Blog Details

While the typical teachers hiring process in Southeast Asia begins in March and runs through September, many schools looking for new teachers feel like they’re trapped in a never-ending hiring season. With more teachers leaving the profession and fewer entering it, high turnover rates mean schools must keep repeating the time-consuming hiring process again and again.

Schools are desperately trying to confront urgent staffing needs with many different strategies in place resulting in wrongly prioritizing the volume of applicants rather than the quality of applicants.

Hiring the wrong applicant can cost a school at least 25% of the candidate’s first-year earnings.

Here are three strategic processes schools can implement into their hiring practice today and avoid hiring mistakes this season.

Mistake 1: Passive marketing misses out on qualified candidates
Most schools use the same strategies to reach potential candidates: they post openings on their own website or general job platform and encourage employees to share the opportunity with their personal network. But these strategies only reach candidates actively looking for a job posting within the area.

Solution: Implement active recruiting tactics to attract passive job hunters
Lookout for high-yield marketing channels and job platforms that help schools expand the applicant pool and maximize the recruiting process to find the best-fit candidate. The job platforms like SchooPed help schools optimize future marketing strategies and provide schools with data using the advanced search features, to simplify the hiring process.

Mistake 2: Job descriptions and marketing materials fail to attract candidates
Typical job descriptions include only the essential information for candidates: position titles, role descriptions, necessary “hard” skills, and other legally required information. Schools can find the “top” candidates on paper through screening processes, but struggle to determine the “best-fit” candidate for their school culture and environment.

Solution: Use job descriptions to win over applicants with a strong school value proposition
Candidates who closely align with the school’s mission and values are critical to school success. In addition to listing required “hard” skills, schools should also include necessary “soft” skills and value-based qualities to find the applicants who will best align with the school. Promoting growth opportunities, training, and unique benefits in the job descriptions communicates the distinctive appeal of your school.
• Highlight what soft skills a candidate should possess to be successful in your classrooms
• Promote career development opportunities
• Emphasize the unique culture of your school
• Describe what satisfied teachers enjoy about working in your school

Mistake 3: Burdensome applications and excessively long hiring processes lose the best-fit candidates
Schools lose the attention of once-interested applicants during long, multi-step application processes. Online applications are long, and most candidates who apply do not receive feedback on their status until invited for an interview. The average time to hire for public education (K-12 and higher education) is 119 days, which is three times longer than the private sector average of 36 days.

Solution: Eliminate wasted application time with a straightforward and communicative process
Schools showcase their commitment to finding the right candidate with a streamlined hiring process managed through an easily accessible online portal that clearly outlines the hiring timeline and expectations. Using proactive communication for application status updates ensures that candidates remain engaged, so they complete the application and interview processes.
• Give candidates the option to interview online, in person, or through a pre-recorded video interview
• Define a communication plan internally for who will communicate with candidates, and when
• Get to know candidates prior to bringing them in for an interview
• Ask candidates for feedback on their interview process

Uncover hiring mistakes with your school leadership team
Finding the best-fit candidate is challenging. Use these discussion questions to clarify where you can improve your school hiring process and overcome these common hiring mistakes.

Mistake 1: Which advertising channels can we deprioritize, and in which should we be investing more?
• Where does your school advertise new job openings?
• Does your school collect data on which marketing channels generate the greatest number of applications to your school? The least?
• Does channel efficacy vary by subject matter?

Mistake 2: How should we update our job descriptions to attract best-fit candidates, and represent our school’s greatest strengths?
• Do your job descriptions clearly communicate who you are looking for, and what soft skills are desired?
• How do you communicate to a candidate why they should apply to your school?

Mistake 3: Is our application process transparently communicated and easy to navigate for all applicants?
• At which stage of the process are you most likely to lose candidates?
• Why are candidates disengaging at that point in the process?
• Is your hiring process clearly communicated to all candidates? If so, when, and how?