Problems remain for newly-qualified teachers
Dundee City Council has one of the best records in Scotland this summer for employing its probationer teachers — but it has still been able to find permanent posts for less than two-fifths of them.
- By Grant Smith, education reporter
- Published in the Courier : 24.08.10
- Published online : 24.08.10 @ 03.53pm
Every new teacher has to complete a one-year probationary period before becoming fully qualified.
Across the country, more than 3100 people trained at local authority schools during the 2009/10 term. A survey has found that only 9% of them have been given permanent jobs by the council they worked for and an even smaller proportion have found posts with other authorities.
However, the Dundee figures are somewhat more encouraging.
Education director Jim Collins supplied the data in reply to a query by Labour MSP Marlyn Glen and explained there had been 64 probationers in city schools last term — 29 in primary and 35 in secondary.
Permanent posts were offered to 15 of the primary teachers and nine of those in secondary — and at 37% of the total, that's more than four times the national average.
Another two of the probationers were offered temporary contracts and a further 12 are on the supply list, which means they can be asked to fill in for absent staff. That leaves another 28 newly-qualified teachers without work in the city, but the survey has indicated a substantial number may have found jobs elsewhere.
Ms Glen said, "Unless more permanent jobs are found for newly-qualified teachers, there is a real risk that their talents and skills will be lost to teaching for good. Careers cannot be built on temporary contracts and short-term work from supply lists.
"In addition, taxpayers rightly expect the £22,500 cost estimated to train a teacher to provide a dividend of more teachers in our schools."
The small number of probationers being offered permanent jobs this term has alarmed teaching unions, with the EIS warning that too many young teachers have been left facing an uncertain future.
However, Education Secretary Mike Russell has pointed out that vacancies will arise during the year to allow more to find work. He also said fewer probationers were entering the system this summer.
One of the factors affecting probationers this year has been a drop in the number of older teachers retiring. However, Dundee had an early retirement scheme that attracted dozens of applicants, freeing up jobs for newly-qualified replacements.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Liz (perspicacious.org)
Add a comment