Academics at the IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, looked at global evidence on recruitment and retention strategies, to find out which areas have the most potential to explore in future research.
Researchers found that offering financial incentives – such as higher salaries, writing off loans, performance and recruitment bonuses – could be effective for attracting teachers to roles in challenging schools.
The review, Teacher quality, recruitment and retention, Rapid Evidence Assessment, shows that incentives have been used with different levels of success across different countries, but that financial rewards given directly to teachers – rather than allocated to their school of employment – show particular promise.
Researchers also found that strategies to reduce workload and improve working conditions were associated with improved retention. Heavier workloads were consistently associated with higher staff turnover, with factors such as working hours and leave entitlement strongly influencing teachers’ decision making.
