Education Recruiting 101: Recruiting Guide for Schools
Employer Branding & Job Descriptions
Tell a stronger school story
Great recruitment starts before a job is posted — it begins with how your school is perceived.
Why it matters
According to Tes Jobs research, schools with a compelling ‘story’ and brand presence receive 2–3x more applicants. This means communicating your values, culture, and what it feels like to work in your school.
What to include in your employer brand
- A short “why work here?” message on your website or job ad
- Testimonials from current teachers (e.g. “I joined for the CPD. I’ve stayed because of the staff culture.”)
- Your leadership style and staff voice in decision-making
- Wellbeing initiatives and any flexibility offered
- Investment in development (coaching, NPQs, career progression)
Actionable steps
- Highlight Unique Selling Points (USPs): Clearly articulate what sets your school apart, such as innovative teaching methods, community engagement, or staff development programs.
- Authentic Messaging: Ensure that your school's values and culture are consistently communicated across all platforms, including your website, social media, and job advertisements.
- Engage Current Staff: Share testimonials and success stories from current teachers to provide prospective candidates with genuine insights into the school's environment.
How to write a good job description for a teacher vacancy
A job description isn’t just a compliance exercise — it should spark the imagination of the right candidate and filter out poor fits.
Must-have components
- A clear, values-based headline (e.g. Inspire readers for life: join our English team)
- Role summary—no more than three lines explaining the purpose
- Key responsibilities—focused, realistic, and grouped in themes (teaching, pastoral, teamwork)
- Person specification—separating essential from desirable
- Cultural “fit” signals—what kind of teacher thrives at your school?
- How to apply, deadlines, visit invites, and 51 statement
Job Description TemplateSchool: [Name] Role: [e.g. KS2 Teacher / Head of Maths] Salary: [e.g. MPS/UPS] Contract: [Full-time, permanent] Start Date: [Sept 2025] About Us: Your Role: Key Responsibilities:
Person Specification:
Apply By: [Insert Date] |
How to boost the number of applications your posting receives
Here are four research-backed ways to boost your applications
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Hook Early with Heart
Real example: Instead of “KS2 Teacher Needed”, open with “We’re a joyful, one-form entry primary seeking a creative teacher to join our values-led team.”
Why it works: Posts that lead with values, culture or community get up to 3x more clicks (Tes data).
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Speak to the Candidate’s Journey
Real example: “We’ll support you with coaching, generous PPA, and dedicated ECT mentoring — and we’ll ask for your ideas too.”
Why it works: Teachers are drawn to ads that describe what they will experience, not just what the school expects.
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Highlight What Sets You Apart
Real example: “Staff enjoy our early finish on Fridays, optional wellbeing half-days, and fully funded NPQs.”
Why it works: 78% of applicants say they apply when a school mentions CPD, flexibility or values that resonate with them (Tes survey, 2024).
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Be Clear, Complete and Inclusive
Real example: “MPS/UPS. Full-time, permanent. Start: Sept 2025. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.”
Why it works: Transparency builds trust. Adverts with clear salary, contract type and EDI statements consistently receive more applications.
Top tip: Advertise earlier than you think. Schools recruiting before April fill roles faster and report better candidate fit (NFER, 2023).
How to interview and select the right candidate for your school
Why you should interview?
Interviews are a two-way process, offering both the school and the candidate an opportunity to assess fit and alignment.
You should structure your approach to interviews to deliver:
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Consistency: Use a standardised set of questions to ensure fairness and comparability.
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Diverse Assessment Methods: Incorporate teaching demonstrations, planning tasks, or student interactions to evaluate practical skills.
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Values Alignment: Assess how candidates' values and teaching philosophies align with the school's mission.
Great interview questions
The interview process is a great way to determine how a candidate aligns with your schools values, teaching methods and culture. Here are five questions you can ask to determine if the candidate matches your expectations.
Effective Interview Questions:
- "Why do you want to work at our school?"
- "Describe a challenging teaching experience and how you handled it."
- "How do you approach differentiated instruction in a diverse classroom?"
- "Can you provide an example of how you've engaged with parents or the community?"
- "What steps would you take if a student disclosed a 51 concern?"
How to maintain objectivity when interviewing
Tes recommends you use a scorecard to objectively evaluate each candidate's responses and performance. A scorecard helps you identify the quality of a candidate's answers and helps you quantify their responses.
How to use a scorecard
When you use a scorecard, we recommend you catagorise what you want to see in a candidate's response to your questions eg. if you ask about why they want to work with your schools, you can measure their passion and how they align with your school's approach to education.
You should rank each category on a scale of 1–5 and add the results to get a score out of 10 eg. Passion (3) + Alignment (4) = Question Score (8).
Interview Scorecard TemplateQ1: Why our school? – Passion, alignment
|
Always provide feedback post-interview
You should promptly inform candidates of the outcome regardless of if they were successful.
- Offer constructive feedback to unsuccessful candidates to support their professional growth.
- Maintain a positive and respectful tone in all communications to uphold the school's reputation.
How to provide a great candidate experience during the application process
We have put together a checklist you can follow to make sure candidates have a great experience with your school when they apply for a teacher vacancy at your school.
Our checklist includes:
- Shortlisting & comms log
- Interview logistics
- Offer and start checklist
From application to onboarding
- Acknowledge all applications
- Give interview details early and clearly
- Welcome warmly: greeter, tour, refreshments
Offer Promptly:
- Call same/next day
- Show enthusiasm and clarity
Onboarding
- Send induction info before start
- Assign a buddy/mentor
- Check-in during term 1
Candidate Experience ChecklistApplication Stage Interview Day Post-Interview Onboarding |
Retention and onboarding – supporting teachers from day one
Prioritise early career support
Effective induction and mentoring are critical for retaining new teachers. The Department for Education (DfE) emphasises the importance of structured support during the initial years of teaching, highlighting that well-supported teachers are more likely to remain in the profession.
Implement flexible working arrangements
Offering flexible working options can improve teacher retention. According to the NFER, flexible working practices, such as part-time roles and job-sharing, can make teaching more sustainable and appealing, particularly for those balancing professional and personal responsibilities.
Foster a positive school culture
A supportive and inclusive school culture contributes significantly to teacher satisfaction. Schools that promote collaboration, recognise achievements, and provide opportunities for professional growth create environments where teachers feel valued and motivated to stay.
Action steps
- Develop comprehensive induction programs for new staff.
- Offer mentoring and coaching opportunities.
- Provide flexible scheduling options where feasible.
- Encourage open communication and feedback.
- Recognise and celebrate staff achievements regularly.
Retention strategies that work
Why teachers stay
- Supportive leadership (top retention factor)
- Manageable workload (cut low-impact admin)
- Recognition and voice (staff feel seen)
- Growth pathways (CPD, coaching, NPQs)
- Flexibility (PT roles, adjusted hours)
Quick wins
- Review marking and meeting policies
- Set email curfews or well-being charters
- Celebrate staff wins (newsletter, shout-outs)
How to introduce and maintain flexible working & workload reduction
Why it matters
According to the , excessive workload remains the number one reason teachers consider leaving. Meanwhile, flexible working—though highly valued—remains underutilised across the sector.
Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, to embrace greater flexibility: “Teachers should be trusted professionals—including having the ability to work from home for planning and marking where appropriate.”
Actionable practices for SLT
1. Conduct a workload audit
Use a simple weekly time-tracking exercise across teams to identify high-effort, low-impact tasks. This should inform decisions about:
- Scrapping unnecessary data drops
- Reducing marking expectations (e.g. adopting whole-class feedback)
- Sharing planning between year groups or departments
2. Implement and promote flexible roles
- Advertise roles as open to part-time/job share where feasible
- Provide clear protocols for home working on admin tasks
- Pilot flexi-hours for staff with care responsibilities
“Flexible working makes us more competitive in recruitment and helps us retain brilliant teachers who might otherwise leave.”
—įHelen Woodward, Headteacher, Tes Magazine interview
3. Protect staff time
- Safeguard PPA and ensure its respected by SLT and support staff
- Use meeting-free weeks each half term
- Cap email hours with a staff agreement (eg. no emails after 6pm)
Case study: High Hazels Academy, Sheffield
High Hazels Academy, a primary school in Sheffield and part of the United Learning Trust, undertook a comprehensive approach to flexible working to address high staff turnover rates. The school's leadership implemented several initiatives, including:
- Mentoring Programs
- Enhanced Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Opportunities
- Succession Planning
- Flexible Working Arrangements
These strategies led to significant improvements:
- Staff Turnover reduced significantly.
- Recruitment Costs decreased accordingly.
- Flexible Working Uptake: 50% of the senior leadership team and 40% of Key Stage 1 teachers adopted part-time roles.
The headteacher, Asma Maqsood-Shah, emphasised the importance of strong communication and two-way feedback in successfully implementing flexible working strategies.
Helpful links:
How to add and maintain Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in your school's recruitment process
Why it matters
Only in England identify as being from an ethnic minority background, compared to over 35% of students. Representation gaps affect student aspiration and staff retention.
Additionally, applicants with disabilities or EAL backgrounds are less through traditional recruitment filters.
Tes has created this checklist you can follow to make sure you make your application process as accessible, inclusive and equitable as possible.
Inclusive Recruitment Checklist1. Inclusive Job Adverts Remember: Teacher Inclusivity is part of Develop, the CPD training elements exclusive to your Tes Staff Management subscription. 2. Accessible Processes 3. Representational Interview Panels |
Case study: diverse leaders
The Diverse Educators network has partnered with schools across the UK to provide coaching, leadership pathways, and recruitment advice to underrepresented candidates. One school in Birmingham reported a 40% rise in minority ethnic applicants after rewording its job descriptions and showcasing inclusion-focused policies.
Helpful links
- Diverse Educators
CPD and career progression
Why it matters
High-quality professional development (CPD) improves both teaching quality and teacher retention. The DfE’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy (2019) identifies CPD as a critical driver of job satisfaction, particularly when it is:
- Subject-specific
- Aligned to career stage
- Ongoing and evidence-informed
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) also found that schools offering sustained, high-quality CPD see improved pupil outcomes and greater staff commitment to the profession.
NFER research reinforces this, noting that teachers who report having sufficient access to CPD are more likely to stay in the profession than those who do not. CPD access is especially critical for early career teachers and mid-career professionals seeking progression opportunities.
Building a sustainable CPD strategy
A robust CPD offer does more than tick the training box — it creates momentum, belonging and a clear pathway for growth. Your CPD should:
- Be career-stage appropriate
- Link directly to your school improvement priorities
- Include both internal and external opportunities
- Be monitored and evaluated, not just delivered
How SLT can strengthen CPD
1. Align CPD with school improvement plans
- Link training to curriculum goals, behaviour systems, or pupil outcomes
- Build in time for follow-up, reflection and peer observation
2. Provide stage-specific opportunities
| Career Stage | Development Focus |
| ECTs | Induction, mentoring, behaviour management |
| Mid-career teachers | Subject pedagogy, SEND, curriculum leadership |
| Aspiring leaders | NPQ programmes, coaching, line management |
| Experienced staff | Specialist roles, MAT-wide collaboration |
3. Encourage collaboration
Foster subject communities, peer-observation protocols, and shared research projects.
4. Use blended and flexible delivery
- Combine in-person CPD days with online modules
- Offer twilight sessions and asynchronous options for part-time staff
5. Make CPD visible and celebrated
Create “CPD Profiles” with each staff member’s goals, achievements and next steps. Highlight CPD stories in newsletters or briefings.
Verified resource: Tes Institute
Tes Institute delivers Ofsted-recognised online teacher development and training, including:
- NPQ qualifications
- Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE)
- International teacher training routes
- Flexible CPD bundles for MATs and schools
The platform supports teachers to develop expertise at their own pace, and can be used alongside school-based training.
Case study: Bishop Challoner Catholic College – empowering CPD for staff development
Bishop Challoner Catholic College has developed a comprehensive professional growth model aligned with the Department for Education’s CPD standards.
Key components of their approach include:
- Lead Teacher Programme: A team of Lead Teachers from various departments spearheads subject-specific CPD initiatives, fostering a culture of distributed leadership.
- Strategic CPD Planning: Annual CPD calendars are meticulously crafted to align with school improvement priorities, ensuring coherence and relevance.
- Professional Shadowing: Staff are encouraged to engage in shadowing opportunities, gaining insights into different roles and enhancing their professional understanding.
This structured approach has led to high levels of job satisfaction among staff, with many attributing their professional growth and retention to the quality of CPD provided.
Helpful links:
Strategic workforce planning
Why it matters
Recruitment and retention challenges are rarely one-off issues—they reflect long-term patterns in workforce supply, regional shortages, and subject-specific trends.
According to the Department for Education: “Effective workforce planning ensures that schools and trusts have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time.”
Yet many schools lack a formal staffing plan aligned to curriculum and financial strategy. Without this, leadership teams risk making reactive hires, over-relying on supply, or overlooking internal talent.
“Strategic workforce planning helps schools proactively identify and address future staffing needs, supporting better budgeting, curriculum delivery, and retention.”
—į
Core Elements of a Workforce Plan1. Use Your Data 2. Forecast Future Needs 3. Align to Budget |
Tip: use DfE tools
Download and apply the DfE’s Workforce Planning Guide for Schools and MATs. Available at:
How to perform exit interviews, how to measure staff retention & gather feedback
Why it matters
If you don’t know why people are leaving, you can’t stop it. Yet many schools still don’t conduct consistent exit interviews or track staff satisfaction.
According to NFER (2024), schools that regularly gather and act on feedback retain up to 12% more staff year-on-year.
Build a retention feedback loop
1. Exit interviews (structured and confidential)
☑ Conducted by a neutral leader or governor
☑ Questions about workload, leadership, culture, next steps
☑ Results anonymised and tracked for trends
Here are some sample questions you can ask:
- What are the main reasons for your departure?
- What might have made you stay?
- Did you feel supported in your role?
- Would you recommend this school as an employer?
2. Mid-year stay interviews
Hold one-to-one retention conversations during the year, not just at the end.
3. Staff voice mechanisms
☑ Termly pulse surveys
☑ Anonymous suggestion boxes
☑ Staff forums with SLT responses
Remember: Your Tes Staff Management Subscription includes access to Tes Pulse, a feedback survey you can run regularly that measures staff wellbeing and that you can use to gauge retention.
How to utilise retention data effectively
By systematically collecting and analysing data from exit interviews and staff feedback, schools can identify patterns and implement targeted interventions. This proactive approach enables leadership to address issues such as workload, professional development opportunities, and school culture, ultimately improving staff retention.
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