Teacher Recruitment 101: Attract Top Talent for Your School

Selecting high-quality, top-notch teachers for your school, program, or institution can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack—it’s not easy. Thanks to a national teacher shortage, fewer available professionals are available, making your recruitment job even harder. In addition, many teachers are leaving the field or becoming incredibly picky about the schools they will work for, making recruitment for teachers at your school a much more difficult task. 

If you want the best of the best shaping the futures of the students at your school or recreational program, you can't just settle for mediocre candidates. You need to get out there and ensure that the prospective teachers coming to you are the brightest. But how can you attract, find and hire top teachers from all over the country? With these tips and tricks, you can find and keep great teachers to make your institution shine!

Teacher Recruitment Strategies

Hiring great teachers is essential, but you must ensure that you have the best pool of candidates possible. To get teachers aware of and interested in your programs, you've got to get the word out! Some great ways to do this include:

• Attend teacher job fairs.

One of the best ways to find great teachers is to market your school or parks program at a teacher job fair. Create flyers, pamphlets, and other materials that draw prospective candidates in with colorful graphics and details that sell your school. The name of the game is letting them know how great your school is and how much they miss out if they don't work for you. Ensure that you also have a website that sells your programs and makes teachers think, “I want to work there!”

• Make hiring more personal.

Technology is beautiful, but it can often make the hiring process frustrating and impersonal for candidates. Many professionals find that applying for jobs online can be very discouraging, as they often send their resumes and cover letters out into the ether and never hear anything back. These online tools weed candidates out by searching for keywords and key phrases, but this can often eliminate teachers who might be a great fit. 

Avoid losing good teachers because of technology by reading through resumes on your own. Often, you might find a great teacher that a fancy app might have thrown in the trash!

• Ask for referrals.

One of the most excellent tools you have at your disposal for finding fantastic talent is word of mouth. Make it work for you! Ask other teachers and parents of students to find out if anyone knows of a teacher who might be looking for a new position. When a new teacher has a personal connection to your school, it's via other teachers or parents whose students attend your school. You may find that some of the parents have the right skills, are invested in your programs, and would love to work and make a difference at their children's school.

• Use social media.

Social media is an excellent way to showcase everything your school does and attract teachers who want to do the same thing. Post often and share updates about your staff, students, and any fun or exciting programs and events you have going on. Then, when you require new teachers, you'll already have a captive audience. Post your job ad on your social channels, and you can reach people right where you need to. 

• Offer competitive salary and benefits.

Nothing turns off a prospective teacher more than finding out your salary and benefits are below the norm for your area. Do your research! Find out what other schools or programs like yours are paying teachers and ensure you are on par or offering more than these competitors. Pay your teachers well, and you will be rewarded with excellent staff who are loyal, committed, and feel like they are being taken care of.

Retaining Talent 

Once you have terrific teachers on your staff, you need to keep them! It can be highly costly to lose teachers, especially those who have only been on your team for a short time. You can spend thousands on hiring new employees, or you can keep that money and nurture your talent. Some of the best ways to keep the outstanding teachers you worked so hard to hire are:

• Mentor new teachers

According to Education Week, mentoring teachers is critical. Younger teachers often leave their jobs if they feel they aren't getting the support they need. So whether you institute a formal mentorship program or have a more informal approach, make sure you are retaining talent by providing the support and assistance they need to stay motivated and feel like they can do their jobs to the best of their abilities. 

• Reduce meetings and paperwork

It's also imperative to eliminate unnecessary paperwork and meetings that compromise a teacher’s time. Most sessions can be removed and replaced with an email. Protect everyone's time, and don't overload your hard-working teachers! 

• Clear the way for excellent teaching

As an administrator, it's your job to eliminate the hurdles and obstacles that can crowd the way for your teachers to do their jobs. Make sure that parents know they can reach out to you for help so that teachers aren’t fielding endless phone calls and emails about school issues that you can handle. 

• Give praise and rewards.

Everyone wants to be told they are doing a great job, and without any feedback or positive reinforcement, teachers can start to feel unappreciated. An unhappy teacher has one foot out the door. Keep your teachers happy and motivated to soldier on by giving out awards, bonuses and featuring them in newsletters or on your social media channels. Happy teachers who are being praised often will feel more fulfilled and less likely to jump ship for what they perceive to be a better opportunity.

• Have an open-door policy

Your staff members want to feel like they are being heard. Make sure that they have the opportunity to voice their questions, concerns, and ideas. You are one of their avenues for finding success, and you must aid them when they need it. Ensure that all teachers know where they can go when they need help to have a more positive experience. They'll want to continue working for your school when they know you're on their side!

What to Look for During Teacher Recruitment

It can feel like a never-ending process when you're in the market for a new teacher for your school or parks program. Take the time to get your school's name out and ensure you give everyone who applies a fair shake. Too often, schools will weed teachers out because they lack experience or have never taught in an environment like yours. Be open-minded and remember that personality and a fit with your staff are two things that mean much more than where a teacher has taught before. 

By following the above tips, you can make teacher recruitment a less painful and more rewarding process. You have plenty of excellent teachers on your staff, and they are all—for the most part—happy, fulfilled, and excited about your mission. 

How Curacubby Can Help You After Recruitment for Teachers

Once you've found exceptional talent for your school, you can spend more time on all the other things. One tool that can aid any administrator of a recreational program or school is Curacubby. 

Curacubby is your one-stop-shop for streamlining payments and simplifying your daily operations. While your outstanding teachers are working hard and you're supporting them and handling your programs, Curacubby can deal with the rest. Payment management and communications are both challenging and take up tons of time, but with our advanced suite of tools, you're covered. So, check out Curacubby and get back more time in your busy work day!