teachers turning to sales

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22317623-5003680,00.html


Teachers turning to sales

TANIA BAWDEN
August 28, 2007 02:15am
SCHOOL teachers are being invited to swap blackboards for laptops and join Adelaide's MGM Wireless.

The stock exchange-listed communications specialist is recruiting up to 20 primary and secondary teachers to support rapid take-up of its text-messaging system.

The "Messageyou" SMS system, aimed at passing information between schools, their students and parents, already is used by more than 300 schools around Australia and overseas.

Former primary teacher Naomi Kimberlin has filled one of three business development manager positions and now travels extensively to visit MGM clients in New South Wales and the ACT.

As well, she has the potential to build on teacher salary levels with sales and incentive targets in the new job.

"Although I dearly loved teaching young children and watching them develop, I wanted to fulfil my passion for travel, meeting new people and discovering my full potential," says Ms Kimberlin, whose knowledge of the private and public school systems is underpinning her transition into business. She has joined other primary teachers Thalia Cosmidis and Dana Dacombe-Bird as business development managers – and former high school principal Peter Scott – at MGM's head office at Rose Park.

Mr Scott, MGM director of education, services and strategy, promotes Messageyou for crisis alerts and general school news.

For example, more than 10,000 messages were sent by schools in a NSW town recently hit by severe storms.

Former physics teacher David Hume takes care of MGM's web design and marketing services.

Traffic through the SMS network peaked at 350,000 text messages in June.

MGM human resources manager Paul Mabarrack says the recruitment program focuses on teachers because of their understanding of the way schools work.

"We are looking for young teachers, or older teachers with years of experience," he says. "They will be given four weeks of intensive training and further training and development as they progress."

For more information, follow the careers link at www.mgmwireless.com