Let's understand educator candidate hierarchy! Not all teaching candidates are treated equally - principals and hiring committees have a clear priority system.
Your path into their pipeline determines your chances of getting noticed, interviewed, and ultimately hired.
Engagement Message
Think of a teaching position you applied for—what factor do you believe influenced whether you heard back?
Referrals sit at the top of every principal's priority list. When a current teacher or administrator recommends someone, that candidate immediately jumps ahead of everyone else.
Schools know educator referrals convert to hires 5x more often than other sources.
Engagement Message
Why do you think teacher referrals have such high success rates?
After referrals come direct applications - educators who apply directly through the district's website or reach out to principals personally.
These candidates show genuine interest in that specific school community, not just any teaching opportunity.
Engagement Message
How would you demonstrate genuine school interest in a direct application?
Next are education staffing agency submissions. These candidates didn't seek out the school specifically, but an agency matched them to the position.
While agency-submitted candidates are pre-screened, they're often considering multiple districts simultaneously, which reduces commitment perception.
Engagement Message
What's one downside of being presented by an education staffing agency?
At the bottom are cold applications - educators who blast their resume to hundreds of school postings without research or customization.
These get the least attention because they show no specific interest in the school culture or educational mission.
Engagement Message
Name one way to avoid being seen as a "cold applicant."
