Teachers' Preferences for Proximity and the Implications for Staffing Schools: Evidence from Peru

This paper uses the 2015 Peruvian national teacher selection process to explore candidates' rank-ordered preferences for public schools. We show that, in seeking a permanent position, candidates prefer schools that are closer to where they attended their Teacher Education Program and that are located in urban areas. These preferences vary by candidates' attributes: urban location seems to be particularly important for women and higher-performing candidates. Preferences for proximity to previous workplace are weaker for younger candidates and stronger for high performers. Candidates also prefer larger schools located in low-poverty districts, with one teacher per classroom (versus non-single-teacher/multigrade), Spanish language instruction (versus non-bilingual), and access to basic services. A greater understanding of which school characteristics are most valued by teachers can help to design effective policies for attracting candidates to hard-to-staff schools.