Classrooms are empty and everyone’s in need of a well-deserved break. But that doesn’t mean schools and trusts should shut down entirely over the summer months.
In fact, this is the perfect time to re-evaluate your recruitment strategies, and prepare for what we like to call the "Recruitment Race" that runs right through to September.
You've probably had a mental list of recruitment improvements you've been meaning to tackle all year but just haven't had the bandwidth for. And now, the summer months offer that rare opportunity where you can step back, look at the bigger picture and think strategically about how to make your recruitment process more effective moving forward.
If used wisely, the summer break can totally transform your school’s hiring processes for the new academic year and put you well ahead of the competition. But why is summer so important for rethinking your school recruitment?
Why summer is important for education recruitment
In the same way that you might be thinking strategically and getting your processes in order over summer, many of your ideal candidates are using this time to think strategically about their careers.
July and August are when educators who've been quietly questioning their current situation finally have the mental space to properly reassess and think about what their next steps could be.
During term time, they're too busy managing lesson plans, marking, and juggling all the daily demands of teaching to seriously consider a move. But summer gives them that crucial pause; time to reflect on whether they're genuinely happy where they are and what they might want from their next role.
So what does this mean for you? It means passive candidates – those brilliant educators who weren't actively job hunting during the year – suddenly become active on the market for any last-minute roles.
But if you're not visible in the right places during this window, you'll miss them entirely.
Be visible in the right places
As you can imagine, job boards tend to be on the quieter side during the summer months. But with less noise to cut through, this can also be a prime time to reach those candidates who are using summer to think of new opportunities – provided you market your roles in the right places.
The key question is: are you advertising your roles where these candidates are actually looking? If you're still relying solely on the same old job boards you've always used, it’s likely you're missing out on a significant pool of talent. And, for last-minute hiring, you definitely don’t have to default to expensive agencies.
This is the perfect time to develop what we call a multichannel approach to recruitment. Think beyond the obvious places: Yes, the major education job boards are still important, but what about social media? LinkedIn? Subject-specific Facebook groups? Do they follow certain educational Twitter/X accounts? When was the last time you sent out an email campaign to relevant talent pools?
Each channel attracts different types of candidates, so you want to cast your net as wide as possible to ensure you’re covering all bases. Map out these touchpoints and make sure your vacancies are visible across all of them. And if this sounds like a lot of work, don’t worry – with the right education recruitment software, you can broadcast your vacancies to all these different platforms with just a few clicks.
Work on your employer brand
We all know that a strong employer brand is essential for attracting top talent – especially those passive candidates who need convincing to make a move. But let's be honest: how many of us actually have the time during term to work on this properly?
If you're like most schools, your careers site has likely become a bit of a dumping ground for expired vacancies rather than a showcase of why someone should want to work for your school. Summer is the ideal time to give it a complete overhaul.
Think about what really matters to teachers when they're considering a new role. They want to know about your school culture, your approach to professional development, how you support work-life balance, and what makes your school community special.
If you’ve built up a supply of content over term time that you’ve not done anything with yet, now’s the time to start using it. For example, maybe you have some short videos of your current teachers talking about what they love about working at your school or some behind-the-scenes content that shows the human side of your school.
Make sure the messaging on your careers page tells your school's story – not just what you do, but why you do it and what makes you different.
Optimise your application process
A lot of teacher candidates are put off applying to new roles because of outdated application processes. If you're making people jump through unnecessary hoops, fill out lengthy forms that ask for information they've already provided in their CV, or navigate a clunky online system, you're creating barriers that will be costing you excellent teachers.
Summer is the perfect time for a thorough application process audit. Put yourself in candidates’ shoes and walk through your entire application journey. How long does it take in practice? How many steps are involved? Are you asking for essential information only, or have you included every question you can think of "just in case"? Studies have shown that as much as 80% of candidates will drop out of an application process if it’s too long or complex.
If you’re a school that still makes candidates fill out downloadable application forms, now is the time to start implementing an online application system. Today’s candidates expect a smooth, mobile-friendly experience that respects their time. The easier you make it for people to apply, the more applications you'll receive – and the better the quality of those applications is likely to be.
This is also an excellent time to review your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) if you have one, or consider implementing one if you don't. A good education ATS will make it easy for you to manage applications more effectively and ensure no quality candidates slip through the cracks.
Get some extra help
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, some roles are just too hard to fill. This might be because of subject shortages, location challenges, or highly specialised requirements that take a unicorn candidate to fit the bill.
It’s in these cases that it’s good to recognise where drafting in some additional recruitment help makes sense. And luckily, external recruitment services like Eteach don’t sleep over summer!
Use this time to get your outsourced recruitment services working hard on your school’s behalf, whether that’s setting up recruitment marketing campaigns or proactively sourcing candidates on your behalf.
About the author
Katie Paterson
Katie Paterson is a writer and digital marketer specialising in recruitment, marketing, HR technology, and business growth. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
