Business

Top Features to Look for in an Education-Focused ATS

Julia

When it comes to recruiting top-tier talent in the education sector, traditional hiring methods often fall short. Whether it is finding the right teachers, administrative staff, or academic leaders, educational institutions need to keep up with the pace of modern recruitment. That is where an education-focused Applicant Tracking System (ATS) becomes essential. These specialised platforms streamline the recruitment process, offering tools designed specifically for the unique challenges of educational hiring.

Below, we explore the top features to look for in an education-focused ATS to ensure your school, university, or training centre is equipped to hire smarter, faster, and more effectively.

Education-Specific Job Templates and Workflows

An education-focused ATS should come with customisable job templates tailored for academic and non-academic roles. These templates make it easier to create job postings that include required qualifications, certifications, and compliance-related information.

Key benefits:

  1. Saves time by using pre-defined templates for common roles.
  2. Ensures consistent and professional job descriptions.
  3. Supports multi-step hiring workflows, from screening to interviews.

Compliance and Safeguarding Tools

Educational institutions and globally must adhere to strict compliance and safeguarding regulations. Your ATS should support these requirements with built-in tools.

Look for features such as:

  1. Right-to-work checks.
  2. DBS check integrations.
  3. GDPR compliance.
  4. Document verification and secure storage.

Integration with Education Job Boards and Portals

One of the best ways to attract qualified candidates is by meeting them where they are—on job boards and portals specific to the education sector.

Preferred integrations may include:

  1. TES (Times Educational Supplement).
  2. FE Jobs.
  3. Education-specific LinkedIn campaigns.
  4. UCAS or university recruitment platforms.

Interview Scheduling and Collaboration Tools

Hiring committees are a standard part of the education recruitment process. An ATS should support this collaboration by offering intuitive interview scheduling and shared evaluation tools.

Helpful functionalities:

  1. Calendar syncing and automated invites.
  2. Shared notes and scoring systems for panel interviews.
  3. Video interview options for remote hiring.

Candidate Relationship Management (CRM)

Keeping passive candidates engaged is crucial in competitive education hiring markets. CRM features help nurture potential hires and build a long-term talent pool.

CRM tools might include:

  1. Automated follow-up emails.
  2. Newsletters or job alerts for potential candidates.
  3. Tagging and talent segmentation options.

Data Reporting and Hiring Analytics

Educational organisations benefit from data-driven decisions. A quality ATS should provide real-time analytics and customisable dashboards.

Track metrics like:

  1. Time-to-hire.
  2. Cost-per-hire.
  3. Source of hire.
  4. Diversity in the applicant pool.

Onboarding and HR Integration

Seamless onboarding is especially critical when schools or universities onboard multiple staff at the beginning of the term. Look for ATS platforms that integrate with HR systems.

Valuable onboarding features:

  1. Digital document signing.
  2. Onboarding task management.
  3. New hire training modules or links to the internal LMS.

Conclusion

An education-focused ATS is not just a nice-to-have — it is essential for attracting, evaluating, and hiring top-tier academic and support talent. By selecting a platform that includes features tailored for the education sector, institutions can streamline recruitment, remain compliant, and provide a professional candidate experience.

Whether you are hiring for a primary school, sixth-form college, or higher education institution, these features will help ensure your recruitment processes are future-ready.