Learning how to write a great job description that attracts the right candidates is essential. You don’t want to spend hours going through resumes and applications of those that are not qualified or are not a great fit for your position for some other reason.
An easy way to weed these people out is to write a compelling and specific job description.
Think about the job search process from a teacher’s perspective to make sure you cover all of your bases:
What will the teacher want to know about the job?
What will teachers be looking for in a job?
What is great about my school and what does it have to offer?
What are steadfast requirements for this job and what are any other preferred qualifications?
Job description tips:
Be specific about your needs
- What are the requirements for the position?
Including specifics such as degree requirements, years of experience needed, curriculum experience, etc. is important. Being clear on what requirements you won’t budge on will encourage only those who meet those requirements to apply.
Feel free to add another section that has “nice to have qualifications” under the steadfast requirements. Teachers that have these will be more likely to apply and highlight on their resume, in a cover letter, or during an interview, the fact that they hold these preferred qualifications, which means that they’re likely more than qualified for the job!
- What do you look for that is non-academic?
Thinking about the work environment and the community you are building within the school as well as the type of person you would like to attract is just as important. If you like fun, bubbly, creative teachers, then state this in the job description!
Someone that does not fit this description will likely realize that they wouldn’t be a good culture fit for the school and will look for a different opening elsewhere. Remember – this isn’t a bad thing – you’re not trying to attract every single person that finds your job posting. After all, the end goal is to attract only the people that would be a perfect fit all around.
Be clear about what you are offering:
- List all of the benefits – not just salary!
Providing a salary range means that expectations are clear from the beginning, and you aren’t going to be interviewing someone who is expecting double the salary listed.
However, don’t worry if your school cannot provide the highest salary in the city. Lower scales can be overcome provided you list all the other great reasons to work at your school. Discuss your school’s awesome work environment, family benefits, potential career growth, and fantastic location!
- Sell your school’s location
If your school is in a less desirable/popular location, sell the area and what’s around by educating potential candidates about it. This will allow someone to make an informed decision as to whether the location is going to be a good fit which saves you both time in the long run.
- Mention career and personal growth
For example, if you offer professional development courses for those who want to learn and develop as a teacher, say that! State the new skills they will learn from working at your school. If you have a great teacher evaluation process that your current employees rave about – add that in there as well.
Do you expect your teachers to be active in the local community or get involved with after school activities and parents? Mention that too!
- Talk about why current teachers love working at your school
Is it the fun work environment, support given from colleagues, the community feel, free meals during lunch, the monthly get together? Including this sort of information will give the job description more personality and flair to help attract teachers who place extra importance on whatever you decide to mention here.
Now – start writing great job descriptions!
It’s a good idea to make use of white space and bullet points in your job descriptions to make them scannable. This helps potential applicants quickly see if they have the basic qualifications, and if they think they do, they will go back and read the entire thing more thoroughly. A section at the top with a brief description of the school is also very useful.
Check out job description examples on our job board!
If you’re using Teaching Nomad’s recruitment services to help you find the perfect teachers for your school, you can speak with your dedicated account manager who will help create the right job description for you!
Not working with us yet? Learn more about our international and United States teacher recruitment services.
