Is Teacher Recruitment Bringing In The Wrong People?

As a school leader, I’m deeply committed to finding and nurturing the right talent. Just like we want to see certain attitudes and behaviours from our students, any leader wants staff with the right mindset, doing the right things that ultimately benefit the people they work with and the students. Lost in the conversation about the recruitment crisis in teaching is the question of whether we’re actually attracting the right people that understand how demanding the role of a teacher is and the level of commitment that it requires if you want to make an impact. Let me make this clear – this post isn’t a rant. It’s a contribution to the debate around hiring and what I believe school leaders should look for, as well as what those wishing to get hired should bring to the table. I think the things I’m listing here go beyond just the teaching profession; they’re qualities that any leader would look for in their staff.

Teaching isn’t a 9-5 job. It’s certainly not a job that you can do if you’re going into it with the mindset that you’re going to work your 32.5 hours per week of directed time, leave it there and go home. Teaching lessons is our bread and butter, but there’s so much that goes into just doing that properly – lesson planning, marking, student interventions, moderation, being up to date on your school’s progress and your team’s progress, to name just a few things. It’d be lovely if we could fit all that into a school day that runs from 8:30am to 3pm. Usually, that isn’t the case. We need individuals that understand the demands of the job and are willing to put in the necessary time and effort to ensure that they, their team, and their students are at the top of their game.

Alongside that, we need people who are comfortable with accountability. There’s little room for continuous excuses in a profession where so much of what we do impacts other people. There is no role in teaching – from the bottom to the top – that means you can sit on your laurels by yourself, do your own thing, and then go home. I value teachers that take responsibility for their work, continually strive to improve, and look to be part of solutions as part of a wider community.

With that, comes a mindset that commits to continuous professional improvement. The best teachers will always be those that want to improve their practice and their contribution. They’re committed to their professional development and seek out opportunities to learn new techniques, reflect on their practice, be coachable, and adapt to ever-changing circumstances (and if there’s any profession that has every-changing circumstances, it’s this one). Call this a growth mindset or whatever you will, but this is the mindset that’s necessary for any school that’s on an improvement journey, or even for that matter, any school that wishes to remain ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ (sorry to use those phrases, but they’re helpful here). If you’re in a school that is rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ or in special measures, people who are coasting along, that make excuses not to do things, and those not willing to improve are the kiss of death.

Ultimately, our goal is to foster the academic and personal success of our students. So at the most basic level, I want people who want to design the best lessons, those that learn about making learning stick, make sure their curriculum is top-notch; they want to work on their delivery, and they can talk about what they’re doing toward that goal and want to learn how they can do it better. And that goes for teachers of any experience level, whether they’re ECTs or have been teaching for 20 years.

With newer recruits, I think the lure of bursaries and financial incentives can sometimes attract candidates who aren’t genuinely passionate about teaching. They’ll get the payoff, try this out for a while and then go do something else. That’s their prerogative, but since this professional uniquely impacts so many people on a day to day level, it is a disservice to students and staff alike. You might just be trying this out, but if you’ve got a Year 11 class and you’re not putting the work in with them, that impacts their entire life going forward. Is that fair?

While financial incentives can help address teacher shortages, they shouldn’t be the primary motivation for entering the profession. And even if the incentive was the primary reason someone became a teacher, basic personal pride says that the goal should then be to continually improve in your profession going forward; to work hard, persevere and have a genuine desire to contribute.

With all of the above, leaders have a task of shaping these qualities in the people they lead. But as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water…

I think where school leaders can make the most difference is in setting expectations and in holding people to account. Let’s start with that. Let’s not be afraid of that. Why? Because it’s not about us. We are serving our communities and preparing the next generation, which I think most people would understand is a big task. By setting high standards and clearly communicating the expectations and rewards of a teaching career, we can get and keep the right people – those that won’t just meet the demands of the job, but also thrive in it.