Recruit
It’s the season for schools to begin their
recruitment efforts! It’s the investment
of time, energy, and resources to find ideal candidates who will join teaching
teams across world! It’s a wonderful opportunity to teach, learn and explore!
There are endless opportunities! There are a roster of dedicated teachers
waiting to share their knowledge and talent in a location in any of the five
continents or across an ocean or sea.
Change – any change can be hard, and yet,
it is the most predictable element of life, which can be expected. Saying farewell to friends and colleagues who
are venturing onward to new adventures brings a mixture of happiness and
sadness. As leaders, finding quality educators who bring skills, talent, passion
and commitment to the teaching team can seem like a daunting task but truly, it
is an exciting time for a school.
Recruiting is an exciting time. The unknown always brings surprised gifts and
well, sometimes can offer some stretches we would prefer not to experience, and
yet, once the reflection has happened, we look back, and think it wasn’t so
hard. Most of all, it offers an opportunity
to refine best practices.
Employ
Resumes, covering letters, and professional
profiles share some valuable insight to the array of outstanding teachers
looking for a new career adventure.
Mobility in any profession is positive both
in nurturing the flexibility for change, and adapting to new working
environments and teams. New
opportunities lead to building or refining skills, and adding to the
seasonality mix of experience. Ultimately,
new teaching talent enhances the quality of education both for the classroom
and the school. It’s shining example of
success both for students and the school.
Access
Human connection is always a glorious gift
in meeting new people, sharing life journeys, career adventures, and above all,
savouring the lessons and experiences offered both in personal and professional
growth. It is vital to ask the right
questions.
Distinguishing an applicant and a candidate
rests in the responses offered to specific questions, which will access the
potential teacher’s ability to adjust to the culture of the school, the
personality mix of the team – not to mention the adaptability and flexibility
needed to settle in a new culture, country, or city. It is to be patience, compassion, and a
gatekeeper of information.
There is a wondrous feeling of excitement
when a recruiter feels a match -- a
match like it was meant to be between a school and a potential candidate and
hopefully, a new employee and teacher.
With life, and experience, the rose colour
glasses don’t stay on for long.
Expectations are never a good idea and surely, can be applied to a new
school and teacher match being fostered.
It is to wait with anticipation as the working relationship evolves.
Communicate
It is vital to communicate and build trust
in new a working relationship. A candidate
once hire is looking for their employer, the school and its management to
provide resources and connections to support them. The magnitude of the
transition of any settlement, relocation and new working environment is high –
grace and patience help foster a strong healthy working relationship.
A candidate can project themselves as they
wish, however it is the recruiter, and the screening process, which will gauge
the quality of a candidate – monitoring each step of the screening process before
the offer is made and accessing potential transitional issues once the new
employee has relocated and started their settlement both in their new community
and working environment.
A recruiters’ role is to support both
school and candidate. It is to prepare the candidates. It is also to coach them
on their flexibility and willingness for change, culture diversity, and
openness to self-growth. It is to be in
acceptance of the unknown with a smile!
Terminate
Honesty is vital. Be honest both in making the decision on a
candidate offer, and accessing the new employee upon arrival at the school.
Assumptions of a new teacher’s
understanding of societal rules, or working dynamics in their new homeland are
one, which can have adverse effects to the working relationship. They will not learn these societal differences
unless someone tells them of these differences.
Both the school and the recruitment team have a dual responsibility to
share these societal differences to the teacher before departing on an amazing
teaching adventure.
If these teachers do not learn these
societal rules, they will become, over time, the disengaged teacher who decides
to share frustrations and anger with their colleagues, which will causes
rippling effects to the overall education delivery of the school.
Once the new teacher arrives schedule a
two-week follow up meeting to address any classroom delivery or transitional
issues. Set a deadline of 60 days in
which both school and teacher work together to resolve these issues. It will save time along with human and
financial resources in the long term. Recruiters should have a guarantee in their
agreements. Take advantage of it.
Lori Ann Comeau is a career coach for the education profession, founder and president of Tulip Canada. For advice on recruitment services or starting a teaching adventure, please contact us and submit a resume. Follow us at @tulipcanada and Facebook.