April 23, 2019

Good vibe inspires better education

Paul Harris delivers occasional address at autumn graduation celebration. 

Paul Harris firmly believes that health, happiness and education are the pillars of success.

As co-founder of Vibe UK, he doesn’t just talk the talk. Paul, a graduate of the University of Wollongong, ensures these central tenets are a core part of his workplace every day.

“I really believe that good health and nutrition lead to happiness, which leads to better productivity. If our employees are healthy and happy, they are more productive,” he said.

“We put on breakfast for our employees; we give them an hour and a half during the day to exercise. We have group personal training and boxing sessions.”

For the father of four, it is not just about creating a workplace full of perks, but rather creating a workforce that is actively engaged with each other and with their roles.

“Culture, values and family are at the centre of everything we do.”

After graduating from UOW in 1999 with a Bachelor of Physical Education, Paul returned to his alma mater yesterday (Tuesday 23 April) to speak at the School of Education graduation ceremony.

His aim was to impress upon the graduating cohort the importance of their role as the next generation of teachers and the impact they can have on the lives of their students.

“As teachers, they have an opportunity to inspire their students, to make them happy and create a positive environment in their classrooms,” Paul said.

“I want to encourage them to push themselves, to take chances and explore their limits.”

Paul took a chance when he first launched VIBE, a teaching recruitment agency that aims to find Australian teachers to work in schools throughout the UK.

The initial idea was born in a pub, on the back of a napkin, with co-founder Todd Richardson. Paul and Todd aimed to create an agency that would match the right people to the right role, rather than just simply fill a vacancy.

“We get to know people, we know the schools, so if we can match the right person we have a better chance of providing a great education for those kids,” Paul said of the ethos behind the company. “We really believe in what we are doing.”

“When we set out, we didn’t think it was going to be this big. Our first business plan was written on a napkin, we didn’t have any business experiences, any contacts or any money.

“Todd left the company after a few years, but I felt like I was still learning a lot so I kept pushing and moving forward and it started to take off.”

Paul grew up in a family where education was highly valued; his mother was a primary school teacher while his father was a lecturer in education at Charles Sturt University. The young Paul joined his father on teaching practices in Australia and the Pacific, but also loved sport.
“During my gap year, I went to the UK and worked on a camp for disabled children, which was an amazing experience,” Paul said. “But I really wanted to do something sport related as well. I started the Bachelor of Exercise Science, but after a year, I decided to switch over to the education degree, because I love helping kids and it looked like a fun degree.

“That was really important, because it was about developing social relationships and networks. There was lots of paddle tennis and lots of good parties too. In addition to the academic side, it was a culture that made people feel welcome.”

Paul has carried that culture into VIBE, which is known for its welcoming environment and focus on creating strong social networks. The organisation places more than 800 teachers a day into approximately 400 schools around London. He loves recruiting young teachers and helping them to navigate a classroom and work outside their comfort zones.

“A lot of the teachers work with us when they are travelling in Europe. They come for the experience of travel, to see the sites, but one of the big lessons they learn is having to deal with things by themselves and overcome adversity,” Paul said. “When they get through that, they know what they are capable of, and they can them take that back into the classroom.

“We really believe in what we are doing. Education shapes our society. How kids are educated plays a large part in who they are, their principles and their work ethic.

“Our vision is to inspire better education. That’s what Vibe stands for.”