‘Teachers must fit the spirit of the community’: challenges of Israeli rural school principals with teachers’ recruitment processes

The study examined the challenges, considerations, and practices of rural school principals with regard to teacher recruitment in Israeli. Based on 15 interviews with Israeli principals, the thematic analysis shows that the challenges consist of limited availability of teachers and costs of distance. The considerations comprise recruiting teachers who fit the school’s community in terms of ideology, attitude to achievement, and ability to integrate. The principals’ practices consist of using informal channels, building partnerships with other principals, and involving school staff in the recruitment process. The study illustrates principals’ work in the rural context as they cope with human resources’ challenges.