessful applicants.  

No.  The applications portal enables you to save your application and return to work on it further and complete it later. 

Simply log back into the applications portal to pick up where you left off. 

If you need to locate a copy of the application form you submitted, this can be found on the job application portal homepage in the user account section.

From here, you will find a record of each application submitted and can view and / or print each application.

Yes. You can apply to as many academies and positions as you wish and access them all inside the applications portal. 

When applying for positions, please consider any differences between the positions you are applying for and the different academies where they are located to confirm you meet the requirements and can tailor your applications to the setting.  The number of positions and academies you apply for will not impact our selection process, but consider carefully the number of applications at one time and try to focus on the areas where you feel you can have the most impact. 

You should be clear as to why you are interested and your motivations for applying to different positions and academies. This should be outlined in your supporting statement and must be pertinent to each position. 

If you cannot find any vacancies listed for a particular academy, it means there are no current vacancies open at that time. However, we are always looking for great talent so please make sure that you join our talent community and we can let you know when any suitable opportunities arise.

We are constantly looking to recruit talented people from all academic backgrounds for both teaching and non-teaching positions within our trust.  When applying for a School Direct place or as a teaching assistant, you must have:

• a UK undergraduate degree or a recognised equivalent qualification 
• a standard equivalent to a grade C in GCSE English and mathematics 
• a standard equivalent to a grade C in a GCSE science subject if you intend to train to teach at Primary level 

As part of our application process, you must provide the details of two referees. One of these referees must be your current or most recent employer. Your second referee can be a past employer, or any character reference provided by somebody who is not related to you. 

A standard part of our recruitment process is to request references prior to interview. If you do not want your referee(s) to be contacted prior to interview, please email the contact in the job advertisement.

Your application history will be registered and stored securely in your job application portal homepage. You must apply for a position to start your application. 

If you wish to re-apply to a position or academy, you can copy details from a past application. However, please make sure your details are correct and up to date when submitting applications.

Once you have submitted your application, you will see a confirmation screen saying "Application submitted" to confirm that it has been completed. The application details will also appear in your candidate homepage in the "Your applications" section, with the status of "Application submitted".

• If you have not submitted an application, the status will display as "Application in progress".
• You will also receive a confirmation email with the subject "Thank you for your application". 
  This may take up to 15 minutes.
• If you are experiencing problems, please contact the person listed in the job profile for support.
• Please note that a full application form must be submitted before the deadline for that specific vacancy for your application to be valid.
   

Once you have submitted an application, you will receive an email confirming this. Once the closing date has passed, the academy will shortlist successful candidates and contact you directly to arrange interviews. We may also request further information to support your application prior to any interviews

If you apply for a job through the Dixons Academies application portal, you will be notified whether or not you are shortlisted for interview.

Please be aware that during school holidays waiting times may be slightly longer due to staff being away. 

You can change your personal details at any time by logging into your candidate homepage, but once a specific application has been submitted, you will not be able to access the application to make changes.

Before submitting your application, you will have the option to review your application. Please ensure that you check through your application thoroughly for any mistakes before pressing submit.

In the case that making changes after submitting your application is unavoidable, please contact us using the details in the job advert to request that the changes be made manually. 

Yes. You can login to your candidate homepage via the vacancy section and click 'Delete Application'.

When applying for the first time through the Dixons Academies applications portal, you will be asked to create a password for your candidate account.  The username will be the email address you provided when starting an application. Your username is created automatically so please ensure the email address provided is spelt correctly, and frequently checked.

If you have created an account using social media, you will not have a password. Please ensure you click on the correct social media logo when logging in.

As part of our commitment to safeguarding and ongoing improvements to our recruitment process, all applications must be made via the applications portal. In order to submit applications, you must have a live candidate account to submit your application form. From this account, you can update your personal details, create job alerts, start/save applications at any time and confirm interview arrangements.

If you have previously created an account and applied for a position through the careers website, your details will be stored securely to make any future applications much quicker.

Each job vacancy you apply to will have its own application form for you to submit. The only sections you will need to fill in again are your referee information, knowledge, skills and information and disclosures. This is part of our commitment to safeguarding and an important part of the application process.

We advise that you review and update any relevant sections of your application before making multiple academy submissions.

When you are applying for a genuine job with Dixons Academies Trust:

• you will always be contacted from a Dixons email address – never a webmail account such as Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail
• you should always be suspicious of adverts with very poor spelling and grammar
• you will always be asked to complete an online application form through our portal
• you will never be asked for payments for visa processing, administration fees or accommodation deposits
• you will never be asked for your bank details or personal identification documentation before we have made a formal offer of employment
• We will never make a formal offer of employment without at least one face-to-face interview (may be virtual); this will be held at one of our academies or at trust HQ at Dixons City Academy 
• You will always be asked to sign a hard copy of your offer of employment, which will be sent to you on Dixons Academies Trust headed paper. 

Any travel expenses incurred as part of your travel to and from the interview day will not be reimbursed, unless otherwise agreed by a principal prior to the interview taking place. 

These are detailed under our employee benefits section of the website.