Why does no one want to be a college principal these days – even with salaries on offer of up to £200,000?
Who would be a college principal? Even though some elite posts offer salaries of more than £200,000, it seems the days when each job vacancy attracted 60 or 70 applicants are gone. Now, as the job becomes more complex – and government policies force principals to make more painful decisions – it seems people are just not so interested; fewer than 30 applicants is the norm for each post.
David Collins, chief executive of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) and former president of the Association of Colleges, has been on interview panels where the number of hopefuls was in single figures. "At one college, just six applied, only four of whom could be described as credible," he says. "Luckily, there was a strong internal candidate."
So what has changed? "It's a very demanding job – you're expected not only to be business-minded, but to cope with politics, locally and nationally," says Collins. That may explain why very few people under 40 are running colleges – "older people might have a slightly thicker skin".
According to AoC data gathered in October last year (the latest available), the typical salary for principals who have been in post at least a year is £110,000. The average across the board is around £112,000. Money does not seem to have been a factor in deterring applicants, a spokesman said.
Collins believes some potential candidates are put off by "problem colleges", while others shy away from "extremely good ones where they think the only way is down". "There hasn't been a great deal of targeted management training for people who are going to step up to the top. I think the key issue is providing that."
Mike Galloway, former principal at York College and now an associate at recruitment company Navigate, has helped to recruit four principals this year. The trawl for realistic contenders yielded about 30 in each case. He blames the increased level of public scrutiny, and, if things go wrong, the fear of a damaged reputation. "People are asking themselves 'is this what I want?' A lot who are happy to stay as a number two aren't prepared to be exposed."
Galloway also points to "micromanagement" within further education. "While colleges are ostensibly independent, their room for manoeuvre is limited. It's quite a balancing act."
Principals have to deal with local employers, agencies and variable funding streams. Collins believes suitable management training must be provided before people get to the top. Senior people in big colleges are often specialists who lack the overall experience for the principal's job. One route forward, he says, is LSIS's aspiring principals programme, which looks at the theory and practice of leadership and includes practical assignments.
Gary Williams, a former principal and current governor of Swansea Gower College, now works for the recruitment arm of Tribal. He, too, has noticed a significant reduction in applicants.
"At the moment you're looking at 10-20 per post. When colleges were under local authority control, you would have had anything from 80 -150 applications. Now it is difficult to find a decent shortlist. Some appointments in the sector frighten me – I don't think they're up to it.
Williams believes a shortage of managerial all-rounders can be traced back to the mid-1990s, when many colleges scrapped the role of deputy principal "without portfolio". In their place came vice principals with specific responsibilities of their own, meaning they have less time to share the admin and difficult decision-making.
He thinks depressed salaries at the bottom end of the pay scale reduce the likelihood of attracting new entrants with leadership qualities. Williams also wonders what future there may be for the aspiring principals programme. "The tab is picked up by colleges, but as we've seen significant cuts, how altruistic will they be?"
Peter Pendle, deputy general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), is another FE stalwart who's been involved in appointing principals "where quite often the number of top-quality candidates has been limited".
"There's a much smaller field. Ten or 15 years ago, you'd expect 30, 40 or 50, with a strong shortlist of eight or 10. Now you're looking at 15-20, of whom only five or six would be good. It's a problem.
"By and large, people who are appointed are good ... though on occasions there will be people who aren't quite ready and need support and development.
"Some get to a certain level and that's as far as they want to go. They don't want to have to make 120 people redundant or shut down adult education provision because of budgets being cut.
"We have had members get in touch who find the job horribly difficult to do. I've known some throw in the towel. Being a college principal now isn't the job it was 15 or 20 years ago."
Yet Angela Joyce, recently appointed principal of Peterborough Regional College and, at 35, one of the youngest ever, says she's braced for bumpy times ahead. Joyce, who began her career as a school teacher specialising in English and PE, came to Peterborough as vice principal three years ago from Moulton College. She was picked for the top job from two dozen applicants. "I've been lucky because I've been able to progress through the ranks," she says.
AoC figures gathered earlier this year, before Joyce's appointment, showed that only four were aged 40 or under. Was she surprised to be selected so young? "Yes and no," she says. She feels she has learned her trade through taking part in "strategic work" and experiencing the trial of Ofsted inspections.
As for potential pitfalls, Joyce seems to have her eyes open. "If something is successful that's great, but if it isn't you bear the consequences. You have to have the sense you are ready for it."
She acknowledges the inhibiting effects of micromanagement. "I know of very good senior colleagues who don't want to make the step [to principal] – they're quite happy being number two. Some of it has to be about the burden."
As for any prospect of having to make staff redundant, she says: "It isn't something I relish. But it's about making sure you have a total understanding of what you need to do and how to do it." For Joyce, that means working with staff representatives and making sure any bad news is broken "in a way that's palatable – people judge you on how you go about this".