District Six, Cape Town
District Six, Cape Town
Where Robert Howard was born. Where a community was taken. Where the understanding of what it means to build something with integrity begins.
Eduplace was founded in 1994 by a man who had spent his life inside education — and who understood, better than most, what it means to build something worth protecting.
Eduplace was not founded by someone looking for a gap in a market. It was founded by someone who had lived the gap — a principal, an educator, and an author who had spent decades inside the profession watching good schools struggle to find the right people, and good teachers struggle to find the right fit.
From Cape Town to the Middle East, from South Africa to international schools across the globe, the agency Robert Howard built has placed educators in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan, China, and beyond — always guided by the same instinct he carried from the beginning: that the right placement changes things, and the wrong one always shows.
That standard has never changed. It never will.
Where Robert Howard was born. Where a community was taken. Where the understanding of what it means to build something with integrity begins.
Robert Howard was born and raised in District Six — the vibrant, multicultural heart of Cape Town. It was a place of real community: neighbours who knew each other, streets with character, a way of life that was entirely its own. Like so many families of his generation, Robert experienced the loss of that neighbourhood during one of South Africa's most painful chapters. The place he grew up in was taken from him. He never forgot it.
It shaped him quietly and permanently. A man who understood what it meant to lose something he loved understood equally well what it meant to build something worth keeping. He carried that into his classroom, into the schools he led, and into every decision he made for the rest of his life.
He spent his career in education — first as a teacher, then as a principal, and alongside it all, as a writer. He understood schools from the inside: the staffing challenges, the frustration of finding the right person for a position, the impact a poorly matched teacher had on a classroom and a school community. He had lived it for years before he ever thought about solving it.
When Robert took early retirement, he did what anyone who truly loves their work does — he looked for a way to stay useful. He was not a man who could sit still. He saw a problem he understood better than most, and he decided to do something about it. In 1994 he founded Eduplace — not as a businessman entering recruitment, but as an educator who had spent decades in school administration watching good schools struggle to find good teachers. He knew what schools needed. He knew what teachers deserved. And he knew the gap between the two was being filled, badly, by people who had never stood in front of a class.
If you called Eduplace in those early years, the voice you heard was Rhona Howard. Warm, attentive, and entirely dependable — she was the steady presence at the other end of the line, the person who made candidates feel looked after and schools feel heard. Though never formally in the foreground, Rhona was quietly central to what the agency felt like. She still checks in, and her connection to Eduplace has never really ended.
Robert passed away on 30 January 2001. He was sixty years old. He left behind something rare — an agency whose reputation was built entirely on trust, on genuine understanding, and on a deep respect for the profession he had given his life to. The agency did not slow. It was passed to family who share his values and his commitment to the teachers and schools that made Eduplace what it is.
Gregory Howard grew up in the shadow of something his father had built with care. He understood early what Eduplace stood for — not as a business concept, but as a set of values lived out through every phone call, every placement, every teacher who landed somewhere that was genuinely right for them. When Robert passed, the agency moved through family hands. Gregory's brother Jeremy took the helm for a period before pursuing his own path. Gregory then stepped in, and has led Eduplace ever since.
He came to the role with real credentials. His years at Eduplace as Director of Global Recruitment and Business Development took him deep into the Middle East — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE — where he worked directly with elite institutions, international schools, and in some cases, schools serving royal families. He understood the stakes of a placement in those environments. The wrong teacher in the wrong school, thousands of miles from home, is not a minor error. He treated every placement accordingly.
Gregory subsequently expanded Eduplace's presence into the United States, developing the agency's reach into the American market. He now operates across both continents — bridging the South African teacher pipeline with schools and institutions in the USA, the Middle East, and beyond. The roots are in Cape Town. The reach is global.
What the CV does not capture is the person behind the work. Gregory has spent years coaching cricket — at Bishops Preparatory School, at club level with the KCC in Khayelitsha, where he also served on the Board of Directors. He coached football at junior level across age groups from under-11 to under-19, and served as club treasurer. These are not hobbies. They are the same instincts applied in a different setting — patience, reading people, understanding what someone needs to succeed, and staying committed when it matters.
Teachers and schools who work with Eduplace work with Gregory directly. That has always been the standard here, and it has not changed.
Greg took over Eduplace, a business originated by his father, a well-respected South African educator. It is not always easy to follow in a father's footsteps, but Greg has worked assiduously to broaden the scope of the company and modernise its operation. The company has maintained its reputation for honesty and integrity. Our partnerships with Eduplace were seldom less than rewarding.
Eric Liddell Director, QTS — repeat client since 2007Greg is the consummate professional. He produces superlative work, from concept to final input, has a deep and detailed knowledge of his business, and is trustworthy, consistent and reliable. He takes a personal interest in his clients. His company is good value for money because of the excellent work carried out at a reasonable cost. I highly recommend Mr. Gregory Howard.
Abubakar Galant Client — repeat engagement since 2009At 27, Gregory Howard was quoted by IOL — South Africa's largest independent news platform — as the leading voice on why SA teachers go abroad. The insight he offered then remains the foundation of Eduplace's international practice today.
"(Overseas) schools are better resourced; children's discipline is better. They are mischievous and not a danger."
Quoted in Your country needs you! — a national feature on the SA teacher and nurse skills crisis, by journalist Lyse Comins. Gregory was cited as the authoritative industry voice on why qualified South African educators leave for the Middle East and beyond. He was 27 years old.
Article archived — IOL, 23 July 2007"Be the benchmark of the recruitment industry — offering a personal touch to every candidate and every client."
We believe education recruitment should be done with care, precision, and genuine investment in outcomes. Not just filled. Placed well.
Teachers don’t just take jobs — they take chances. Our work is making sure those chances are worth taking.
Thirty years of placements. One standard. Every teacher walks into a role that was chosen for them, not assigned to them.
We get to know every teacher we work with and every school we serve. A placement is only a good placement if both sides are genuinely well matched.
Candidates are prescreened, interviewed, and reference-checked before we put them forward. Schools receive quality, not volume.
With roots in South Africa and operations across the Middle East, Americas, and beyond, we understand local education cultures and what it takes to succeed in them.
Questions get answered quickly. Paperwork is handled properly. Processes move without delays. You should always know where things stand.
Every step of the process is explained clearly. No hidden terms, no vague timelines. You know exactly what is happening and why.
We do not recruit across multiple industries. Education is our entire focus — which means our networks, judgment, and understanding are deeper for it.
Whether you are a teacher looking for your next role or a school with a vacancy to fill, we are straightforward to reach.