Teachers have a critical influence on pupils’ educational achievement. However, many schools in England are struggling to recruit and retain teachers. Schools with higher proportions of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be affected by recruitment and retention challenges. The EEF funded this study with the aim of adding to the evidence-base on how schools can attract teachers, particularly schools serving disadvantaged communities.

The study found that teachers value tangible workplace benefits, such as more protected Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time, smaller class sizes, and free supplementary healthcare services. Although preferences vary between teachers and between primary and secondary phases, each of these benefits was, on average across teachers, rated as being as attractive as a 10% salary increase. While many job attributes valued by teachers are expensive to provide and may offer less value than money than pay rises, the study found that benefits such as healthcare offers, childcare subsidies, and flexible working commitments have the potential to be more cost-effective and more likely to influence teacher application decisions.

The findings also demonstrate that teacher retention is critical, because most teachers are reluctant to move roles without a substantial pay rise. Secondary schools serving the most disadvantaged communities face the greatest challenge: on average, teachers may require a pay rise of approximately 13% to consider applying to these schools.

While the findings offer valuable insights into teacher job preferences, they should be interpreted with appropriate caution. These findings are based on teacher and headteacher responses to simulated job scenarios and may not perfectly reflect real-life decisions. The EEF plans to undertake further research to continue building the evidence-base on what works to support teacher recruitment and retention.