This article appeared as "Hire Learnings" in the Summer 2024 issue of Independent School.
Faculty and staff are the heart and soul of any great independent school. As a community of educators, we know we are only as good as our people. But people—good, qualified people—have been getting harder to find. And independent schools across the country must embrace an uncomfortable reality: There are hundreds of job openings amid a national teacher shortage. According to the National Education Association, in 2017, openings started to outpace hires, with this gap widening from year to year.
In 2017 at The Benjamin School (FL), we noticed that employee expectations were changing, workplace dynamics were shifting, and market forces were making it ever more necessary for us to communicate what we have to offer as a workplace of choice. We previously assumed that Benjamin was both the independent school of choice for families to enroll their children and the place where teachers wanted to work. But we started to realize that nothing was a given, and we’d have to put more effort into recruiting and retaining faculty and staff. With a focus on growing our school, we’d be filling the shoes of beloved retirees while recruiting new members of the community to spearhead programmatic enhancements.
In fall 2022, our head of school, with the human resources office taking the lead, set a goal to hire nationally and retain our top choice for all open positions. Expanding our search would lead to a much broader talent pool and an opportunity to enhance our strengths. We could no longer operate under the assumption that prospective faculty and staff members would automatically choose The Benjamin School.
The Approach
In 2019, we started to intentionally redesign our hiring retention process and adopted a new concierge-style approach. The first step was to get buy-in from stakeholders, most importantly our human resources team. Unlike the old system of counting on résumés and traditional inquiries automatically coming in, this team would be at the center of our concierge-style of hiring—one that would ultimately put educators and teacher satisfaction at the center. Many sectors outside of education use this high-touch and personalized approach and talk about the higher yield of accepted offers. At our school, this translated into our HR team personalizing the process, at times actively reaching out to candidates we noticed online. Our team became more visible brand ambassadors, building relationships from the ground up as they’d be the main point of contact throughout the process of outreach, interviewing, and follow-ups.
After we streamlined our hiring process, we were positioned to effectively identify and interview potential candidates. That’s when we turned to conversations about how to attract and retain talent. What were candidates wanting to see from a place of employment? How would we raise our school profile and tout the many benefits that we already had in place? What were the selling points of our school community? We focused on a few key areas and promoted them on our websites and in our conversations with candidates.
Touting benefits. We now outline our already robust health, life, dental, and vision insurance, along with our retirement packages, on our website and printed materials for all to see. And as part of our “brag sheet” for prospective employees, we highlight that the school now absorbs 80% of the cost of the employee-only HMO plan and 52% of all other tiers. Our board of trustees has worked to increase our employee benefits package as an acknowledgment of the growing costs of living. The school also contributes 5% to retirement plans (regardless of individual participation), and each year, we increase monetary support for professional development.
Leaning into location. The Benjamin School is situated in the skyrocketing South Florida real estate market, which is a challenging place to find housing and a vibrant place for young professionals. We share information about the area while candidates are considering our school so they can start to imagine themselves living here.
New hires receive a comprehensive portfolio that includes information about apartment rentals and affordable communities, contacts for professional services ranging from physicians to plumbers, and ideas for extracurricular activities. We also share with them that, in 2022–2023, our school awarded cost-of-living bonuses for faculty and staff in acknowledgment of the 6% rise in inflation. In 2023–2024, the school offered 4.5–5.5% cost-of-living adjustments.
Improving first impressions. We reimagined how we conduct candidate school visits. We recognized that an investment in a future candidate can ultimately pay dividends if we’re able to attract top talent to our school, so we’ve upgraded the hotel options, and we host a dinner or an extended stay to help them explore the area. We make sure that each candidate gets a real look at our school and our town, and we almost always include a trip to the beach. We do this to highlight the type of experience a candidate—from teachers to school administrators—will enjoy once they are employees. We are starting to see the payoff: There’s been a marked increase in hiring our top choice of candidate.
Building community. We have a close-knit community, and we work to highlight the benefits of being part of it. The head of school celebrated the administrative team with a holiday gathering, and a current parent hosted a reception for all employees. Employees feel seen and recognized. This year’s major school fundraiser included a “Call from the Heart” to raise money to directly fund one-time bonuses for all faculty and staff members.
We’re also really excited about our newly formed “Spirit Team,” which has organized weekly activities including pickleball and yoga. Those who choose to participate are able to shave a half-hour off their work day. The team also hosted an “Appreciation Station” for faculty and staff, which included midday pick-me-up snacks and treats.
Enhancing the website. HR, in conjunction with our communications team, created a refreshed “career opportunities” webpage that outlines the school’s benefits in detail and highlights the school’s many additional perks including complimentary yoga, cardio, and self-defense classes; premium event tickets; and faculty social events. We created a video filled with testimonials from new and seasoned employees about their experience in our community as well as their onboarding experience. Giving candidates and potential hires a peek into a day in the life at The Benjamin School will help them see themselves here.
The Takeaways
Our mindset shift toward a concierge-style hiring process continues to evolve. We have had a more robust applicant pool over the past 18 months, and our faculty retention hovers close to 96%—far exceeding the national average. In spring 2024, we worked with Carney, Sandoe & Associates to fill a new position, the assistant head of school. While we ultimately decided to hire from within, we attracted many highly qualified applicants who wanted to join our Benjamin School family.
Throughout the process, we’ve learned a few things that can help schools rethink recruitment and hiring to become a workplace of choice while attracting and retaining top talent.
Identify obstacles. Consider current obstacles to hiring in your school’s market. These can vary widely based on geographic location and demographics. Drill down on these potential hurdles, and find ways to address them so candidates aren’t immediately turned off. At Benjamin, for example, we know that the cost of living in South Florida is an obstacle, but by communicating the many benefits to living here and offering creative ways to find affordable housing, we are able to help keep candidates interested. We’ve also been addressing stereotypes about Florida by highlighting the state as a vibrant place for young professionals, being transparent about our school’s mission and front-footed as we reiterate that we are an apolitical institution.
Market your assets. In addition to the work an HR team can do, lean on your communications and marketing department to help share the story of what makes your school a special place to work. You are your own best promoters and are capable of sharing powerful personal anecdotes about your school. Do you have a tremendous work-life balance? Promote it. Offer above-average salaries? Tout it. Have increased opportunities for professional development? Share those success stories. Don’t be afraid to brag. At Benjamin, we emphasize that we are committed to compensating our employees within the top 20% of average salaries in southeast Florida, while also offering generous benefits and vacation time.
Adopt a value proposition mindset. Schools know how to express their value proposition to prospective parents and students. Adopt this same confidence and philosophy when it comes to attracting faculty and staff. Personal anecdotes from current employees go a long way. Include them in your recruitment materials and consider adding video elements.
As other independent schools continue to adapt to a changing educational landscape, they too have the exciting opportunity to iterate their hiring practices with an intentionality that will highlight their assets and attract and retain top talent.
A version of this article was published on the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) website in March 2023.