28 | Influential Businesswoman Awards 2026 Aug22499 Education Recruitment Leader of the Year 2026 (UK): AnneMarie Oldroyd hen Anne-Marie started Amo Education seven years ago, her aim was to provide teachers but also to deliver an agency run by people who have first-hand experience of schooling environments. The goal was a supply teacher recruitment agency run by teachers, not an industry ‘middle man’. Championing the needs of these temporary staff and ensuring they are deeply involved across the whole process, Anne-Marie has built her education recruitment operation based on appreciation, transparency, and great communication. Going back to the beginning, Anne-Marie’s love of teaching dates back to her childhood, when she would attend her mother’s dance school and watch as she taught. Anne-Marie quickly became absorbed in this world, enamoured with the role teachers played in helping and guiding their pupils to learn something they could be proud of. This future director even taught dance herself as she trained to become a primary teacher, with Anne-Marie working as a school teacher for ten years before starting Amo Education. Over the course of this decade, Anne-Marie started in contracted positions where she thoroughly enjoyed finding her feet as a teacher in contracted positions then ventured out into supply teaching for variety and experience. These temporary placements paved the way for an agency of her own, largely because her experiences as part of them were then less than perfect. She explained: “Working as a supply teacher, I could really see the areas of an agency I would want to improve on to make the experience feel more transparent, flexible, and supportive.” As this shows, everything Amo Education does is rooted in Anne-Marie’s expertise. “I knew that my teaching background would mean I had the right temperament and skill set to recruit in this sector.” Aside from the reward of matching teachers with the right schools, these education recruitment specialists are also helping to shift attitudes around teaching and progression in this field more broadly. Historically, the pathway for a teacher was already carved out, and anything other than working towards becoming a head teacher was considered a failure. However, Thanks to Anne-Marie and a magnificent team of women behind Amo Education, this is changing, and this ongoing legacy is something the agency is proud of. Anne-Marie told us: “I feel we are showing that using your skills and knowledge to take your career in a different direction is something to be extremely proud of.” This, combined with the fact that Amo Education is a female-led business, is helping inspire more women to get into teaching or apply themselves to any other professional goals they may have. Looking back across this journey, Anne-Marie believes one of her biggest achievements to be actually starting the agency, which she did alone. From building up a cashflow by supplying teaching to fostering relationships with the schools she worked at, getting things off the ground required many hats to be worn, such as payroll, HR, marketing, compliance, and so on. It was 24/7 until she reached the next step and could welcome a great team to enter the fold and help her build the agency into the national success story it is today. “Starting without a flash office or an enormous team became less of a stigma and more of an advantage. It made Amo Education real and showed a human touch.” With plans for expansion in the works, both to more areas of the UK and through an online system that will allow supply staff to become their own bosses and make money by teaching students all over the world using online tools, Anne-Marie is working towards a bright future for this education recruitment agency. As for her own next steps, Anne-Marie is happy where she is, creating an agency that truly cares about staff and clients and will not send any worker to just any school for a commission. For their part in changing the discourse around education recruitment for supply teachers, Anne-Marie Oldroyd and Amo Education are more than deserving of being featured in our Influential Businesswoman Awards. Contact: Anne-Marie Oldroyd Company: Amo Education Web Address: https://amoeducation.co.uk/ An education recruitment agency offering school staffing solutions across the UK, Amo Education has worked with a range of primary and secondary schools since its inception in 2019. The agency’s vision from day one has been to deliver recruitment services via individuals who really understand the education system, the emotional challenges of going into new schools, and the importance of providing excellent support every day. Director AnneMarie Oldroyd caught up with us for more on the agency, following her recognition as the Education Recruitment Leader of the Year 2026 (UK). W
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