Selecting tomorrow’s teachers

March 2021

How can we choose the best candidates for teacher education? Against a background of economic uncertainty, teaching is becoming an increasingly attractive career choice—the numbers applying for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs are up by 35% according to recent reports (TES, September 2020). Meanwhile, the pandemic has forced many of us to work almost entirely online, and recruitment for ITE is not exempt from the pressures to avoid face-to-face contacts.

It is no surprise then, that online teacher selection has become a hot topic in recent months. Some things however, have not changed. ITE providers are perhaps keener than ever to offer places to graduates who are a ‘good fit’ for their program, who will create diversity in the teaching profession, and who exhibit the right mix of academic and personal characteristics to be effective in the classroom.

Personal characteristics for teacher selection

So, what are the personal characteristics to look for in selection? For nearly 10 years, our team of researchers at the Teacher Success Platform (TSP) has conducted rigorous international research to identify the key attributes of effective teachers, with empathy, communication, resilience and motivation found to be important in all settings, while some attributes (e.g., community relationships) may be more important in specific contexts.

You can read more on the Bett hub here.