Sharing Good Practice
HOW CAN WE MAKE RECRUITMENT
LESS PAINFUL?
BY: CATHERINE O’FARRELL
HOW CAN WE MAKE RECRUITMENT
LESS PAINFUL?
R
ecently the Irish minister of
Education visited the UAE in
a bid to entice home some
of the estimated 2000 Irish
teachers who have left their own
country to come to the UAE.
There are an estimated 15,000 British
teachers abroad, many here, and the
Guardian reports that
“The English Education system is
broken”
Donna Ferguson, (October 2018)
With approximately 1,400 US teachers
here in the UAE and many more Indian
and Gulf state teachers – what are we
doing well to attract them?
Quality Recruitment! Many schools
in the UAE excel when it comes to
induction of new recruits.
As we welcome the start of a shiny
new academic year, schools are faced
10
Term 1 Sep - Dec 2019
with a brand-new cohort of “fresh off
the boat” teachers.
For my very first post here, in Abu Dhabi
8 years ago, I remember touch down
on Etihad full of fearful yet excited with
anticipation, having never been in the
Middle East. I was greeted off the plane
by my new Principal and brought to a
hotel where I was united with a team
of new recruits to begin our induction
week. This induction was a mix of
work procedures, entertainment and
‘life in the UAE’. It was an excellent
process, it bonded the team and set
a seed of commitment to the school
and company.
So, what works well in recruitment?
Take cues from other
industries.
Educational Leadership magazine
notes the value of looking to other
industries and their procedures -
Class Time
aviation, IT, retail
“very often teachers report frustrations
with extensive application forms to
complete, drawn out questionnaires
and a myriad of documents to upload
and very often they don’t get even a
note of receipt!”
Looking at alternative industries we
find a focus on simplifying the process
of application, fewer forms and
sometimes a simple video upload.
This ensures that potential candidates’
first impressions of the company are
positive and engaging as opposed to
frustrating and isolated.
Follow it up!
Once an application is received, we
need to follow it up - don’t leave
candidates hanging. Yes, it is a tedious
job and HR are often burdened by
huge numbers, but a standard email
to acknowledge receipt followed up