Procrastination is part of human nature – we all do it now and again. However, being able to recognize when you’re doing it and ensure that it doesn’t continue happening is essential, especially when you’re in charge of hiring staff for your school.
Each year, in the final weeks leading up to the new school year, we see many schools in a desperate rush to hire enough teachers to fill their vacant roles. This last-minute panic is caused by a variety of factors such as procrastination, unforeseen events, and forgetfulness.
To some degree, late hiring is inevitable for most schools at some point in time, but this can prove to be detrimental for the school, the teacher being hired, and most importantly, the students.
The effects of last-minute hiring
1. Time-consuming legal paperwork
Whether you are hiring teachers that are in another country or ones that are in-country, there is a pretty long timeline between a teacher accepting an offer and actually starting work. Depending on your available resources, it can take a few months to get everything completely handled.
This is especially true if you’re hiring foreign teachers and the teachers need to authenticate all the required documents to obtain a legal visa and work permit, as this can take upwards of 6 months depending on the circumstances. Planning for these things is important when hiring teachers so you don’t end up way behind schedule when the school year starts.
2. Lesser quality applicants
Just because numerous candidates are applying to the open positions at your school, does not mean you are getting the best candidates. The best candidates usually apply for their next role while they are still employed at another school, which gives them time to research your school culture and still have sufficient time to give adequate notice at their current role.
Last-minute hiring typically leads to settling for a subpar candidate which may cause you problems further down the road. Be proactive and start interviewing teachers with plenty of time before the position’s expected start date and you’ll be able to be pickier and find exceptional teachers that are a perfect fit for your school.
3. Magnified complications due to time constraints
So you posted your job at the last minute and found someone who could be a good fit. You begin the onboarding process and then realize that some details need to be worked out — this wouldn’t normally be a big deal, but because you waited too long to hire, you’re now struggling to tie up all of the relevant loose ends.
Starting a new job nearby is stressful enough, but for foreign teachers moving abroad, there’s a lot more to consider. Things such as finding affordable flights and researching adequate accommodation options are often at the top of mind during the onboarding process. It can be a very overwhelming transition, and if hiring is done early enough, it can give you and your new teacher sufficient time to avoid or minimize any potential complications.
4. Ill-prepared environment
Students and their parents expect their school to be prepared to provide the best experience possible in the classroom. Switching teachers throughout the school year due to hiring at the last minute is not a good look, and neither is putting a teacher in a bad position by hiring them too late to where they don’t have enough time to prepare for the year.
Teachers like to get an idea of their classroom setup so they can plan things accordingly, know exactly what curriculum they are going to be teaching, and prepare materials ahead of time so that their classroom is ready for students when the time comes. By hiring someone at the last minute, you’re going to have unhappy students, parents, and teachers that feel ill-prepared and stressed.
5. High turnover rate
A study of teachers in Michigan showed that educators who were hired after the beginning of the school year were twice as likely to leave the school within one year. This is due to the stress that comes with not having enough time to manage their workload and the feeling of being overwhelmed due to insufficient planning.
By hiring earlier, you can avoid this altogether by providing new teachers with the time and resources that they need to succeed and be happy!
Don’t let your school fall behind with hiring – get in touch with Teaching Nomad to see how we can help fulfill your hiring needs!
