Finding excellent educators is harder than it’s ever been. A recent article in eJewish Philanthropy posed the question: who will teach our children and grandchildren? The authors argue that inattention to the teacher shortage will have an impact for generations. As schools begin to advertise for September, new approaches must be explored to find an answer.
In December, Sam Freedman, a former executive director at Teach First, wrote in the TES: “We are likely to see a substantial drop in teacher recruitment next year as the UK labour market continues to show record levels of employment, with wages rising higher than those in teaching.” We have seen this firsthand.
Over the past two years, we have worked with schools and informal organisations in the UK that are struggling to fill more than 60 Jewish studies and Ivrit positions. There are simply not enough qualified people to fill these positions. One of the working groups set up by the London School of Jewish Studies and UJIA to examine Jewish education post-Covid is on resourcing the sector.
This working group focused on the stimuli — positive childhood experiences, the influence of role models and the desire to give back to the community — and inhibitors — low salaries, expensive training and the lack of prestige — that entice or keep promising individuals from the field.
In 2019, TalentEducators, a global project of the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency, was launched to address many of the inhibitors mentioned above. Since its launch, TalentEducators has placed over 150 candidates in Jewish education in the UK and North America.
Our strategic approach focuses on collaboration with institutions, organisations, and individuals to bring about successful outcomes for those entering the field, while simultaneously focusing on methods to grow the pipeline of excellent Jewish studies and Ivrit educators.
The challenge of finding teachers exists worldwide. TalentEducators works with educational institutions from London and Seattle to Dublin and Chicago which struggle to find educators. We created a recruitment system to widen the net. Each applicant goes through a rigorous vetting process including several interviews, content checks — to gauge their level of Jewish knowledge and skills — and a CV review. Currently we are vetting over 1,000 individuals who have applied over the last three months.
Our work can only be successful if we understand the needs of the institutions we support. We profile the institutions through site visits and conversations. Our goal is to understand the culture, pedagogical approach and needs of each institution to ensure the candidates we match fit the profile. Currently we are working with 340 Jewish institutions to support their recruitment efforts.
Teaching is one of the most rewarding, yet challenging careers. Educators need training to hone their craft and feel supported in their position. The bespoke, fully-funded year of training and mentoring we provide is created in partnership with each institution and fellow. These plans include partnerships with over 70 organisations such as PaJeS, LSJS, and Reshet.
For many involved in Jewish education, the challenge of finding excellent educators is at the forefront of their concerns. Action must be taken to bring about change in the area of recruitment and retention.
As the TES article and the UJIA/LSJS working group highlight, we must address the teacher shortage in Jewish education. It is our belief that through collaboration, strategic approaches and new pipelines we can begin to tap into the talent and possibilities.
Gemma Peters is the UK regional director, and Alanna Kotler a North American regional director, for TalentEducators
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