Raising the attractiveness of a career in schools

This chapter analyses how entry requirements, career structures, compensation and working conditions can help to attract, retain and motivate effective staff working in schools and specifically teachers and school leaders. It explores how the horizontal and vertical structure of teachers’ careers can provide opportunities for professional growth within the classroom and offer clear pathways to positions of educational leadership. The chapter also considers how policies can shape working conditions in ways that enable teachers and leaders to employ their skills effectively, as well as the role that autonomy and teachers’ voice play in strengthening the profession. The chapter emphasises implementation challenges and considers under which conditions employment reforms are most likely to have the desired effect on staff, schools and students. The chapter concludes with a set of ideas that policy makers may consider as they develop responses for their particular contexts, challenges and goals.