Discrimination in the recruitment process at private schools in Türkiye

This study examines the discriminatory practices that teachers encounter during the recruitment processes of private schools in Türkiye and explores how these practices affect them. The research adopted a qualitative case study design, analyzing 648 teacher recruitment advertisements posted on two leading online career platforms in Türkiye between March and April of 2022 through content analysis. Furthermore, a series of interviews were conducted with 18 teachers who had participated in at least one job interview at a private school. The findings indicate that some recruitment advertisements contained ambiguous or potentially exclusionary wording, including references to appearance, diction, and flexible working hours. The interview data further revealed that teachers perceived discrimination during the recruitment process based on factors such as age, gender, marital status, appearance, political views, lifestyle, and favoritism. These experiences frequently elicited emotions such as anger, disappointment, and helplessness. However, the majority of teachers reported adopting a passive response. The findings indicate that merit is occasionally overlooked in recruitment procedures, which has the potential to erode teachers’ professional motivation and adversely affect the overall school climate. The study’s findings indicate that human resources procedures in private schools should undergo a restructuring process, with the objective of aligning these procedures with the principles of justice, equality, and ethics.