Recruitment of and psychometric testing for teachers

The esteem of the profession may be to an extent compromised by the recruitment process.

If teachers are expected to possess certain skills or aptitudes, should not applicants for the job undergo psychometric testing? If we believe in the importance of these skills and the profession itself, why then do we fall so short of what is being done, i.e. psychometric testing etc., for other professions?

While the academic qualifications of the teacher should let us in on how suited an applicant is in terms of certain aptitudes, it does not tell us how well he/she responds under pressure, works in groups, or communicates. Nor can we equate paper qualifications with proficiency, such as in languages. We cannot discern his/her areas of interest. Although these aspects can be trained, an applicant is still and has to be offered the job on the basis of inherent qualities he/she possesses, or his/her teachability.

By offering the job to applicants with local qualifications who pass an interview, or to applicants with other qualifications who pass both the proficiency test and interview, are we saying that we do not have to assess further the proficiency of the first category of applicants since their former institutions of study are well accredited and accepted? Are we implying that the second category of applicants, who may be better qualified nonetheless, still need to be subject to scrutiny that borders on contempt for their academic achievement?

Double standards like these possibly contribute to complaints about the inadequacies of teachers, and the disdain that encounters any consideration of teaching as a serious profession. We would do well to improve the recruitment process, for the benefit of applicants, current teachers, students and the education sector. It will reduce the number of teachers leaving the profession.

After saying all this I kind of feel weird for not adding a disclaimer somewhere! I sometimes wonder to what extent am I entitled to my opinion without being criminalized. And I find myself often sounding self-righteous.

What's published is published, though it may be published on a personal blog that cannot and will not remain genuinely private. Forums on the other hand sometimes give the sense of safe anonymity - but I would not want to post on My Forum on certain issues.