Consider Why Teachers Leave the Profession
Before you can create a plan of action for your school to attract and keep quality teachers, it is important to have a complete and thorough understanding of why teachers leave their professions in the first place. Not all teachers stop teaching children due to personal reasons, which is why it is imperative to understand what teachers go through throughout the course of their careers. Some of the most common reasons to stop working as a teacher or to give up a career as a teacher include:
- Personal Reasons: Childbearing years, pregnancy, marriage, relocating to a new home
- Different Opportunities: A new career opportunity has become available
- Unsatisfying Work Conditions: When teachers become dissatisfied with their current position, they are more likely to seek work elsewhere
- Dissatisfaction With Administration: When teachers tend to clash with a school's administration, they are less likely to remain as full-time employees for years or even decades to come
- Classroom Intrusions: Experiencing too many classroom intrusions can quickly become stressful and overwhelming for teachers who do not have the support of their bosses or school administrators
- Discipline Issues: If teachers do not feel they have the freedom and ability to discipline their own students, they are much more likely to become discouraged in the workplace
- Salary: Teachers who are unhappy with their current salary or salary caps in their region may not choose to stick around in the profession full-time
- Lack of Input: If teachers do not have the right to share their thoughts, opinions, and inputs during school board meetings and planning conferences, they are less likely to produce high-quality teaching lessons that are filled with vigor and enthusiasm
Understanding what causes teachers to leave their positions is the first step in developing a hiring and retention program that is optimal for your school. With the right programs and hiring practices in place, increase the number of high-quality teachers and professionals you attract during hiring events.
Get to Know Your Local Community Better
Getting to know your community is one way to discover more about the types of teachers that are currently in demand. If you are the administrator or owner of a school, getting to know the community you represent is essential to hire the best individuals possible to take on the job of teaching the children in your city or state.
Attend local events in your community to hear the thoughts and opinions of parents of children in your area. Spend time getting to know parents and those who have school aged children in your school district. Ask questions and for input on the type of teachers the parents of your students prefer for their family. Learn more about the educational necessities in your community by getting to know parents and families who live and work in the area and district you represent.
Determine Your Community's Educational Weaknesses
Consider the weaknesses you have throughout your community when it comes to furthering education. Do your students excel in Math but fall short of expectations with reading and writing? What subject areas are extremely important to focus on for those who are struggling or falling behind in your school district? What type of teacher is best to help assist with boosting test scores and grades of students? What type of teaching styles do your students respond best to and why? Do your students enjoy engaging with their teachers, or do they prefer to work from a digital board or chalkboard? How can a teacher you hire effectively communicate the subject matter and material they are attempting to teach?
When you have a complete overview of your community's educational weaknesses, hire teachers who are most suitable for the positions you desperately need to fill. Seek out teachers who specialize in subject areas that are in dire need of attention and assistance from a professional.
Provide Room for Growth
One way to incentivize prospective teachers who are seeking new positions in your area is to provide them with room for potential growth in the future. Simply offering your newly hired teachers a base salary is not as enticing as offering a livable wage in addition to potential opportunities to obtain raises and salary bumps (with enough hard work and effort). Informing teaching applicants of the opportunities you have available through your school during the interviewing process is a way to maintain their interest, especially if they are applying for multiple positions simultaneously.
Teachers who are stuck in a position that does not offer room for growth, improvements, and promotions can quickly become draining and dull for individuals who truly want to make a difference with their career choice. Providing new teacher hires with the same professional opportunities as those who have worked for you loyally for a year is a way to motivate more applicants to consider the position for themselves. Incentivizing both current teachers as well as prospective applicants is a way to boost the overall appeal of your school.
Offer More Freedom and Flexibility in the Classroom
Teachers are often individuals who take pride in teaching new subject matter and material to students of all ages. Teachers enjoy sharing knowledge and information with the world, and often feel restricted or drained when they are unable to do so in their own unique fashion. Allow the teachers who work for your school more freedom and creative flexibility when it comes to developing and sharing lesson plans with students. Providing your teachers with more teaching freedom is a way for them to engage in their preferred method of sharing information and getting students to engage in the subject material that is being covered.
Provide Mentor and Instruction Programs
New teachers are likely to feel out of place in their new workplace, even if they are experienced in their profession. Provide welcome and instruction programs for new teachers to get acquainted with their new workplace structure and environment. Provide mentoring programs for those who are interested in getting to know the other teachers and assistants throughout your school. Lending support to both new and experienced teachers is a way to build a sense of community among your staff while ensuring the comfort of each teacher as they become adjusted into their new position.
Create a Desirable Workplace Culture
Schools that offer a welcoming and desirable workplace culture are much more likely to attract quality teachers. Offering staff breaks, promotions, and various amenities to assist them throughout the workday all incentivize new prospective teachers to submit their applications for open positions.
Having the ability to retain your teacher employees is extremely impressive, especially if you are managing a public school or an educational facility that receives minimum funding and government support to remain open. With an understanding of the wants and needs of your teachers and the ability to remain flexible with their demands, retain a much higher percentage of quality teachers than most institutions are capable of doing in the educational sector.