The Insider's Guide: How To Improve Online Teacher Retention

Beyond seeking candidates with suitable qualifications, add criteria to your interview process that focuses on finding online teachers who are genuinely passionate about the same things your organization cares about, advocates for, and believes in. It's a crucial step for long-term success.

When effectively and frequently communicating these values, it in turn makes you an attractive option when candidates compare places to work. Team members are then also more likely to be creative, inspired, engaged and loyal!

Utilize AI-powered candidate matching tools to assess value alignment effectively. These tools can analyze applicants' backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs to identify individuals who resonate with your mission and vision.

Our Pro Tip: Provide corporate social responsibility initiatives that speak directly to your company values that online teachers can actively get involved in, on company time. Volunteerism leads to an increased sense of purpose, confidence, improved mental health, and skills development.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace can be a valuable consideration for global teaching teams. According to a Glassdoor survey, two thirds of job hunters indicated that diversity was important to them when evaluating companies and job offers.

Not only that, diversity in gender and ethnicity has also shown to improve retention. In a diverse work environment, team members are more likely to remain loyal when they feel respected and valued for their unique contribution.

We encourage online education organizations to explore the possibility of hiring online teachers from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures and accents from around the world, as an opportunity to broaden your talent pool on a global scale.

Unique perspectives can also enrich the learning experience for students, as well as the knowledge sharing collaboration within your online teaching community. It further prevents individuals from feeling alienated and increases online teacher turnover.

Our Pro Tip: Create opportunities where online teachers from different parts of the world pair up and share their points of view on any given topic – such as company values, teaching methodologies, or cultural differences in the workplace.

Onboarding plays a vital role in setting the stage for a successful tenure, in turn improving online teacher retention. If you've slipped in making onboarding a priority, you're not alone - Workable reported that 37% of remote organizations identified remote onboarding as a major challenge.

Yet, It has been proven that a strong onboarding process can improve retention rates by 82%. For remote positions, it's essential to go beyond traditional training and orientation.

• Develop a comprehensive onboarding journey that replicates the in-person experience as closely as possible.
• Pre-board new hires by sharing resources, guides, an introduction to the company culture, and access to relevant systems well before their start date. This also helps mitigate info overload during onboarding for new starters.
• Create a welcoming environment through Day One virtual introductions, teacher team integrations, one-on-one meetings, and personalized welcome announcements.
• Craft automated messaging triggers to make new hires feel informed and integrated from the moment they start.
• Leverage AI-driven onboarding platforms to streamline administrative tasks so that managers and supervisors can focus on building connections.

Our Pro Tip: When measuring engagement as a core employee experience indicator, it's crucial to integrate new online teachers into your various teams and social groups as quickly as possible. Create digital team member profiles that capture their interests and hobbies upfront, to initiative introduction into initiatives that will engage and delight them.

It's no surprise that remote working can lead to a sense of isolation. To counter this, focus on building a thriving and connected virtual community when planning out your online teacher retention strategies.

• Utilize a dedicated internal communication platform ensures your global teaching team stays connected and informed.
• Implementing tactics such as collaborative digital tools, virtual teacher team rooms, and daily check-ins foster orchestrated as well as organic interactions among team members.
• Plan frequent company-wide initiatives, challenges, team meetings, team building activities, and social events that encourage participation, friendly competition, and strengthens bonds.
• Leverage reporting tools to capture and gauge team engagement and sentiment, using insights to tailor community-building initiatives to ensure every team member feels valued, connected, and part of a larger purpose.

Our Pro Tip: Beyond one-on-one daily connection points and team sessions, crafting an intentional quarterly focus around a core business need provides ongoing opportunities for fun and engaging cross-department interactions.

Creating clear pathways for professional growth and career advancement within your organization is crucial for retaining talented online teachers.

Begin by mapping out a structured career progression plan that outlines potential roles and the skills required for each position. Internal promotion fosters talent density, builds loyalty and advocacy, and costs less than bringing someone new on board.

Encourage your online teachers to take on leadership roles and responsibilities by providing them with opportunities to lead projects, mentor new teachers, or participate in decision-making committees. This not only instills a sense of ownership but also helps in building leadership skills.

Our Pro Tip: Offering mentorship and coaching programs can significantly enhance professional growth. Pairing experienced teachers with newer ones creates a supportive environment where teachers can learn, share experiences, and develop their careers within the organization.

Recognizing the importance of work-life balance is essential for the well-being and productivity of online teachers. By showing that you value their personal time and well-being, you help prevent burnout and create a healthier, more motivated teaching team.

• Promote flexible scheduling that allows online teachers to manage their personal and professional responsibilities effectively.
• Implement time-off policies that enable team members to take breaks and vacations without feeling guilty or overburdened.
• Provide resources and support for managing stress and maintaining well-being. This could include access to wellness programs, mental health resources, and stress management workshops.

Our Pro Tip: Remote workers often step into the trap of not shutting down, feeling that they need to always be online and reachable, and not having a clear boundary between 'office' and home. It's important to emphasize best practices, expectations, and open communication to prevent burnout.

Developing a robust system for recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance is key to motivating online teachers. This not only sets a benchmark for other teachers to strive towards, but also creates a positive and motivating work environment.

• Establish a formal recognition program that highlights exceptional online teaching practices, innovative contributions, and significant achievements. This could be for both internal and external praise.
• Offer tangible incentives and awards, such as bonuses and gift cards, to celebrate hard work.
• Public acknowledgment of successes, whether through newsletters, social media, or virtual award ceremonies, can boost morale and foster a culture of excellence.

Our Pro Tip: Introduce performance awards that can be awarded on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. Incorporate various value metrics to create a scoring rubric, that's shared with team members in advance, so they know which performance benchmarks will earn them the award.

Frequently gathering feedback is crucial for understanding team member needs and improving the work environment for increased online teacher retention. This further builds a culture of continuous improvement and open communication, where your online teachers feel heard and respected.

• Use tactics such as surveys, interviews, and discussions to collect insights on their experiences, challenges, and suggestions.
• More importantly, act on this feedback to make meaningful improvements! Implement changes that address common concerns and enhance the overall teaching experience.
• Communicate actions taken in response to feedback to show team members that their opinions and insights are valued. This not only enhances the work environment but also nurtures a culture of continuous improvement and open communication, where online teachers feel heard and respected.

Our Pro Tip: Your current team members are your best (or worst) brand advocates. By conducting an Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) survey, you will find out how likely your online teachers are to recommend your organization as a good place to work. Compare your score to industry benchmarks to see how you compare.

To reduce online teacher turnover requires a multifaceted approach that addresses their professional aspirations, personal well-being, and need for recognition and feedback. These online teacher retention strategies enhance team member satisfaction and contribute to the success and stability of online education programs.

Investing in your online teacher retention is investing in the future of education, ensuring that students receive consistent, high-quality instruction from dedicated and engaged teachers!