How to Attract Early Career Teachers
17 Apr, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- How to support Early Career Teachers at the beginning of their career in teaching.
- How to attract Early Career Teachers to your school.
- About the education recruitment services available to your school.
Newly qualified and eager to make an impact, Early Career Teachers have completed their training and are looking for rewarding teaching roles. They are no doubt eager to embark on their teaching career and to begin shaping young minds.
However, the transition from training to full-time teaching can be challenging without the right guidance and structure. For schools, this presents both an opportunity and a responsibility: to nurture fresh talent while also strengthening their teaching workforce. By providing Early Career Teachers with robust support systems, clear development pathways, and a welcoming school culture, schools can not only help ECTs flourish but also improve retention and drive long-term success.
Teacher recruitment and retention is said to be one of the biggest challenges facing the education sector. According to the Initial Teacher Training Census, postgraduate Teacher recruitment was 38% below target for the 2023/24 academic year. This was mainly driven by low recruitment for secondary trainee Teachers which was 50% below target compared to 4% below target for primary trainee Teachers.
To attract Early Career Teachers to your school it’s important to consider what Early Career Teachers are looking for long term in their careers and how you can use this information to attract and retain the best teaching talent.
How to attract Early Career Teachers to your school
How to attract Early Career Teachers to your school:
- Make your job description clear.
- Provide strong mentorship.
- Offer opportunities for progression and career development.
- Foster a positive culture and environment.
- Communicate your values and vision.
Make your job description clear
One of the most effective ways to attract Early Career Teachers is by crafting a clear, concise and compelling job description. Just as there are certain details and things Early Career Teachers must include on their job applications, schools must do the same to stand out.
Make sure the job description is clear, detailed and specific so that potential employees are fully aware of what you are looking for and what you have to offer as an employer. Your job description should include duties, responsibilities, location, and required and preferred qualifications.
The job description and application process needs to be easy to navigate and understand, and complete with sufficient information about the role, responsibilities, expectations, values and working conditions. You need to give an indication of what it’s like in the classroom as an Early Career Teacher so be sure to emphasise the impact they will have on students.
Provide strong mentorship
Early Career Teachers are looking for school jobs across the UK and will be in need of practical, targeted advice and support to improve their classroom readiness.
The role of an Early Career Teacher is hands-on and their responsibilities in the classroom are the same as that of a fully qualified and experienced Teacher. In order to survive the first year as an Early Career Teacher, it’s important that they have the opportunity to learn from their peers.
Early Career Teachers require support and guidance in their first teaching role and will be looking for schools that offer strong mentorship and opportunities to learn and develop their skills. They might value having an experienced mentor who can guide them, provide feedback and offer practical advice.
By assigning experienced Teachers as mentors to guide and support Early Career Teachers, you are ensuring they have the opportunity to learn the schools teaching standards and put that into motion in the classroom. With regular feedback and coaching, Early Career Teachers have the opportunity to reflect on practice and be more efficient in their career development.
Offer opportunities for progression and career development
Early Career Teachers might not only seek a role that is desirable and rewarding, but maybe one that will provide them with opportunities for progression. The best way to attract Early Career Teachers to your school is to make it clear that you offer equal opportunities for progression and provide Continuous Professional Development that matches their goals.
This will help strengthen their practice and ultimately improve their chances of staying in the education sector, developing their skills and ultimately becoming the best educator that they can be.
Having clear progression pathways and offering structured development plans that aligns with their goals is a great way to ensure that Early Career Teachers want to join your school and be a part of your team.
Foster a positive culture and environment
When seeking a teaching job - especially for those who are newly qualified - school culture plays a significant role and can strongly influence people’s decisions. The culture of a school is important because a positive and supportive environment can significantly impact a Teacher’s job satisfaction and overall wellbeing.
A strong cultural fit and a sense of connection with colleagues can be just as important as career development for some Early Career Teachers - they want to feel like they truly belong and will look for schools where they can collaborate with colleagues, share ideas and learn from each other.
Providing a supportive and respectful work environment means that schools will increase their chances of recruiting and retaining their best talent.
Communicate your values and vision
Another important factor for Early Career Teachers is a school that clearly states their values and shares the same goals and ideals. Just as the culture of the school is crucial for employees, so are the school's values.
Early Career Teachers want to feel aligned with a meaningful mission and will appreciate schools that clearly outline expectations for their role and performance; this can be a powerful driver of long-term success and a vital source of reassurance. Sharing the same values as your employees makes for a better cultural fit which can build their confidence and result in greater productivity that supports their professional growth.
By highlighting your school's mission, vision and identity - especially when it comes to a newly qualified Teacher in the early stages of their career - you create a strong sense of purpose and belonging that can inspire them to grow and stay for the long term.
Having the same values and expectations as your employers helps to foster a collaborative and supportive environment which can reduce early career stress and achieve a better balance between workload and wellbeing. All of this can be a crucial factor in attracting, recruiting and retaining talented Early Career Teachers.
Recruiting Early Career Teachers?
As experts in mainstream and SEND school recruitment, we support 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, Teaching Assistants and Early Career Teachers in the North West.
If you’re struggling to fill an Early Career Teacher 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
ECT Teacher jobs
If you’re searching for an ECT Teacher job, why not take a look at the latest ECT Teacher 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 an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations.
In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing
Corporate Functions & Business Support
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