And How Recruitment Choices Shape Staff Retention
Most recruitment agencies will tell you how quickly they can find someone.
How fast they filled a role last week.
How many CVs they’ve got ready.
But that’s not the point.
In education, the real value isn’t how fast someone starts — it’s how long they stay.
Short-term hires cause long-term damage
When someone leaves early:
- Students lose stability.
- Colleagues take on extra work.
- HR restarts the entire process.
- Budgets take another hit.
- Morale drops across the board.
It’s not just inconvenient. It’s disruptive.
Agencies don’t control retention — but we influence it
No agency can guarantee how someone will settle or be managed once they’re in the job. That’s on the employer.
But the agency controls what happens before that point.
Whether a candidate actually fits the role.
Whether the brief was understood properly.
Whether expectations were realistic — on both sides.
Most early leavers weren’t bad employees. They were just bad matches. That’s on the agency.
The problem with most agencies
Most recruitment agencies are built for speed and volume.
Fast shortlists. High turnover. A focus on filling roles, not fixing problems.
That creates issues:
- Candidates are submitted based on availability, not alignment.
- Jobs are oversold to hit targets.
- Educators are left with placements that unravel by the first half-term.
It’s not always deliberate. But it’s predictable.
What we do differently at Harris Lee
We designed our model around better outcomes, not just faster hires.
- We only submit candidates who fit the brief and the environment.
- We build shortlists fast — but never blindly.
- We tell the truth about role challenges and candidate expectations.
- We’d rather lose a deal than place the wrong person.
- We care about how long someone stays, not just when they start.
Because that’s what makes a recruitment partner useful — not just active.
Ask this before you work with any agency:
- How do you define a successful placement?
- Do you ask why past hires have left?
- What happens if a placement doesn’t work out?
- How do you avoid sending people who aren’t a long-term fit?
- What would you say no to?
The answers tell you everything.
If you’re tired of short-term hires, start by choosing a recruitment partner who actually cares who they send.
