Why Purpose Over Pay is Key to School Support Recruitment

Comment by NICK ORDE-POWLETT, Managing Director at TIB Services

“Money is not my motivation.” This is a phrase we hear increasingly often, and for schools struggling with tight budgets, it might just be the most important sentence in recruitment today.t?

We all know the pressure school leaders are under. Finding reliable, skilled support staff, particularly caretakers and site managers is becoming harder by the day. If the conversation starts and ends with pay, schools will often lose. However, recent research from TIB Services suggests that schools have a different, more powerful card to play: purpose.

In a recent survey of nearly 200 school support staff aged 50 and over, we found a striking disconnect between what employers think candidates want and what this demographic actually values. While financial necessity is often assumed to be the driver for employment, our data shows that for the over50s, it is rarely the main priority.

In fact, only 33% of respondents cited financial reasons as a primary motivation for working. While pay certainly still has a part to play and fair remuneration is always a baseline expectation, it is clearly no longer the sole driver. By contrast, 90% were driven by a desire to stay mentally active, 88% wanted to stay physically active, and 73% were looking for a meaningful way to use their skills.

This reflects the changing mindset of the modern over-50s workforce; professionals who have left their primary careers not to put their feet up, but to find a new challenge that offers structure, community, and a sense of worth.

For schools, this is a game-changer. It means that when you are recruiting for a site manager or caretaker, you aren’t just looking for someone to open the gates. You are offering an opportunity for a former engineer to apply their technical problem-solving skills in a community setting, or for a military veteran to bring their discipline and calm leadership to a busy school site.

One of our candidates, a former engineer named David, put it best: “I have a new freedom… The caretaker role is ‘basic DIY’ standard, but as an engineer, it allows me to practice and hone my practical skills associated with running a school.”

These individuals bring more than just technical ability; they bring life experience. They offer a calm, practical mindset that is invaluable in a school environment. They are less likely to view the role as a stop-gap and more likely to see it as a contribution to the community.

So, what does this mean for school leaders? It means schools need to change the way they advertise and talk about these roles. If your job advert focuses solely on the list of duties and the hourly rate, you are missing the mark for this demographic.

Instead, recruitment should highlight the impact of the role. Talk about the value of the work, the integration into the school community, and the opportunity to stay active and engaged. As the digital community Rest Less noted in response to our findings, midlife is a time of transition where flexibility and purpose become paramount.

By pivoting the conversation from “pay” to “purpose,” schools can tap into a rich, underutilised group of talent. The over-50s workforce is not just a solution to a role; it is an opportunity to bring stability, resilience, and genuine care into the heart of the school.