Hundreds of retired teachers set to plug gaps as schools struggle to find qualified staff
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2024/08/21/hundreds-of-retired-teachers-set-to-plug-gaps-as-schools-struggle-to-find-qualified-staff/
Posted by That_Technician_439
9 Comments
Wasn’t it the case, a few years ago, we had too many teachers?
Right, we have a shortage of;
– prison spaces
– hospital beds
– houses
– student accommodation
– Doctors/Nurses/Healthcare staff
– Hotels
– Crèches
– Teachers
– Garda
Am I missing anything?
Thank God we now have no shortage of toilet rolls at least.
Paywalled link, headline is very much bait. OP work for INM or some other group?
Is this “shortage” not due to teachers taking undefined indefinite leave therefore the school isn’t able to offer the place up to someone else?
Pretty sure teacher in my local school has gone got a job for another company and is working in a non teacher role but in the AGM, her name still pops up as being on leave for the given year.
Can’t read the article because paywalled
There’s part of the issue it seems, we’re knocking out 5000 teachers per year at least boosting the total number by 3000 each year and yes many will got to Dubai or the UK, they’re still a lot left.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41214457.html
This seems part of the issue.
“The majority of the more than 1,100 unfilled posts advertised on Education Posts were fixed-term positions, usually lasting just one school year.”
Retired teachers are likely more interested in these part time roles.
Could have been +1 if the registration procedure wasn’t so antiquated. I was trained in the UK, 15 years experience both over there and international. The procedure was such a joke that I ended up working elsewhere. Apparently teachers have been suggesting changes to this process for years. It’s not like I came up in the back end of who-knows-where. Should have been a simple verification of qualifications and welcome to the workforce…nope. Took absolutely ages and even at the end, there were some extra requirements that I had to fulfill within a couple of years. It was ridiculous.
The shortage of secondary teachers would be way less if they were offered full hour permanent contracts.
Take the the hiring of teachers away from schools, and hire on a area basis.
When I worked in the UK there was a staff member with 15 hours per week (supposed to be 22 or so).
Instead of being relegated to a 3/4 timetable, she was given a full proper contract and the 7 hours used for cover, which was not always used. The next year she was on a full normal timetable.
We have a lot of teachers on 3/4 or less timetables… who then move abroad and are not in a rush to return.
All the qualified teachers I know left and went overseas as they could only get short term
Relief/supply contracts
More teachers are on career breaks than ever before, as schools continue to battle acute shortages.
Figures from the Department of Education show a total of 3,153 teachers have taken career breaks in the current school year, the highest number in a decade.
The number on a career break is up from 2,738 pre-pandemic in 2019/20, representing a rise now of more than 400 teachers or a 15% jump in staff leaving their roles for at least a year or more.
Hmmmm