International education is becoming a candidate-driven market, with candidates being placed in the driver’s seat.
It is up to schools to develop innovative strategies, adjust their policies and practices in order to meet their prospective and current teacher’s needs. This is how they will stay relevant in the market.
And so, every school will benefit from understanding how to successfully recruit, train, and retain great teachers in 2022.
It starts by hiring smarter, and doing so with the right strategic oversight.
Teach Away’s multi-part webinar series uses insights from real teachers, to help you level-up your hiring practices and engage top talent.
As the trends change, one must be mindful of how that is impacting your school’s operations in the day to day market.
And so, we will start by taking a look at how your school can begin to adapt its strategy and practices for today’s teacher market.
Lloyd Ffrench, Director of International Sales for Teach Away, asked and helped to answer this question, in the latest workshop webinar.
The results shared stem from the international education report conducted with over 10,000 candidates.
Effectively staffing your school
At a domestic and global level, there are teacher shortages.
The market itself has also become far more competitive in attracting and hiring talent, given the supply and demand of candidates.
And so, your school must spend more financial resources to effectively create a talent sourcing recruitment method that has an impact on employees. This will likely require using different channels for marketing purposes.
The chances are that a teacher who has applied to your school, is in conversation with a few others at the same time. They will make their choice based on the overall package offered to them, including compensation.
There will be negotiations, and so effective communication is another integral piece to your strategy.
But, what may have been successful in the past, will not necessarily be successful today.
Here are some considerations for adapting your school strategy.
- Attracting the perfect teacher candidate
- Centralize your online presence
- Expediting your recruitment process
- Professional development and career progression
Attracting the perfect teacher candidate
Your desired candidate needs to match your teacher value proposition.
Do they align with your school and the staff you already have? This will begin to set you up for a successful recruitment.
Attracting that perfect candidate will also require you to look at how you create your teacher pipeline.
And so, there are different methods to attract such a candidate, online.
Data shows that over 97% of candidates are using online search methods to apply to school vacancies.
And in order to create that online portal, it’s important for it to be a year round strategy, so that you are accessible at any given point.
Have an option where candidates can register their interest in working at your school! Once your vacancies open up, you can communicate and reach out to them, already having a talent pool to choose from.
The key is to have an online presence, and be easily found by those interested in working as a teacher. With the virtual world, you can capture people’s attention from anywhere in the world that might be looking for a position.
But of course, remember to utilize different places and different audiences!
Centralize your online presence
Over 77% of candidates start their search by looking at the place they want to go to, whether that’s by region, country or city.
Is your school centralized in one place?
Showcase where your school is, and speak to the benefits of being in your location. What’s the cost of living like? Are there many options for accommodation? What are the main activities in the surrounding area? Is transportation accessible and easy?
Prospective candidates care deeply about all of these questions, as they aren’t just settling into a new role, their life and routines are about to change.
The compensation package will be relative to where the individual is located. What matters most is the cost of living and what the take home pay will be.
Expediting your recruitment process
It is incredibly important to be reactive and efficient with your recruitment process.
How is your level of communication? Are you keeping candidates up to date and informed about what stage they are in?
If you wait too long to follow up with an application, you will lose out on that prospective teacher working at your school.
Consider how this can be made as seamless as possible, with automated emails to those that have applied, and even specifying timelines that they can expect for further interviews.
Can everything be completed in a one to two week period? The smoother this transition is, the more likely it is that you will hire the best employee for the role.
And be sure to use online channels that are matching what you’re looking to achieve.
That means using specific job boards, partners or events, bearing in mind they already have an audience they are naturally targeting.
Professional development and career progression
Professional development and career progression are important factors that play into a teacher’s overall satisfaction at their role.
It also leads to higher retention, and could open up new recruitment pathways.
How do you help your staff develop? This not only helps them, but it creates a more sustainable workforce.
Part of the reason teachers go abroad is to develop professionally, beyond simply furthering their career. If you are able to facilitate that development within your own school, teachers will be much happier working there.
Perhaps you will have a fantastic candidate apply, but they don’t have their full teaching license yet. You could offer them courses while they work with your school!
People are looking for growth, and so offering opportunities to develop their career in a short and timely manner is of benefit.
Above all, know your teacher’s goals and how they align with your school.
Recruiting top quality educators is highly valuable for the long-term success of your school.
Set clear expectations from the start, and develop strategies that will help you create the best work flow in your classroom and school environment.
When your staff body is ultimately happy, everyone benefits. Effective communication, opportunities for growth and leadership, and everything else listed here are all integral to differentiating your institute in today’s market.
Watch the rest of our How to Attract, Recruit, and Retain Great Teachers in 2022 webinar series:
- Part 1 | Do Your Online Job Postings Attract the Best Candidates?
- Part 2 | Is Your School Doing Enough to Develop and Retain Its Teachers?
- Part 3 | How is your school adapting its strategy for today’s teacher market?
Find more tips on our recruitment blog and download our International Education Recruitment Report 2022.