Three reasons to have early conversations about September staff

The new academic year comes with many recruitment challenges; advertising the role well, attracting suitable Teachers and Teaching Assistants and snapping them up before they accept a position at a different school.

Here are three reasons why some schools are getting ahead by advertising vacancies now to broaden their reach and secure talent for the next academic year.

1. Job security is on everyone's minds

“Teachers are stressed, exhausted, burnt-out and have no job security” — Jonathan Glazzard, Teach Wire

Over 1,000 Zen teachers and TAs registered for our training to build an effective professional profile to get more work and we’ve seen increased demand for CPD training to help candidates land longer term or permanent positions.

Proactive staff are keen to secure jobs ahead of the next academic year, especially if they finish a longer term position in the Summer term. By hiring in advance, you can meet with the best professionals while they’re still available to commit to a September start.

2. Attract the diverse talent your community needs

Teachers are a vital national resource but increasingly short in supply. Recruitment can be difficult in disadvantaged communities, with reports of staff feeling less attached to the community and teaching as a career. In response, Chartered College of Teachers advocates for hiring teachers from similar backgrounds to students. In our Diversity in Education webinar, Kemi Arogundade, COO from Association of BAME Business Leaders in Education, explained how diversity in education benefits both teaching staff and students.

Nicole Reid, CEO of New Waves Federation, recommended positive action, “creating opportunities for BAME teachers and making that known in a very structured way". This might involve reflecting on why your post is or isn’t attracting candidates from different backgrounds and adapting along the way. Posting vacancies early provides more opportunities to find talent to join your school.

3. Teachers are leaving the profession

A poll from the National Education Association revealed 55% of teachers say because of the pandemic they’re considering leaving their jobs sooner than they’d planned with many moving overseas or pursuing different careers.

With the anticipated increase in teachers leaving the profession, it’s even more important to secure staff ahead of resignation day. You may even help a teacher, who is a great fit for your school’s needs and values, to ‘fall back in love with the job’. Education Support CEO Sinéad Mc Brearty remarked on the power of purpose in our wellbeing for teaching staff webinar:

“The evidence tells us what makes a difference to your wellbeing is staying connected to the sense of purpose. As educators, we have it in spades.”

We hope this article has been helpful, we’d love to hear your feedback on Twitter.

If you’re finding it difficult or time-consuming to recruit teachers and support staff, Zen Educate can help. With our hiring platform, there is no need to review lengthy CVs and chase background checks because our tech neatly summarises it all for you.

By embracing our online technology, you can access qualified teachers and TAs who are fully vetted and looking for September positions. Just let us know you’re interested or post a vacancy for free and we’ll be in touch to help you plan.