Offer detailed feedback and work collaboratively to attract talented Gen Z recruits, school leaders have been told.
The advice comes amid an increasingly short supply of recruits into the profession, with the government missing its target for recruitment of secondary teacher trainees by 50 per cent this year.
Leadership coach, mentor and former headteacher Alex Atherton spoke to school leaders at the Association of School and College Leaders conference in Liverpool this week.
Here are five things he thinks school leaders can do to boost teacher recruitment and retention among the “Gen Z” generation born between 1995 and 2009.
1. Simplify the application process
Mr Atherton said it was “unbelievable” how hard it can be to apply for some teaching jobs, and urged leaders to streamline the process.
He gave examples of Microsoft Word forms that were “all over the place”, and CVs that had to be submitted in a very specific way.
In many other industries, it is possible for potential recruits to apply for a job “in under five minutes”, he said.
He asked school leaders in the audience: “How long does it take to apply for a job at your school or your trust?”
Mr Atherton explained that “people who are talented who work hard do not get a good impression for a place that it is far too hard to apply for. Make it easy to apply.”
2. Provide opportunities for collaboration
The leadership coach and former headteacher also told delegates that Gen Z teachers “expect to be able to collaborate…they expect to have that opportunity. They expect to have a voice.”
While not all recruits would pursue such opportunities, “if you don’t enable it, you can put them off,” he said.
3. Not everyone likes flexible working
Tes revealed last year that the vast majority of initial teacher training (ITT) providers think increased opportunities for flexible working would attract more applicants to the sector.
Mr Atherton admitted that there are “challenges” with flexible working in the teaching profession.
However, he said that Gen Z “also tends to like structure”.
“Flexibility isn’t for everybody,” he said, adding: “I would say definitely don’t make it look as though you’ve got more flexibility on offer than you have.”
4. Use video content
Mr Atherton pointed to a Department for Education survey published last week that showed job satisfaction for those who have left the sector was 68 per cent, compared with just 17 per cent for those remaining in schools.
The former headteacher pushed the leaders in the room to show how their school can offer “better than the national average”.
Using video content was a good way of showing teachers and potential recruits how concerns from staff have been responded to, he suggested.
5. Give ‘high level of support and feedback’
Mr Atherton said that Gen Z has been “used to a high level of support and feedback in how they progress” during their school career.
As a teacher, they might demand that level of “bespoke” help with progression, he said.
As part of Covid recovery efforts, the DfE fully funded the take-up of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) - but the profession is currently waiting for details on funding for future years.
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