Recruiting teachers has never been more important with the pandemic lingering and student achievement lagging. Yet, in the tight job market it’s harder and harder to attract qualified teachers. Here are some ways to attract new candidates.
1. Start hiring early
There’s really no better time than now to begin filling campus vacancies. The pool of prospective candidates is limited, so it’s important to begin the search as soon as possible to ensure that you are able to fill vacant positions with qualified teachers that best fit the needs of your campus.
2. Provide competitive salaries and benefits
These are two of the key reasons teachers are leaving the profession. Salaries and benefits in the corporate world are more enticing, especially when you consider the amount of uncompensated work teachers do. Increasing pay and providing more robust benefits packages will hopefully attract applicants. Campus administrators rarely have control over financial decisions, so hopefully, your district leaders have considered the importance of increasing salaries and benefits for current and potential teachers.
3. Host summer job fairs
Most job fairs take place in early spring, but you may have missed some prime candidates, especially those who are recent college graduates. Advertise locally and at nearby colleges. In addition to administration, have some of your campus teachers there so they can share experiences.
4. Get referrals
Reach out to your current teachers, local college professors and teacher organizations for recommendations. It’s also a good idea to reach out to former teachers. It’s always possible that some might like to come back.
5. Create a network to ensure future recruits
With fewer people seeking education degrees, it is important to establish a plan to not only increase potential teachers, but also partner with colleges and universities to give college students experience in the classroom. Most universities already have student internship programs, but there are also ways to partner with local colleges and universities to hire education majors to substitute on your campuses. This is a win/win. Your campus gets much needed classroom coverage and education majors get experience and income at the same time. This won’t take care of the teacher vacancies you have now, but it can bolster your sagging substitute list and in the long run build the pool of qualified potential teachers.
Teachers are the cornerstone of education. Filling schools with qualified teachers is essential.
Teia Hoover Baker is an educator, published author, and entrepreneur. She is an innovative, devoted educator whose career has been dedicated to coordinating programs that support struggling learners. Her passion is meeting students where they are and guiding them to excel. Her main focus is always what is best for children. Teia holds a Bachelor’s in Journalism and a Master’s of Education. In her spare time, she enjoys being Lovie to her growing grandchildren.
