Schools and educational institutions hoping to attract the best talent this quarter should look at offering professional development opportunities as well as attractive salary packages, according to recruiting experts Hays.

The latest Hays Quarterly Report predicts strong hiring activity in the education sector over January to March with a range of roles in demand from educators to digital marketers and online education specialists to publishers.

“On the candidate side, our research shows the career expectations of those working in the education sector are growing at the same fast pace as the sector itself,” says Simon Lance, Managing Director of Hays China.

“Our recent candidate survey revealed 70 percent of the candidates surveyed are at the mid-to- senior stage of their career and looking for new challenges that lead to continued career progression,” Simon added.

Schools and educational institutions looking to attract the best talent should heed the message to look beyond just offering competitive salary and benefit packages, but to also create attractive professional development opportunities to help them stand out from the competition.

See: Top 10 Talent Trends in China for 2017

The latest Hays Quarterly Report reveals private education employers will be hiring talent for roles in publishing, training and online education over January to March, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

We are also seeing more expansion occurring amongst K-12 education providers with more established schools offering attractive remuneration packages including expatriate packages. Schools are particularly interested in hiring educators and other professionals with experience in leading diversity programs such as STEM and extra-curricular activities.

“China’s education sector is growing in sophistication, including how educational institutions promote their schools or teaching establishment to the market,” says Simon.

“As a result we are seeing an increasing number of educational organisations investing more in developing digital marketing strategies. This is creating demand for candidates with experience driving online marketing campaigns and managing social media accounts.”

Meanwhile, more publishing houses specialising in education and training are setting up in China. Roles coming to the market this quarter include: licensing, acquisition, account management and marketing roles. Successful candidates will be expected to work on key titles for launch, not just in China but across Asia.

Also read: Most Desirable Benefits by Employees in China in 2017