All successful schools recognise the key part which staff play in establishing the reputation of the school.  No matter how grand the campus, how well-resourced the classrooms or how lofty and erudite the mission statement and objectives of the institution, they are limited in value if not combined with a high quality, motivated and professional teaching staff.  As such, annual recruitment is the key task in all schools.

Recruitment is something which becomes more effective with the experience of the recruiter.  Judging an individual’s worth as a teacher is a very subtle task and a skill which cannot simply be transferred to another without similar experience of the pitfalls of ‘getting it wrong’.   It is only by ‘getting it wrong’ at times over the years will you minimise the likelihood of it happening again. 

Schools may lack such expertise due to a relatively inexperienced Head.  They may also find that they haven’t the resources to do all the ‘behind the scenes’ tasks properly which are so important in successful recruitment.  In my opinion, the candidates who are unsuccessful are every bit as important as those who are appointed and it is imperative that they take a positive image of their experience back to their schools around the world, hence raising the profile of the recruiting school for the next occasion.

Effective recruitment is also closely linked to efficient timetabling.  Knowing how many to recruit is as important as knowing ‘Who to recruit’.  Careful analysis of need linked to timetabling know-how can vastly improve the financial efficiency of a school and consequently enable it to be successfuk in an increasingly competitive labour market