Recruitment and retention is a challenge that is being faced by many schools at a time when budgets are being pinched more than ever. Here, Associate Director Sam Goody shares his insight into the recruitment market in general, discusses how schools can help boost their recruitment and retention of staff, and reduce the reliance on using supply.
The Market
The NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research) stated in March 2023 that the “Teacher recruitment challenge is reaching crisis point”.
With numbers of teachers leaving the profession at record levels, combined with a decline in new teachers entering, teacher recruitment has perhaps become more challenging than ever. This scenario, where the demand for teachers surpasses the available pool of candidates, it is commonly referred to as a candidate-driven market.
So what can we do to resolve this?
There is no ‘magic wand’, unfortunately. However, focusing on marginal gains and the small victories that may seem insignificant, can actually have a substantial impact on your recruitment and retention. One of the areas to look at is the recruitment process.
The Recruitment Process
During the recruitment process, candidates will go through a ‘candidate journey’. In simple terms, the candidate journey is comparable to a customer making a purchase in a shop; the customer will think about if a product is right for them, research the brand, read reviews, and decide if they want to make the purchase.
A candidate searching for a new job follows the same process, they will look for a job that’s right for them, research the school and make a decision based on the treatment and actions towards them during the hiring process. For a candidate, the journey starts well before they apply for a job, and it doesn’t finish until after the organisation has made the hiring decision, and they’ve accepted the job.
The experience a candidate receives during the hiring process is significant in supporting their decision. A recent study by CareerArc found that “of candidates who have had a poor experience, 72% have shared that negative experience online or with someone directly.”
Reflecting on your own process, think about your school’s brand; try to differentiate yourself from others. Think about every message that comes from your school via social media posts, school newsletters, parent engagement and so on. All of these are key touch points for potential candidates on their candidate journey – not just job adverts!
Tip: Always ask yourselves “why?”. Why would a teacher choose your school over the neighbouring one? What are your unique selling points (USPs)?
Becoming an Employer of Choice
How can you boost recruitment and retention of your staff and become an employer of choice?
Put the candidate in the centre of the process.
The journey should be centered around the candidate at every stage, otherwise you risk alienating potential teachers. To create this recruitment model, the focus should always be on the candidate’s needs and overall experience.
The goal of candidate-centric recruiting is not only to provide a great experience and make it easier to pick the right person for the job, but to build long-term relationships with them so they continue to interact with your school, even if they aren’t hired.
Think about the pre-application stage.
Every touch point in the candidate journey matters, even before a job application. Consider all the touch points potential candidates have with your school before they apply. This may include social media, your website, careers fairs, newsletters, press releases and job adverts to list a few.
What are your touch points? Is your messaging consistent? How can you improve them?
“Mystery-shop” your own application process.
Review your application process, how easy is it for candidates to apply for your job roles? At what point is there contact with an actual person?
One goal could be to minimise the time it takes for candidates to apply for a job by, for example, cutting out any unnecessary fields on your forms to help speed up the application process. During the process, you should also give as much control as possible to your candidate.
Show what it’s like to work at your school.
One of the most important parts of a candidate’s journey is whether they can envision themselves working at your school.
A job might be perfect on paper but unless a candidate can get a realistic idea of what their day-to-day life will be like at the school, it’s hard to picture themselves in the role. Does your school clearly and effectively communicate its core values, responsibilities, and culture?
Keep your promises!
Nothing is more deflating to a candidate during a job hire than an employer that breaks their promises. Whether you have promised to return an email or decide on an application, when you have a timeline with a candidate, stick to it!
A few quick wins
Whilst there are some issues that we can’t solve ourselves, there are some quick wins you can do to improve your recruitment and retention.
Keep your current staff happy and motivated.
Work to help teachers feel more positive about their working hours and reduce the amount of time they spend on more arduous tasks such as marking, planning, and administration.
This could be by ensuring that colleagues share resources and materials wherever possible, ensuring the substitute teacher picks up these elements when covering classes, and considering hiring additional administrative staff to help if required.
Provide teachers with as much autonomy as possible.
Teacher autonomy is vital for motivation and is linked to job satisfaction and retention. However, many teachers report a lack of influence over key areas of their work. Allowing teachers to develop curriculum where possible and being trusted to manage classrooms in a particular way, are two examples of things you could do.
At its core, teaching is a craft so teachers should be offered resources to create a product (student learning and experience) rather than handed a product to simply implement or present.
Don’t be afraid of Supply – It’s not a dirty word.
With supply you try before you buy, but it’s also the perfect opportunity for the teacher to see your school and understand its culture and values. Around 20% of our supply teachers at Opus Teach transfer to permanent in their initial temporary positions. Whilst there are costs associated with that, consider the costs of recruitment typically spent on adverts, time, and resources to say the least.
When using supply, work with good agencies. This reduces the admin burden on you, but it also counts as part of the customer journey and is a ‘touch point’ for potential candidates.