It’s been a couple of months since we published our post on the impact of COVID-19. People were worried about job security, some were re-evaluating their jobs and careers and a declining graduate jobs market meant that students and recent graduates in particular were uncertain about the future.
But has anything changed? What is the mood of the public like now? As lockdown begins to ease what do our audiences expect from us and how should our messaging reflect their needs?
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Audiences
The latest research reveals that only 5% of people think brands should stop advertising (down from 22% in May). However, advertising behaviour continues to be scrutinised more closely than ever before. 42% of people want the messages they see to be informative, rather than feel like they’re being sold to, and organisations pushing practical advice, or being seen to be helpful, are still looked on more favourably by the public.
A Prospects survey of 1,202 final-year university students revealed that 26.1% have now lost their work placement or internship due to COVID-19 (up from 21% in May) and 28.2% have had their job offer for after graduation deferred or cancelled. 64% now feel negatively about their job prospects (up from 26% in May).
83% would like employers to offer more information about how recruitment is changing, advice on homeworking, how training will be affected for those who still have positions to go to and which sectors are still hiring. And web searches around terms such as ‘what careers are secure?’ and ‘what sectors are still hiring?’ are up among 18–29 year-olds.
Perceptions of teaching
The Teaching monthly perceptions tracking survey continues to reveal an uplift in the percentage of the general population that view teaching as a high-status career and think that the image of teaching is improving.
Whilst there has been a small decrease in the likelihood of recommending teaching as a career, other high-status careers such as IT, Engineering, Law, and Accountancy have fared even worse.
Students
Amongst students however, consideration has improved, largely driven by first and second years. Students also remain largely motivated by the difference that a career in teaching can make to young people’s lives and encouragingly, teaching is being seen less as a fall-back option.
Career changers
For career changers, changing lives remains the key reason for becoming a teacher. However, security factors are increasing in importance, reflecting the current climate.
Job security, future security in the form of a good pension, and the security a good salary can provide have all increased in importance for career changers. Whilst teaching is not necessarily representing this for them at the moment, this does provide an opportunity for teaching to position itself as a career choice that offers this.
Recommendations
The recommendations we shared in our last blog post remain relevant. Our audiences still want to hear from us, and we must continue to support those who wish to explore a career in teaching during the COVID-19 period.
Use messaging that highlights the value of teaching and the stability and security that a career in teaching can bring.
Informative messaging is particularly crucial at the moment. Highlight the support you can offer to candidates and be clear about any changes to your recruitment process and how your training courses may be affected by the current situation.
A declining graduate jobs market, coupled with the fact that the status of teaching amongst students is higher than ever before, means that students and recent graduates still represent an even greater opportunity than usual. Messaging that targets this group specifically is essential.
People are worried about job security and may even be re-evaluating their careers. Messaging which positions teaching as a career that offers future security, as well as the chance to make a difference to young people’s lives, will resonate well with career changers.
For more guidance on messaging, content ideas and advice on marketing your courses during the COVID-19 period, watch our recent webinar on the impact of COVID-19.
