Most industries will have a certain way of recruiting new employees, but how does it work in the huge sector that is education, and how has this evolved over time?
Before technology birthed the internet and subsequently opened a new age in recruitment, searching for teachers involved good old-fashioned pen and paper. In the 70s, for example, teaching advertisements were placed in weekly publications, education magazines aimed at teaching professionals and local papers.
To find a vacant teaching role, you either had to thumb through the newspapers, or contact the school directly. Interestingly, you could apply for specific schools, or to specific counties where you would be allocated to a school that needed you. This process could become time-consuming, or leave you lingering in limbo waiting for a school to contact you.
Unsurprisingly, the interview process for teaching has changed dramatically too. Once upon a time you would be asked to attend an interview, asked general questions about you and your experience, and then offered the role on the day.
A contact of mine (a retired teacher) told me, “It was very straightforward; almost as if they were looking for someone whose personality would fit in rather than their teaching skills!”
However, teaching interviews have significantly evolved throughout the past few decades and now the process is much more comprehensive. Not only do you receive a formal interview (usually in a panel form composed of the Head, Head of Department and/or a member of the governing body), you’ll also be asked to teach an observed lesson, a Q&A with students and a group discussion (possibly in a fishbowl scenario) with the other candidates. Although this practice is a little more daunting, it certainly offers a deeper insight into how the candidate will perform in the classroom and how they engage with students. Character may still be a key factor, but the focus has shifted to performance, rather than personality.
The interview game is also changing from the perspective of potential candidates. It’s now actively encouraged for teachers to visit a school prior to interview to get a feel for the school and its ethos. Talking informally to members of staff gives you the opportunity to see where you could fit in. The school isn’t just interviewing you; you’re interviewing them.
A common theme that runs through teaching recruitment is the reliance on personal recommendations. Quite often, schools will be exasperated searching to fill vacancies and will turn to current teaching staff to refer a friend. Some even offering incentives to existing staff members to find suitable candidates. It could be speculated that this is exacerbated by the current shortage in teachers and schools are often finding themselves struggling to find a replacement before the next term begins. A friend of mine was contacted because someone was on long-term sick and the staff were asked if they knew anyone. She was supposed to be there for half a term, part-time and ended up staying there for nine years.
‘They were just glad to find someone.’
Personally, I was offered a teaching role in-house whilst working as a learning support assistant. They knew my intentions to apply for my PGCE and due to the sheer lack of English teachers available at the time, offered me the position without interview. After I left to embark on a different career, my partner at the time (who was still working there) was asked if I would come back for six months with an immediate start. I politely declined but it made me wonder, is this the most efficient way to combat a recruitment crisis? What needs to change?
With the 21st century rolling forward, paper applications have become a thing of the past as online job boards take over. Although schools may still rely on staff recommendations to recruit new staff, most teachers rely on user-friendly job boards to search for their future role. So how has the evolution and digitisation of recruitment benefitted teachers and schools?
The possibility of having only one form to fill in, that is pre-populated for you when applying for different roles, is considerably less time consuming and far more appealing for busy teachers and PGCE students.
As online job boards exceed other methods of job hunting, the evolution of teaching recruitment cannot stop there. Being the leading education recruitment service and trusted by over 7,500 schools and colleges in the UK and worldwide, Eteach is determined to continue to evolve to make life just that little bit easier for teaching recruitment by providing:
Fast-apply applications
An attractive, pre-populated form that makes applying for multiple jobs faster and easier.
Dedicated recruitment team
Where schools can contact them to find a candidate and candidates can contact recruiters to be put forward for desired roles.
Job page for a school’s website
A jobs widget for their vacancies page is supplied and candidates can be found all in one place.
Talent Pools
Candidates who create a profile can join regional Talent Pools which schools can access and e-mail their adverts directly to them. Job hunters can also place themselves in specific schools’ Talent Pools.
Enhancements
Schools can boost their adverts across the Eteach website and social media to garner more interest in their vacancy from a wider audience.
Matched candidates
Schools are alerted to how many candidates are in the Talent Pool that match their uploaded role, based on the candidate’s profile and their filtered jobs.
Jobs bulletin
Candidates can also sign up and receive notifications for jobs they’re interested in, based on their previously uploaded profile preferences, which saves time searching and scrolling.
Conclusively, technology is now an invaluable asset to recruiters, schools and teachers alike. As life gets busier and workloads increase, taking the aggravation out of the application process could possibly be the best thing that has happened throughout the evolution of teaching recruitment.
About the author
Tammy Lane
After completing a BA in Creative Writing and a Masters in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, Tammy worked as a Learning Support Assistant, with a focus on helping students develop their literacy skills. She then taught as an English teacher at an all-boys comprehensive school in Berkshire. Tammy now works for Eteach as Marketing Manager, where she can combine her passion for education and writing.
