AK Teaching, based in Sunderland and one of the largest independent education recruiters in the North East, has been acquired by Zen Educate, an international education staffing technology platform. "Joining Zen Educate marks the start of an exciting next chapter. Founded in 2012 by Mr Kirtley, AK Teaching will continue to be led by its current management team and will operate as part of Zen Educate. The team advising AK Teaching included partner and head of corporate finance Carl Swansbury, senior manager Sam Shield, and executive Andy Alexander. Legal advice to the shareholders of AK Teaching was provided by Newcastle-based Muckle LLP.