Nearly three quarters of those recently polled by recruiter Randstad Education said location was a deciding factor when teachers are looking for their next role. Another 71% said work/life balance was the most important consideration. Over half (57%) said salary was the most important, followed by flexible working for 49% and a strong management team for 49%.
Randstad Education MD, Jenny Rollinson, said: “Teaching is often seen as a vocation rather than just a profession where people can transform lives and help others. This is reflected in our figures which show, whilst salary is a consideration, it isn’t the most important factor unlike in other sectors.”
Despite an annual spend of £700m, the government has failed to hit its teaching recruitment target for four consecutive years and the number of subjects with unfilled training places rose from 14 to 17 in 2015-16.
Jenny Rollinson continued: “Schools are finding it tougher than ever to recruit and retain the best teachers with many education professionals leaving the sector all together. We have noticed an increase in schools turning to recruitment agencies to fill positions and the services they seek range from simple CV gathering to consultative advice.
“Schools with a strategic recruitment strategy in place are more likely to be able to fill roles with the right candidates ahead of time, rather than taking a piecemeal, reactive approach which could leave their classrooms empty.
“It also gives them the opportunity to build an attractive employer brand to appeal to potential candidates. As salary is not the most important factor for teachers they need to make sure they promoting all the other benefits as well such as location, work/life balance, flexible working, career prospects and training.”
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