It’s because of planning in schools means you have to know you’ve got the staff well before the beginning of each term. Means that you have to appoint staff before the end of May for them to start at the beginning of the Autumn Term. After that it’s start at beginning of the Spring Term. You are right in saying that it’s the summer holidays that make this a particular problem at that time of the year.
Seems to make sense. Maybe a three month notice period? In my experience, most of the time teachers and schools both approach things pretty much like adults (or at least they used to) - unless something's gone badly wrong then it's bad form to leave at any other point than at the end of the next term after you hand in your notice. And because you'll almost certainly be going to another school, your new employer will probably want you to start at the beginning of the term after that anyway. I guess this might have become muddled a bit now that academies etc aren't under LEA control, or teachers move in and out of the private sector a lot more. It would be interesting to know whether any mid-term 'poaching' goes on.
Yes. You can. In practice though, schools only appoint newly qualified staff or returners after the end of May if they haven’t been able to recruit before.
It wasn’t uncommon in the past for Local Authorities to blacklist teachers who left outside the “normal” limits. Would not surprise me if academies poach staff. All accountability has been removed in the preparation for total privatisation of money making state schools. In a way it’s already here with massive multi academy abominations.
In some Financial Services you get caught talking to a rival firm and you are either sacked or sent home on gardening leave .
Fine line on this one if there are rules around how discussions should take place (ie clubs must speak via proper channels) - I think you could argue his conduct is a breach of contract if there was an express clause stating how the conversations should take place and they weren’t done correctly. It isn’t so much the act of discussing another role, more how it has been done. Would be an interesting case to argue because by extension you could say the clause is a restraint of trade. However don’t mix the two things up - it could be unenforceable so far as preventing him from talking to another club but still enforceable for disciplinary purposes. covenants such as these are always viewed in context so what may be illegal in one industry is not in another. Football is a unique industry with a unique set of rules. the encouraging other members of staff to join him would without doubt be gross misconduct, it is a breach of trust and confidence, and good faith. No idea if any of what the club has said is true mind....