Everything You Need to Know to Conduct a Teacher Exit Interview

In this blog, you will learn:

• The purpose of an exit interview.
• 10 important questions to ask in a Teacher exit interview.
• The benefits of an exit interview.
• Discover more about education recruitment services. 

Have you ever found yourself saying, “If only we could have done something to prevent it,” upon learning that one of your Teachers has resigned? It might be too late to retain that individual, but conducting a Teacher exit interview can help prevent similar departures in the future.

According to the school workforce census by Gov UK, in 2023 nearly as many Teachers left the profession in England as entered it. Considering 44,002 Teachers joined in the year to November 2023 and 43,522 Teachers left, it is worth considering conducting exit Teacher interviews to discover what is going on.

If teaching staff are leaving your organisation, it can be beneficial to conduct an exit interview to determine their reasoning; from this, you can learn how to improve job satisfaction for all.

Throughout this blog, you’ll discover everything you need to know to conduct a Teacher exit interview, in order to identify areas for progression or improvement for future teaching staff and ensure your school improves employee relations.

The purpose of an exit interview

An exit interview is crucial to assess an overall employee experience within your school and identify opportunities to improve retention, engagement and employee relations. You can perform an exit interview either face to face, over the phone or in the style of a conversation, survey or questionnaire in order to gain insight into why an employer has decided to leave. 

Exit interviews can be informal, and must be confidential and structured in order to ensure consistency in the quality of the information. They will ideally be conducted in a safe environment for the employee, one that encourages open dialogue.

Education institutions invite people for an exit interview to learn about their reasons for leaving and to use their response and advice to improve employee relations.

Exit interviews are common practice, but they are not compulsory and there is no legal requirement for an exit interview. Most organisations choose to conduct exit interviews as part of their employee offboarding process.

Important things to remember in a Teacher exit interview

Important things to remember in a Teacher exit interview:

• Pick the right questions.
• Remain professional
• Encourage honesty.
• Address issues.

Pick the right questions

Ensure that you pick the right questions to gain the most information; ideally you want employees to be specific about their experience and career journey. Ask questions that enable Teachers to consider the school's culture, priorities and opportunities for career progression.

Asking the right questions in a Teacher exit interview is crucial to give the employees the opportunity to voice their opinions, offer advice and provide insight into the workplace culture and environment.

Remain professional

Executing the perfect exit interview is essential for all organisations, but it can be difficult to ensure the process is efficient and that the interview runs smoothly. Maintain the same professionalism for an exit interview, as you would if you were interviewing a potential employee.

Be professional, understanding and willing to listen, reassuring the employee that they are voicing their views in a confidential, safe space.

Encourage honesty

It is important to understand the purpose and benefits of a Teacher exit interview and to conduct it fairly and honestly.

You want to gain as much feedback as possible and that means you need your employee to be honest about their experience. Do this by initiating conversation, highlighting confidentiality and creating a comfortable atmosphere for the departing Teacher. Use questions that allow them to explain their experience in detail to encourage openness and honesty. 

Address issues

The ultimate aim of an exit interview is to gather constructive feedback and use the newfound knowledge to enhance the schools practices and culture. If during the interview your employee brings up any problems or suggestions, ask more questions in order to better understand so you can implement strategies to tackle difficult subjects.

By addressing issues or suggestions raised in exit interviews, you can help your school make positive changes that boost morale and promote a positive work environment. End the interview on a good note to show the conversation was helpful and that you will take their suggestions on board.

10 important questions to ask in a Teacher exit interview

• What made you decide to leave, or why are you leaving your current position?
• Do you think we equipped you properly to handle your job?
• What was the biggest factor that made you accept your new job?
• What did you like most about your job?
• What aspect of your employment would you have changed if you could?
• What do you think are the main priorities where the school can improve?
• Did your Senior Leadership Team support your success?
• Would you recommend this company to others seeking employment?
• Has your position evolved since you first came on board?
• Would you consider staying on?

The benefits of a Teacher exit interview

Not only can you gain insight on how to improve or address issues, but an exit interview can also ensure that your school is able to better support their staff and create a healthier work environment. By identifying areas where policies and practices need improvement or future change, schools can increase their employee engagement.

Schools can identify any trends or common reasons for leaving for monitoring purposes and to improve the recruitment and retention of high calibre teaching staff. Exit interviews enable school leaders and governors to consider how to support staff through the school system or even improve professional development and communication around culture.

When an Teacher exits their role on good terms it doesn’t just benefit their own career, it also benefits the school they are leaving as it creates an image of professionalism and helps with continuity. This can help organisations to deliver high quality services and continue to function at a high level.

Recruit teaching staff

As a specialist education recruitment agency, we support mainstream and SEND schools with their temporary, permanent and temp-perm staffing needs. 

We currently work with hundreds of schools and have exclusive access to some of the best Teachers and Teaching Assistants in the North West.

If you’re struggling to fill a teaching vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?

• Primary schools - Jimmy Callagher 
• Secondary schools - Liam Jones
• SEND schools - Jamie Heath

Teaching jobs

If you’re searching for your next teaching job, why not take a look at the latest teaching vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.

Meet Jamie Heath

Who is Spencer Clarke Group?

Established in 2017, we’re a vibrant and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. 

We continually reimagine the recruitment process to challenge convention and defy expectations; from creating a better recruitment experience to remodelling employee engagement, we thrive off doing things differently and turning heads along the way. 

We operate in two sectors:

Private Sector

Public Sector 

In eleven specialisms:

Accountancy & Finance

Education & SEND

Construction, Trades & Labour

Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing

Housing

Corporate Functions & Business Support

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