How a smarter media strategy delivered 425% more teacher hires – at 62% lower cost per placement.
The Challenge
In a competitive education market, CER, part of Affinity Workforce, was facing a familiar recruitment dilemma:
- High cost per placement
- Low teacher delivery
- A lack of visibility on what was working
With Q4 performance falling short and key roles going unfilled, the team knew their current media setup wasn’t cutting it and peak hiring season was just around the corner.
The Strategy
Working closely with CER, we built a business case that recommended:
- Shifting focus to core teacher roles
- Moving to a structured, data-led approach
This plan was rolled out in Q1 (April–June 2025), with clear benchmarks in place.
The Results
Placements Up, Cost Per Hire Down
- Total placements increased from 415 to 565 (+36%)
- Overall spend rose from £13,088 to £19,779 – a 51% increase, but with dramatically improved output
Teacher Hiring Transformed
- Teacher placements jumped from 8 to 42 – a 425% uplift
- Cost per teacher placement fell by 62%, from £1,081 to £409
- Estimated ROI:
- 7.65x (Long-Term Roles)
- 6.29x (Short-Term Roles)
- 7.0x (Mixed Scenario)
“Artfully has implemented ROI trackers and budget calculators to ensure we’re accurately measuring return on investment and making the most of our budgets. As a result, we’ve seen a notable reduction in our CPA.” – Hannah West, Head of Marketing, Affinity Workforce
Beyond Teachers
Even with reduced investment in other sectors:
- Non-teacher placements dipped slightly (from 201 to 177)
- But cost per placement still improved by 33%, down to just £14.61
This showed the overall model was working.
Why It Worked
✔️ Clear priorities
✔️ Performance-driven budget decisions
✔️ Smarter media buying
✔️ Real-time tracking and optimisation
This wasn’t just a good quarter – it was validation of a new, better way to hire.
What’s Next
🚀 Reassess and scale teacher investment using £409 CPA as the new benchmark
📍 Drill into location-level performance to unlock further gains
💡 Add sourcing support to reduce application reliance
📊 Roll out this strategic approach to other group brands
Final Thought
CER’s success proves what’s possible when recruitment advertising is treated like a strategy – not just spend. With the right plan, even the hardest hiring challenges can be turned into performance stories.
Want to see what this could look like for your team?
Let’s talk.
