Marketing Your School
Attracting the right candidates
Attracting the right candidates for key jobs remains difficult for schools for many reasons including
Increasing shortages of good quality teachers.
Investing planning time ensures that your advertisement produces a high impact on appropriate candidate, then you can hope to improve the current situation.
Differentiating your school
The Ford Motor Company manufactures hundreds of models globally, does it advertise all its models in the same way? Does every other car manufacturer use similar wording and format? When you watch TV adverts from the 1960s, do they look archaic? The branding may be similar but the presentation is unrecognisable; tastes and expectations move on.
So why do schools continue to follow newspaper format which pre-dates extreme teacher shortages?
How is a teacher seeking a new post able to decide that your school is the one they are looking for when there appear to be so many similar ones to choose from?
What are you marketing? What Are Your Unique Selling Points?
Unique Selling Points are features of your school or its management that set you apart from the norm.
bullet point your ideas
What are the strategic aims for the school?
The following guidelines are an attempt to assist all those senior managers to:
What are the key aspects of the vacancy you are trying fill?
What personal qualities are you seeking in the teacher
What is in it for the teacher?
You should consider the following:
Be careful with the wording. Look at other adverts on TRS Online and other publications to gain an understanding of what all your competitors are saying and avoid using the same words. Use modern, open phrases suited to the candidates you want to attract rather than ‘stuffy’ formal impassive language
Use the Thesaurus on your computer, to help you find striking alternatives that will have greater impact
Imply what you do not want by the overall ‘picture’ you present
Spending wisely.
Remember that recruitment is a two-way process:
Visualise the actual cost of recruitment. Losing a teacher through poor recruitment can lead to:
GOOD MARKETING MATTERS
Attracting the right candidates for key jobs remains difficult for schools for many reasons including
Increasing shortages of good quality teachers.
- Candidates have more choice particularly if they have shortage specialisms and an excellent CV
- The candidate can now make an ‘informed choice’ before applying
Investing planning time ensures that your advertisement produces a high impact on appropriate candidate, then you can hope to improve the current situation.
Differentiating your school
The Ford Motor Company manufactures hundreds of models globally, does it advertise all its models in the same way? Does every other car manufacturer use similar wording and format? When you watch TV adverts from the 1960s, do they look archaic? The branding may be similar but the presentation is unrecognisable; tastes and expectations move on.
So why do schools continue to follow newspaper format which pre-dates extreme teacher shortages?
How is a teacher seeking a new post able to decide that your school is the one they are looking for when there appear to be so many similar ones to choose from?
What are you marketing? What Are Your Unique Selling Points?
Unique Selling Points are features of your school or its management that set you apart from the norm.
bullet point your ideas
- ask your staff
- ask parents
- walk around the school and examine it critically
- ask a non-teaching contact to do the same during a normal working day
What are the strategic aims for the school?
- Short term
- Long term
- Accommodation
- Resources
- Organisational structure
- Curriculum matters
The following guidelines are an attempt to assist all those senior managers to:
- promote the UNIQUE SELLING POINTS (USPs) of their school
- create a picture of the personal and professional qualities of the individual who will best fit the job role
- ensure that both parties are clear about what each will gain from the employee-employer relationship
What are the key aspects of the vacancy you are trying fill?
- Teaching level
- Subject Specialism
- Level Of experience
- Vital aspects of experience
What personal qualities are you seeking in the teacher
- dynamic
- ambitious and working towards promotion
- steady
- particular qualities required to deal with specific group(s)
- innovative
- proactive
- academically focused
What is in it for the teacher?
You should consider the following:
- location
- proven career development opportunities
- management style
Be careful with the wording. Look at other adverts on TRS Online and other publications to gain an understanding of what all your competitors are saying and avoid using the same words. Use modern, open phrases suited to the candidates you want to attract rather than ‘stuffy’ formal impassive language
Use the Thesaurus on your computer, to help you find striking alternatives that will have greater impact
Imply what you do not want by the overall ‘picture’ you present
Spending wisely.
Remember that recruitment is a two-way process:
- you should know what you want but equally
- the potential employee will need to be confident of what he/she will gain personally
Visualise the actual cost of recruitment. Losing a teacher through poor recruitment can lead to:
- More time to draft adverts, phone relief teachers or other contacts
- Plus More time in answering enquiries and sending out information
- Plus Staff & Governor time to short list and prepare
- Plus More time making the arrangements for the recruitment day
- Plus More time and cost of supply cover for the recruitment day
- Plus Recruitment/retention points
- Plus Your reputation as an employer
GOOD MARKETING MATTERS