13 reasons why employers need to hire candidates who are early in their education careers

There are important short- and long-term benefits for employers to hire students, recent graduates, and others early in their careers for education roles. We reached out to 13 hiring experts to get their thoughts:

• Partner with Universities for Early Engagement
• Assess Teaching Adaptability During Interviews
• Offer Value Before Candidates Apply
• Lead with Purpose Not Job Descriptions
• Implement Campus Ambassador Programs
• Build Year-Round Relationships with Education Departments
• Collaborate with Teacher Preparation Programs
• Simulate Real Work Environments in Hiring
• Create Direct Pipeline from Education Programs
• Provide Rotating Internships Across Age Groups
• Proactively Partner with University Career Centers
• Develop Targeted Outreach and Supportive Onboarding
• Create Digital Orientation Hub for Recruitment

Partner with Universities for Early Engagement

One effective recruiting strategy for hiring large numbers of early-career candidates into education roles is to build strong partnerships with universities, especially those with teacher training or education programs. By engaging early with graduating cohorts — through campus events, guest lectures, or offering placement opportunities — you build trust and brand visibility. You’re not just posting jobs; you’re becoming part of their journey into the profession. 

Create a clear, supportive onboarding pipeline that makes the transition from student to educator feel seamless. Offer mentorship, growth opportunities, and highlight the impact they’ll have from day one. Early-career professionals are looking for purpose and progression — if you can show them both, you’ll not only attract them but keep them. Focus less on just filling vacancies and more on fostering a community of practice they can grow in. That long-term investment creates loyalty and helps build a stable, enthusiastic education workforce.

Patrick Regan, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Enlighten Supply Pool

Assess Teaching Adaptability During Interviews

I spent 8+ years in Massachusetts public schools before starting my business, and the biggest recruiting mistake I see is hiring based on credentials alone. The strategy that actually works is creating “teaching moments” during interviews where candidates have to adapt their explanation style in real-time.

Here’s what I mean: Give candidates a math concept to explain, then interrupt halfway through and say, “Actually, pretend the student just said they’re confused and don’t understand fractions at all.” The teachers who can pivot immediately and find three different ways to explain the same concept are the ones who’ll thrive with diverse learners.

When I was building my tutoring team, I used this exact approach. One candidate had an impressive resume but couldn’t adjust when I asked her to re-explain slope to a “struggling student.” Another candidate with less experience immediately switched to using pizza slices and stairs as examples. Guess who became one of my best tutors and is still with us two years later.

The beauty is this method reveals actual teaching instincts, not just subject knowledge. Districts should be doing 15-minute “pivot sessions” instead of asking the same tired questions about classroom management philosophy.

Peter Panopoulos, Owner, A Traveling Teacher Education LLC

Offer Value Before Candidates Apply

Don’t just post a job — build a pathway. We began offering mock interview preparation and CV reviews to early-career candidates, even before they applied. This approach helped us build trust and identify talent early. Many of our best tutors initially appeared as learners, not applicants.

If you’re hiring at scale, focus less on filters and more on entry points. Provide value upfront and make the process feel like part of candidates’ development, not a test. It’s slower at first, but the quality compounds. We’ve recruited hundreds this way — and our retention rates prove its effectiveness.

Tornike Asatiani, CEO, Edumentors

Lead with Purpose Not Job Descriptions

If you aim to recruit hundreds of early-career educators, stop leading with job descriptions — start leading with purpose. Most young candidates aren’t merely seeking a paycheck. They want to feel that their work is meaningful. So instead of stating, “We need a math teacher,” we say, “You’ll help a student in a small town rediscover confidence through algebra.”

We also recruit from places that most people overlook — such as online teacher communities, niche Discord groups, and even Instagram DMs. The best early-career talent isn’t always scrolling through job boards; they’re already building, sharing, and teaching. Meet them where they are, not just where you hope they’ll be.

And one more crucial point: let them co-shape the role. Ask what they want to learn and where they want to grow. When people feel ownership from day one, you don’t just fill positions — you build a team that stays committed.

Vasilii Kiselev, CEO & Co-Founder, Legacy Online School

Implement Campus Ambassador Programs

Having scaled several EdTech teams, I’ve found campus ambassador programs to be incredibly effective. We recruited over 200 graduates by having current teachers host informal coffee chats and classroom shadowing days at their schools. These peer-to-peer connections gave candidates real insight into the role while letting us assess cultural fit naturally, resulting in much higher acceptance and retention rates than traditional job fairs.

Jono Ellis, Chief Product Officer, Cognito Education

Build Year-Round Relationships with Education Departments

I’ve found campus recruitment fairs incredibly effective when hiring education talent at scale through my work with teaching associations. Generally, the key is building year-round relationships with education departments at multiple universities, not just showing up once a year for career fairs. We’ve had great success creating a student ambassador program where current teachers visit their alma maters to share authentic experiences, which helps establish trust and creates a steady pipeline of interested candidates.

David Cornado, Partner, French Teachers Association of Hong Kong

Collaborate with Teacher Preparation Programs

A good way to recruit early-career applicants into education employment is by collaborating with university teacher preparation programs. These programs are packed with students who are eager to start their teaching careers. Create good relationships with career services and provide student teaching opportunities or internships. This strategy will help applicants feel connected to and develop a sense of belonging within your school or district. This approach will ensure a consistent flow of employees and save time spent on the hiring process. It is also an ideal way to meet applicants who already have knowledge of your school’s values and culture.

Doug Crawford, President and Founder, Best Trade Schools

Simulate Real Work Environments in Hiring

Structure your interview process to simulate real-work environments. Candidates who make it past an initial screen are actually paid to undergo a small project or training. This gives the opportunity for both the employer and the new recruit to see if working together is a good fit. A risk with any candidates early in their career is that they may churn quickly. This is usually because they’re still figuring out their interests, passions, and skillsets. Give them the opportunity to test that out with you in some training and project that may provide them with learning opportunities — but also see if you’re both a great fit to continue working together.

Jason Yee, Founder, AdmissionPrep

Create Direct Pipeline from Education Programs

The most effective strategy for hiring hundreds of early-career education candidates is building strong partnerships with universities and teacher preparation programs. This creates a direct pipeline from students to your positions before they graduate.

These partnerships work well because you can identify potential teachers while they’re in school. You’ll have first access to talented candidates, and students gain valuable experience that makes them committed to your organization. Connect with local education colleges and offer internship placements.

Kateryna Bykova, Marketing Content Director for AI-Enhanced Education, SEO, Research, StudyPro

Provide Rotating Internships Across Age Groups

At the start of a teacher’s career, there are many different age groups and subjects they can choose to teach.

Offer an internship program that rotates educators between ages and classes every 6 weeks, so that they get a feel for the different niches they would like to work in.

The education center gets extra support while also building strong relationships with many future teachers. It also helps the educators make decisions about their careers while giving them valuable experience.

It’s a win-win for both the educators and the education center.

Sari Schmidt, Co-Founder, Nala Talent

Proactively Partner with University Career Centers

When trying to hire rapidly for multiple roles, consider proactively reaching out to university career centers and partnering with them to identify candidates and schedule job fairs accordingly. Then, approach job boards and hold virtual job fairs as well. Finally, source candidates on LinkedIn. More and more college and graduate students have a presence on LinkedIn.

Susan Sweenie, Founder, New Path Careers

Develop Targeted Outreach and Supportive Onboarding

To successfully hire dozens or even hundreds of early-career candidates for education jobs, I recommend implementing a targeted outreach strategy that leverages partnerships with educational institutions and training programs. By collaborating with universities, colleges, and vocational schools, you can tap into a pool of candidates who are about to graduate or are actively seeking their first roles in education. Hosting virtual or in-person job fairs, offering internships or apprenticeships, and engaging with student career services can help create a direct pipeline to early-career talent.

Additionally, focusing on creating an inclusive and supportive onboarding process can significantly improve candidate retention and ensure that new hires feel prepared for success in their roles. Providing mentorship programs, offering continuous professional development opportunities, and showcasing a clear career progression path will make the positions more attractive to early-career professionals looking to build a long-term career in education.

Mahesh Kumar, Spokesperson, Transcription Certification Institute

Create Digital Orientation Hub for Recruitment

Based on my experience managing our growth in the education sector, I’ve found that a digital-first approach focused on building an “orientation hub” can be incredibly effective for mass recruitment of early career candidates.

Our platform connects with over 16 million users across 21 countries, and we’ve learned that today’s graduates deeply value comprehensive information and seamless digital experiences in their decision-making process. This same principle can be applied to recruitment.

Here’s my recommended strategy: Create a digital orientation hub specifically for your recruitment efforts. This hub should serve as a centralized platform where candidates can:

1. Access detailed information about various roles, departments, and career progression paths within your organization.

2. Engage with interactive content that helps them self-assess their fit for different positions (similar to how we help students find their ideal academic programs).

3. Connect directly with current employees or hiring managers through scheduled virtual events or Q&A sessions.

This approach is particularly effective because it:

• Scales efficiently to handle hundreds of candidates simultaneously
• Reduces administrative burden on HR teams
• Provides consistent information to all candidates
• Creates a data-driven recruitment funnel that can be optimized over time

From our experience in the education sector, we’ve seen that this digital-first strategy typically results in better-informed candidates who are more likely to be good fits for their roles, leading to improved retention rates.

Filippo Tonello, Head of Marketing, WeUni