Teacher Recruitment
Examine how teacher recruitment evolved fifteen years
Learning is a process that commences from the time of birth of any individual and has no limits to the extent to which a person may reach. It is for this reason that ministries of education and education boards as well as teaching fraternity unions and organizations have been established (Reynolds, 2010). Through these institutions, teachers are educated, trained, verified and employed into the various learning institutions. Recruiting of the teachers is a process that takes a lot of initiatives since teaching is a demanding profession.
Education is a service that has evolved and developed over the years incredibly. As time progressed, people realized the need for better and more quality education. Initially, emphasis was put on the teachers’ compensation and the mobility of the labor rather than techniques of attracting and hiring quality teachers. Over the last fifteen years, various measures have been put in place so as to meet the shortage in the number of teachers in the schools. These techniques focused on recruitment exercises for teachers. Consideration for the women and minority groups has also been put in place (Drews et al., 2009).
The major way to attract teacher is by using advertising tools. With the changing technology, information dissemination is easier and effective (Compton, Morrissey & Nankervis, 2009). Advertisements are put up on the various media, newspapers, trade publications and posters so as to attract more applicants. The schools may use the local cable networks and trade publications too. Thus worth teachers are attracted to apply from a larger community, sometimes even up to international level. This creates a competitive environment, enhancing selection of the best teachers. However, surveys have shown that not very many schools use this criterion. Of all those who advertise, the major tool for advertising are the newspaper, with about 80% using it. About 5% use the trade publications (Cochran-Smith et al., 2008).
Another very competent way of recruiting teachers is tapping them from their colleges. As the students graduate from the teaching institutions, it is easier to get the quality teachers that the schools require. Various district schools use this technique and they focus on the local universities and colleges. They partner with these institutions of higher learning and post notices at the colleges and also contacting the college faculty. Research has it that 50% of the hired teachers in New York for instance are from local colleges (Catano, 2009).
The advent of the internet has availed new openings to grow the teacher recruitment at a much cheaper cost than the traditional advertising (Compton, Morrissey & Nankervis 2009). Teacher recruitment websites have been established within the last 10 years making the local districts have access to national and international teachers. Notices are posted for job vacancies and the hiring authority can get in touch with the applicants successfully via email. The results from the survey on the effectiveness of this technique show that 70% of all the districts have adapted to posting notices and receiving applications for jobs online. However, the smaller districts are less likely to use this platform with only 40% using the internet to recruit teachers
The use of incentives is also a major artifact that is use in the recruitment process of teachers. These incentives range from signing bonuses, offering subsidized tuition and offer such as assistance to acquire a home. Some districts give compensation for the working hard conditions within the surrounding environment. Also, the supervisors or principle may attract teachers by offering to credit the teacher for experience in other positions or occupations .about 16% of the districts give subsidized tuition at local colleges and extra credits for experience. Two-thirds of all districts use one form of incentive to recruit teachers.
The use of multiple recruitment practices is also a very effective technique. Although the practice may be relatively costly, most districts in the urbanized areas are more likely to use more than one practice (Compton, Morrissey & Nankervis, 2009). The use of several techniques gives the district and the school more better chances of getting the teachers to recruit. Most districts that use several ways of recruiting teachers view it as a way of supplementing the other technique when developing the recruitment plan.
However, the techniques by themselves may work well if the quality of the teacher is compromised. It is I this view that the techniques used also consider measures to recruit quality teachers. Certified teachers are hence scrutinized for competence purposes (Reynolds, 2010). The various districts have the certification boards and also the hiring authority has a way of measuring and establishing the credentials of the applicant, their experience and work related performances.
The teaching fraternity, just like any other service providing department of the government is also expected to adhere to the law in the hiring and recruitment exercise of the teachers. The consideration for the minority groups and women in the career for the available posts of work is done. Hence the women are now unlike in the past being considered for the higher more demanding leading posts in the schools. The act on gender equality has made this easier for the women to be recruited into the jobs but the academic and other qualifications are still applied in the procedure of recruiting them.
Women are certified and licensed into the service as long as they are qualified and competitive enough and therefore no favoritism is given to them (Park, Endo & Rong, 2009). They undergo all specified decisive factors for them to be employed. Thus more women have been included and appointed for the various teaching posts available. The techniques used to recruit teachers are the same for all people. However, for the promotions and other appointments to leadership positions, it has taken quite a long time to overcome the disparity in the education sector. Thus women and the less privileged are given incentives so as to be helped to get more promotions and also leadership opportunities (Drews et al., 2009). The minority who involve people such as the physically challenged and the ethically discriminated are also considered fairly in the recruitment procedures. As long as they meet the specified academic and other stated qualifications, they are given priority so as to effectively comply with the law and also to enable equality to prevail.
The teaching occupation and the ministry and management of the education sector has grown significantly over the years and hence it is worthy acknowledging that better education is given to the students in their various institutions of learning (Drews et al., 2009). The recruitment process of teachers has greatly changed the face of the education sector and improved the results achieved by the students. The techniques employed by the stakeholders in the education field are very effective. Teacher recruitment has been made much simplified and as a result, more quality teachers have been employed. The minority groups and the women are also considered effectively now as compared to fifteen years ago.
References
Park, C.C., Endo, R., & Rong, X.L. (2009). New perspectives on Asian-American parents, students, and teacher recruitment. Charlotte, NC: IAP, Information Age Pub.
Catano, V.M. (2009). Recruitment and selection in Canada. Toronto: Nelson Education.
Compton, R.L., Morrissey, W.J., & Nankervis, A.R. (2009). Effective recruitment & selection practices. North Ryde, N.S.W: CCH Australia.
Cochran-Smith, M., Feiman-Nemser, S., McIntyre, D.J., & Association of Teacher Educators.
(2008). Handbook of research on teacher education: Enduring questions in changing contexts. New York: Routledge
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