Filling your Final Vacancies - Making the Most of Who’s Available
More international schools are pushing their recruitment campaigns earlier in the year to secure the finest talent. So, does that mean you’ve missed the best of the bunch if you still have jobs available? What can you do now if you still have vacancies open for an August contract?
Not everyone knows about the international recruitment calendar
Teachers already working in international schools know when recruitment begins for the year. But most of the hundreds of thousands of teachers still working in their home countries don’t necessarily know.
Teachers in the UK, for example, have to give notice in May. That means that many of them only start thinking about their job hunting in the spring. TIC receives many applications from brand new candidates who are considering international teaching for the very first time in March, April and May. There are always excellent prospects within this cohort, with good qualifications and very good experience of the National Curriculum of England.
These teachers may well be searching late in the day for international job opportunities, but that doesn’t mean to say they’re not great calibre.
Attend TIC’s Spring Virtual Fair
Virtual Fairs are now a recognised way of attracting professional talent from all over the world. This year TIC will be hosting a Virtual Recruitment Fair in March in order to help international schools fill their final vacancies.
Candidates who register for the Fair must meet specific qualification and language criteria in order to attend. Teachers from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Britain and Ireland are already registering. The Fair is open for two weeks to allow every possible opportunity for schools and candidates to meet, engage, interview and communicate.
With no charge for candidates, access regardless of time zones, and pre-selection to attend, the Fair will be a reliable source of high quality applicants at a crucial time for school recruitment.
Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn has become a very popular site for qualified teachers looking for jobs. Make sure one of your senior leaders has a good presence on LinkedIn. Join appropriate LinkedIn Groups that will connect you with teachers of specific subjects that you’re looking for.
Take time to post articles on your LinkedIn site about your school and the opportunities and professional development you provide your staff. Talk about your school ethos and your learning and teaching approach. Share details of why your school is a great place to work. Don’t forget that, however good your website is, you need routes for the right people to find it. LinkedIn is a great route for getting your website in front of job-hunters.
Make sure you stay regularly connected to your LinkedIn site and respond quickly to any correspondence you receive.
Spread your advertising spend through the year
Don’t spend all of your recruitment advertising budget in one go at the beginning of the year.
Reserve a certain percentage of your planned expenditure (25-33%) for a late campaign in line with the recruitment patterns of key countries from where you hope to attract teachers new to international teaching. For example, if you’re searching for teachers with British education experience, then plan your late advertising campaign for April and May.
Work with a specialist recruitment agency
Most teachers who are considering working internationally for the first time will register with one or more recruitment agencies. This gives them the support and guidance that they need to find reputable international schools and to help them understand the ‘unknowns’ of school selection, visa requirements, benefits packages, salaries, contracts, etc.
As a result, working with a recruitment agency with a large pool of quality candidates will mean you will have immediate access to a good range of potential contenders. Recruitment agencies specialising within the international schools sector will have the most targeted pool of talent who are right for you.
Be prepared to test out every agency you work with. If the first batch of candidates you receive from your recruitment company does not closely meet your selection criteria, find another agency that listens and responds to your needs.
Deputy Head Primary
