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Evaluating Teacher Recruitment Strategies: Using Fully Randomised Paired Conjoint Experiments. Evaluation Report

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Evaluating Teacher Recruitment Strategies: Using Fully Randomised Paired Conjoint Experiments. Evaluation Report
Language: English
Authors: Rebecca Allen, Iain Ford, John Jerrim, Loic Menzies, Sam Sims, Burak Sonmez, Karen Wespieser, Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (United Kingdom), Teacher Tapp (United Kingdom)
Source: Education Endowment Foundation. 2025.
Availability: Education Endowment Foundation. 9th Floor Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, UK. Tel: +44-207-802-1676; e-mail: info@eefoundation.org.uk; Web site: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 78
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Employment, Teacher Salaries, Teacher Responsibility, Teacher Administrator Relationship, Teaching Conditions, Teacher Placement, Decision Making, Disadvantaged Schools, Teacher Employment Benefits, Teacher Attitudes
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom (England)
Abstract: Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers remains a persistent challenge for schools across England, particularly those serving disadvantaged communities. This study set out to understand which job attributes make teaching roles more attractive to teachers, particularly in the context of current school recruitment and retention challenges. The research was conducted over the 2024/2025 academic year and aimed to identify which job attributes teachers value most, how headteachers perceive and implement such attributes, and what salary or working conditions might encourage teachers to apply to more disadvantaged schools. To address these questions, researchers ran large-scale survey experiments with approximately 6,000 teachers across England. These survey experiments asked teachers to make choices between job adverts featuring different combinations of working conditions, which allowed an estimate of the relative value placed on each attribute. A subsequent survey experiment was also conducted with over 400 headteachers to explore their views on the desirability of job attributes that teachers value. In addition, a novel methodology was developed to examine the decisions teachers make when considering moves to specific schools. By asking teachers to name a local school they might apply to, an estimate of the salary uplift they would require to make such a move was able to be made, providing new insight into the scale of incentive needed to attract teachers to more disadvantaged schools. The study is supported throughout by qualitative work, including teacher and headteacher focus groups and open-ended survey responses. These elements helped to refine the survey instruments and provided rich contextual insight into how schools are currently adapting job roles and what barriers they face. In combination, this mixed-methods approach offers a robust and policy-relevant picture of teacher job preferences, school implementation challenges, and the broader labour market context.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED680938
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers remains a persistent challenge for schools across England, particularly those serving disadvantaged communities. This study set out to understand which job attributes make teaching roles more attractive to teachers, particularly in the context of current school recruitment and retention challenges. The research was conducted over the 2024/2025 academic year and aimed to identify which job attributes teachers value most, how headteachers perceive and implement such attributes, and what salary or working conditions might encourage teachers to apply to more disadvantaged schools. To address these questions, researchers ran large-scale survey experiments with approximately 6,000 teachers across England. These survey experiments asked teachers to make choices between job adverts featuring different combinations of working conditions, which allowed an estimate of the relative value placed on each attribute. A subsequent survey experiment was also conducted with over 400 headteachers to explore their views on the desirability of job attributes that teachers value. In addition, a novel methodology was developed to examine the decisions teachers make when considering moves to specific schools. By asking teachers to name a local school they might apply to, an estimate of the salary uplift they would require to make such a move was able to be made, providing new insight into the scale of incentive needed to attract teachers to more disadvantaged schools. The study is supported throughout by qualitative work, including teacher and headteacher focus groups and open-ended survey responses. These elements helped to refine the survey instruments and provided rich contextual insight into how schools are currently adapting job roles and what barriers they face. In combination, this mixed-methods approach offers a robust and policy-relevant picture of teacher job preferences, school implementation challenges, and the broader labour market context.