How to Recruit Career Changers for Your School: 5 Strategies
| by Hannah Sparling
Career changers make excellent teachers.
They bring energy, fresh ideas, and new perspectives.
They have real-world experience to share with students.
Plus, as the teacher shortage continues to frustrate schools and districts across the U.S., career changers are an essential piece of the solution. Below are 5 strategies to help you recruit and hire career changers for your teaching staff.

#1 Lay out the Welcome Mat
Don’t assume would-be career changers know teaching is an option for them. Instead, make it abundantly, explicitly clear that career changers are welcome in your school, that you want to hire them, and that you’ll support them through the certification process.
Try hosting job fairs, open houses, or webinars specifically for career changers. Use your school website and social media to advertise open teaching jobs. If you have the budget, you may even consider renting a billboard or running a local print or TV ad.
The goal is to reach out proactively to career changers rather than waiting for them to come to you. It can be scary to jump from one career to another, so make sure career changers know your district has open jobs and that you’re ready and willing to guide them through the process.
#2 Tout the Benefits
This goes deeper than salary, health insurance, and paid time off. Teaching is a calling, a chance to impact the next generation. One great teacher can change a student’s life.
Most teachers aren’t in it for the money, so when you’re talking with career changers about benefits, focus instead on the more meaningful opportunities. Talk about the joy and sense of purpose that can come with teaching. Share stories from your own time in the classroom.
Teachers can have a remarkable impact on students, families, and entire communities. That’s a huge benefit that cannot be overlooked.
#3 Simplify Certification
For some career changers, they may have trouble imagining the journey. They want to become a teacher, but how do they get from Career A to Career B?
That’s where you come in.
Lay out the path to professional certification in clear, easy steps. Talk about Educator Preparation Programs, certification exams, and the support you’ll provide. Will you help with EPP tuition? Does your district have a partnership with a particular college or university (this is a great way to get tuition discounts for your teachers as well)?
When a potential career changer can see the entire process and exactly how long it will take, it’s much easier to take the first step.

#4 Highlight Success Stories
Sometimes the best recruiters are your own teachers, especially other career changers who are a few years ahead in the process.
Talk with the career changers already on your teaching staff and help them share their stories. Ask why they became teachers, what surprised them, what they love about teaching, what they wish they would have known ahead of time. You could write blog posts and publish them on your website and social media. You could shoot video interviews. You could host a webinar where your career changers share their stories and take questions.
Personal stories are an effective recruiting tool because they allow potential career changers to better envision their own success in teaching. Different stories will resonate with different people, so the more stories you can share with teachers from as many diverse backgrounds as possible, the better.
#5 Plan Ongoing Support
Your support for career changers doesn’t end once they sign the employment contract, so make sure they know that. Talk about your plans for mentorship, coaching, and career guidance. Set up regular checkpoints and make sure career changers know your door is always open for questions.
New teachers in general need a lot of support, career changers perhaps even more. But it’s a lot less scary if they know you’re there to help.
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