Hiring guide
How to Hire a Teacher
How to hire a teacher: licence and checks, where to source, a demo lesson with feedback, red flags to spot and onboarding that keeps new teachers.
The short answer
Hiring a Teacher comes down to verifying subject knowledge for the grades and courses they will teach, lesson planning with clear learning objectives and checking for understanding and adapting in the moment before you commit interview time. The process below runs 5 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: In the demo lesson, talks for most of the time and never checks what students understood
- Watch for: Gets defensive or argues when given feedback on the lesson
- Score on: Student engagement and learning visible in the demo lesson
- Score on: Accuracy and depth of subject knowledge
Paste your Teacher job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →To hire a teacher who will thrive, watch them teach. A demo lesson with real students, followed by feedback, tells you more than any number of interview answers. Before that, confirm the licence or qualified status your school requires and start safeguarding checks. This guide covers where to source teachers, what to look for, a hiring process built around the lesson, red flags and how to keep new teachers past their first year.
Why this role matters
Teachers are the main lever a school has on student learning. A strong teacher plans lessons that build on what students already know, checks understanding as they go and keeps a classroom where students feel safe to try. A weak hire affects every student in the class for a whole year, adds load to colleagues and often leads to another vacancy soon after.
Where to find candidates
- Student teachers on placement in your school, who you have already seen teach
- Local university schools of education and their career fairs
- US education job boards such as SchoolSpring, K12JobSpot and EdJoin (California), plus state and district job portals
- In England, the DfE Teaching Vacancies service and Tes
- Teach For America (US) and Teach First (UK) networks for candidates from alternative routes
- International recruitment platforms such as Teach Away for international and bilingual schools
- Referrals from your current staff
Skills to look for
Red flags
- In the demo lesson, talks for most of the time and never checks what students understood
- Gets defensive or argues when given feedback on the lesson
- Cannot describe a specific student they helped make progress and how
- Unexplained gaps in employment history or reluctance to name recent referees
- Behaviour strategies that rely only on shouting, sanctions or removing students
- Licence or qualified status that is lapsed, provisional without a plan, or in a different subject area
The interview process
- 1
Application and licence check
Use an application form that captures full employment history and referees. Confirm state certification, QTS or your country's equivalent in the right subject and grade band, and start background checks.
- 2
Screening interview
Ask about planning, behaviour, assessment and a lesson that went badly. Include safeguarding questions for every candidate.
- 3
Demo lesson with real students
Give the topic, class profile and time slot in advance and ask them to teach part of a lesson while a senior leader and a subject colleague observe. A job simulation of lesson planning and marking is another option if you need to screen many applicants before inviting them in.
- 4
Feedback conversation
Straight after the lesson, ask them to reflect on what went well and what they would change, then give them one piece of feedback. See whether they take it on board.
- 5
Panel interview and references
Finish with a panel interview including student voice where appropriate, then take references from the current head or principal before offering.
Start the Teacher interviews from a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Teacher job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Student engagement and learning visible in the demo lesson
- Accuracy and depth of subject knowledge
- Quality of self-reflection and response to feedback
- Behaviour management that is calm and consistent
- Safeguarding understanding
- Fit with your school's curriculum and teaching approach
Onboarding
- 1Assign a mentor in the same subject or grade with protected time to meet
- 2Share curriculum plans, schemes of work and assessment calendars before term starts
- 3Explain the behaviour policy, safeguarding procedures and who to call for help
- 4In England, make sure early career teachers are registered for statutory induction and the Early Career Framework support
- 5Hold early, low-stakes observations focused on coaching rather than judgement
Common questions
What qualifications does a teacher need?
Public schools in the US require state certification, usually involving a degree, a teacher preparation programme and exams such as Praxis. In England, state-maintained schools generally require QTS. Independent and some charter or academy schools have more flexibility, so check your rules.
Is a demo lesson really necessary?
It is the most reliable evidence you will get of how someone teaches. Keep it short, give clear notes on the class and follow it with a feedback conversation.
What questions should I ask in a teacher interview?
Ask how they plan a lesson, check understanding, handle a disruptive student, support a student who is struggling and work with parents. Add a safeguarding scenario and ask for a lesson they would teach differently now.
How can we keep new teachers from leaving?
Give them a mentor, a manageable timetable, clear behaviour backing from leaders and regular coaching. Early support matters more than any single perk.
Hiring a Teacher? Start with a ranked shortlist
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