Teacher shortages aren’t just statistics buried in reports; they’re felt in classrooms every single day.
A student sitting in a class without a trained teacher, a principal choosing between last-minute substitutes, or parents losing trust in the school. These are the real faces of the crisis.
And the scale is staggering. UNESCO estimates that the world will need 44 million new primary and secondary teachers by 2030 to meet universal education goals.
The good news? Schools can take control. In this article, we’ll walk through four teacher recruitment strategies that help you attract qualified teachers and keep them thriving in your institution for years to come.
Most schools start recruiting when a resignation hits their inbox. By then, you’re already behind. Strong schools treat hiring like admissions: year-round and relationship-driven.
This approach helps you spot promising educators early, build trust before an opening even arises, and keep a warm pipeline ready to step in when needed.
Do this:
- Partner with teacher training institutes and universities to connect with aspiring educators early. Invite them for classroom observation days and identify top performers you’d like to hire once they graduate. Teacher residency programs, in particular, are linked to a very high three-year retention rate of around 86% across large program networks — a strong indicator of stability and reduced rehiring churn.
- Develop “grow-your-own” (GYO) pathways by training your existing school community, such as teaching assistants, support staff, and alumni, to become certified teachers. These individuals already understand your school’s culture and systems, making them more likely to stay and succeed long-term.
Hire earlier and more openly. Schools that start recruiting in spring, instead of waiting until late summer, reach larger applicant pools and avoid last-minute scrambling. Research shows that many new teachers are still hired after the school year begins, which is an avoidable risk with better planning.
Good teachers have options. Salary matters, but what makes them choose you (and stay with you) is the day-to-day reality: support, growth, and a manageable workload.
Your employer brand is one of the most overlooked aspects of teacher recruitment. It is what sets you apart when candidates weigh multiple offers.
Show what makes you different:
- Culture & support: Be explicit about how you handle classroom behavior, planning time, and paperwork. In recent U.S. national surveys, teachers flagged student behavior, workload, and administrative tasks as top stressors. Schools that actively address these issues through wellness initiatives, health insurance, community-building events, and teacher support groups stand out as places where educators feel valued and supported.
- Growth that’s real: Map out professional development and leadership routes (e.g., team lead, instructional coach) right in the job post. Reviews of working conditions consistently tie leadership, collaboration, and voice to stronger retention.
Authentic voices: Let candidates hear from current teachers (short videos or quotes) about why they stay, collegial planning time, mentoring, or how a new teacher ramped up in 90 days.
Tactical Additions That Pay Off
Great candidates drop off when hiring becomes a multi-week process with endless interview rounds. Keep the selection process tight, predictable, and evidence-based so teachers can see themselves in your classrooms sooner.
- Design a 2–3 step flow (and stick to it)
Step 1: Short screening (skills + culture fit)
Step 2: Demo lesson with a clear rubric
Step 3: Leadership conversation with next steps and timelines.
Structured selection processes involving standardized interviews. Plus, demonstration lessons generally produce more reliable signals of the future effectiveness of teachers.
- Use rubrics, not “gut feel”
Share well-defined evaluation criteria, including expectations around planning, classroom management, and reflection, with candidates before the interview process begins. Principals commonly rely on intuition, but studies highlight the value of predictive, structured interviews over ad hoc questioning.
- Move early; avoid late-summer hires
Late offers shrink your pool and the quality of the candidates. Generally, slow, late hiring pushes schools to choose from a depleted pool; the fix is earlier requisitions and faster decision cycles.
A Practical Recruitment Template
Hiring doesn’t end when a teacher signs the offer letter. In many ways, that’s when it really begins. Schools that treat pre-boarding and onboarding as part of teacher recruitment see fewer early exits and smoother classroom transitions.
Start before day one
A new teacher’s anxiety often peaks in the gap between signing and starting. Simple touches like sharing a welcome note, giving access to online modules about your school systems, or pairing them with a mentor teacher can calm those nerves and set them up for success.
Make onboarding human, not just paperwork
Too often, induction is reduced to forms and policies. Strong schools go further: classroom observations, team introductions, co-planning sessions, and a clear set of 60- or 90-day goals. This helps new hires feel like they belong, not like they’re still “testing the waters.”
Lean on mentorship
Mentorship also plays a key role. A trusted colleague who checks in regularly, answers day-to-day questions, and helps navigate routines, ensuring teachers feel guided and valued from their early days.
Ultimately, pre-boarding and onboarding are less about forms and processes and more about building stability and trust. And that sense of stability leads directly into the bigger question every institution must answer: how do we ensure quality recruitment that sustains both student outcomes and institutional success?
Every vacant classroom comes at a cost in the form of disrupted learning, anxious parents, and budget pressure from rehiring. Schools can’t afford quick fixes; they need sustainable teacher recruitment strategies that deliver qualified teachers who are prepared to stay.
That’s where Suraasa steps in. We support schools and institutions at every stage of the recruitment journey:
- Access to classroom-ready talent: Our network of 550,000+ educators across 50+ countries and partnered teachers from 15,000+ schools ensures a diverse pool of teachers trained to international pedagogy standards.
- Upskilling for long-term retention: Beyond placements, we equip teachers with structured professional development and globally recognized certifications so they thrive and grow within your school.
- Support through onboarding and beyond: From pre-boarding to mentorship, we work with schools to make sure new hires integrate smoothly and reduce early attrition.
In short, Suraasa combines the reach of a global network with the depth of ongoing teacher development. The result? Faster hiring, lower churn, and classrooms that remain stable and effective.
If your next hiring cycle is coming up, hire qualified teachers for your school through Surassa.
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