Are Schools and Trusts Unintentionally Putting Off Great Candidates?

Are Schools and Trusts Unintentionally Putting Off Great Candidates?

This isn’t about the long-running debate over using “competitive” in salary adverts. Instead, it’s a look at another subtle but surprisingly common misstep in the education sector.

On paper, salary scales make perfect sense. They harmonise roles, pay, and career progression. In practice, however, they can sometimes make recruitment harder, especially for support staff.

When candidates see a job advert that lists a salary scale instead of an actual figure, it creates an unnecessary barrier. Many don’t immediately know what the scale translates to in annual pay. If someone has to leave your advert to Google “what is NJC scale point 24 worth?”, the risk is they won’t return.

Even if they do apply without knowing the salary, there’s the potential for disappointment later in the process when expectations and budgets don’t match. That’s wasted time for the school, wasted energy for the candidate, and ultimately a missed opportunity for both parties.

Some adverts even use internal scales without any explanation, leaving applicants completely in the dark, which can mean that the very people you want to attract may skip applying altogether.

✅ Simple fix: state the salary clearly alongside any scale references. It’s transparent, respectful, and ensures you’re drawing the right talent. Unless, of course, your advert says “competitive”… in which case… good luck with that. 😉