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If you’re thinking about using a teacher recruitment agency to handle new hires at your school, you might be wondering how they work and how much effort they require on your part. In this article, we take you through how agencies work step-by-step as well as showcasing an alternative service you might not have thought of.

How teacher recruitment agencies differ from other methods of recruitment

Teacher recruitment agencies differ from other methods of recruitment in that you hire a company to find and screen candidates that meet your needs. You provide them with a job description and any specific qualifications or requirements, and the agency does all the legwork in finding suitable candidates. This includes creating and publishing job adverts, headhunting, screening applicants and scheduling interviews.

You will interview candidates as normal and will make the final decision, but the agency will do everything else on your behalf, including communication and feedback to candidates.

Teacher recruitment agencies tend to be more expensive than other recruitment methods, however they have a large talent pool of both passive and active job seekers, have specialist expertise in the sector and save you a great deal of time.

How teacher recruitment agencies work

Typically, education recruitment agencies will have a pool of candidates that have registered with the agency as actively seeking work. There will also usually be a pool of passive candidates who aren’t actively seeking new roles but are open to opportunities. Each of these candidates will have provided information such as those listed below that allows the agency to find suitable candidates for a specific role:

• Education and qualifications

• Background

• Teaching experience

• Preferences

• Career goals

• Skills, strengths and specialist areas

• Location

The school will also register with the agency, outlining their requirements, preferences and individual job descriptions. The agency will work the with school on individual job posts to ensure that they have all the information needed to find the right candidate.

The agency then gets to work matching candidates with roles for a perfect fit for both parties. This both enhances job satisfaction for the candidate and reduces staff turnover for the school.

Here’s what happens step-by-step from registration to a successful placement:

1. The school registers with the agency and communicates their needs.

2. The agency then begins to source candidates from its network (or headhunting if necessary).

3. The agency will screen candidates they deem to be suitable for the role before presenting the school with a shortlist of candidates.

4. The school will select a number of candidates for interview to which the agency will schedule.

5. The agency may at this stage help candidates to prepare for interviews.

6. The school will interview their chosen candidates, usually over a number of stages.

7. The school will make their decision and provide feedback on unsuccessful candidates to the agency. The agency then communicates the news appropriately with each candidate.

8. The agency will then begin negotiations with the successful candidate, including salary and benefits. They may also help the school with the initial onboarding process.

9. The agency will follow up with the school in the coming weeks and months to check in on the success of the placement.

10. The process begins again from step two for each new role requirement.

How Tes Staff Management works

Tes Staff Management is a great alternative to traditional teacher recruitment agencies. Our platform is a cost- effective way of recruiting your new hires, providing you with access to four times the number of candidates vs any other teacher recruitment service in the UK (94% of teachers looking for jobs online use Tes!).

When you subscribe to Staff Management your school gains access to the following benefits:

• Unlimited job ad posting

• Safeguarding and CPD training

• Anonymous wellbeing surveys

• Full access to Tes Magazine for the whole school

With Tes Staff Management you’re in control. Here’s how it works:

1. You have unlimited access to our jobs site, simply log into the Tes Portal, upload the details of your job and publish.

2. Our job search algorithm uses multiple data points to ensure that candidates are shown the most relevant roles to their search which, in turn, narrows down your search.

3. Keep track of applicants via our applicant tracking system (ATS) at every step of the recruitment process:

• Create customisable application forms.

• Email candidates directly from the ATS and keep track of communications all in one place.

• Manage reference requests.

• Use our interview scorecard to ensure a fair and documented process.

• Maintain high levels of security and transparency.

• See how your job ads perform with our built-in insights dashboard.

We also offer managed recruitment services with our premium subscription, providing tailored support from expert consultants to help you find the best candidates for your school. Additionally, with a premium subscription, you don’t have to wait for candidates to reach out to you. Our Candidate Search feature allows you to reach out to those with the skills and experience you’re looking for.

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Get in touch today to learn more and see if Tes Staff Management is right for your school recruitment needs

Request a call from our experts to find out more about Staff Management and how we can support you with recruitment, retention and wellbeing with our all-in-one Staff Management platform.