‘Through the looking-glass’: An exploration into Headteachers’ attitudes and responses to applicants’ digital footprints when recruiting early career teachers.

This research explores through a qualitative case study how and why
Headteachers are influenced by, and respond to, the online presence of applicants
to first teaching posts.

Overall, schools will carry out online searches of applicants, usually after
short-listing has taken place. Some local authorities or school clusters have
produced templates to support and record searches, other schools have adopted
their own processes which may or may not include social media searching. Headteachers welcome the guidance provided in Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, 2022) either as an additional safeguarding measure or to legitimise previous unofficial searching practices and want clearer national
guidance.
Headteachers are aware that the use of social media for professional purposes is widespread. It is unlikely to have negative consequences for ECTs seeking employment, although employers are generally not significantly influenced by professional engagement. There is a strong view that online content
should be ‘professional’ and sharing of children’s work online was universally
considered to be inappropriate. Perceptions of personal content vary amongst
participants, even in terms of offline illegal behaviours. Headteachers recognise that searching can never be entirely objective, even with clear guidelines. Participants were aware that their decisions are often subjective and that within the guidance there are lots of grey areas.
Most of the participants described themselves as social media engagers, with a strong intention of keeping their own professional and personal identities separate, both on and offline. There was an unenthusiastic response to the concept of teachers as micro-celebrities or influencers.
The findings relating to motivations fell into three broad categories of
safeguarding, suitability and reputation. Safeguarding is a major factor in the online searching process, with some participants citing safeguarding as the only reason for carrying out searches. Content that might cause concern includes the risk that applicants are not aware of appropriate behaviours online and may communicate with children online in the future. Any evidence of illegal behaviours or extremism would be of major concern.
A candidate’s fit to the school is of major importance to recruiting Headteachers, recognising that recruiting an unsuitable candidate can lead to future difficulties. Headteachers were also concerned with the applicant fitting in with the school’s ethos and culture. Some Headteachers would be interested in any information online which gives them knowledge of an applicant’s personality and lifestyle which may suggest their suitability in relation to the school’s ethos. Headteachers see themselves as gatekeepers to the integrity of the profession and the online search is just one tool in their toolbox. Reputation is of significance, particularly in terms of the reputation of the school. Headteachers were mostly concerned with other audiences, particularly parents accessing online information about a teacher they had appointed.