The Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol: its impacts and implications for the global teaching profession

ABSTRACT This article discusses the development and implementation of the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol, which was adopted in September 2004. Following a review of the contextual issues of international teacher migration, the challenges of teacher recruitment are discussed. Key features of the Protocol are highlighted and discussed with regard to the current task of implementation. A comparison is made between recruitment before and after the adoption of the Protocol, focusing on the United Kingdom. In conclusion, the article highlights challenges and opportunities for Protocol implementation and areas for further research. The Context of Teacher Recruitment, Migration, Loss and Gain The global teaching profession is in a scramble to find teachers to staff classrooms and carry out the business of education. Rich industrialised countries, including the USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom, continue to recruit teachers from poorer, less-developed countries despite the highlighted risks to teaching and learning when large amounts of teachers leave – usually the best, most qualified and experienced teachers. Conversely, some teachers in developing countries have voluntarily and forcibly migrated to industrialised countries, and in several cases not returned. T