As the summer holidays near their conclusion, many teachers will be starting to looking ahead to the start of the new school year.
But there will be some who are stuck in limbo – those who have failed to secure a permanent teaching contract and now face being on the supply list or out of work altogether.
Each year hundreds of newly qualified teachers (NQT) across Scotland find themselves in this position. But why is it so hard for them to find permanent employment and why is the number of positions declining?
“No idea what I will be doing after the holidays”
One Dundee teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, explained how they and their family face the prospect of relying on foodbanks to get by after they failed to secure a permanent contract for next year.
They said: “I’m sat here at home with no idea what I will be doing after the holidays.
“I’m looking at any job that comes up now, regardless of pay. I’ve applied for BT, Social Security Scotland – literally anything.
“It’s soul destroying. I’ve given all my energy into (teaching) and now I’m left with nothing. We are looking at (using) foodbanks and applying for benefits.”
“Inundated with excess staff”
The teacher said the blame lay with authorities who encourage people into the profession with the promise of guaranteed employment, despite the reality being much different.
“I don’t know how this has been allowed to happen year after year”, the teacher said.
“They are still trying to push through as many people as they can, telling people that there are loads of jobs. But we know that’s not the case. They are actually being inundated with excess staff.
“They are using newly qualified teachers to fill schools because they are on a considerably lower salary.”
Number of permanent contracts declining
Figures compiled by Scottish Liberal Democrats show that the number of newly qualified teachers being offered a permanent contract has declined in each of the past five years.
In the 2016/17 school year, 58% of new primary school teachers in Scotland were offered a permanent contract. By 2020/21, this had declined to just 23%.
See table below for Tayside and Fife figures:
The figures also show that during the 2020/21 school year, more than half of newly qualified teachers were employed on a temporary contract in Angus, Dundee and Fife.
Perth and Kinross was the only local authority in Tayside that employed more NQTs on permanent contracts than temporary ones.
What do the authorities say?
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “The council works hard to provide opportunities for newly qualified teachers.
“The number of permanent and temporary posts available in Dundee will vary from year to year, as it will in all councils.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “While local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their staff, we have taken action to support councils to recruit permanent teachers.
“Over the course of the pandemic we have provided £240 million of additional investment, over two financial years, for the recruitment of additional education staff.
“This has supported the recruitment of additional staff and there are now over 2,000 more teachers in Scotland’s schools than before the start of the pandemic in 2019.
“Last August we announced that further additional permanent funding equating to £145.5 million per annum will be baselined in to the local government settlement from April 2022.
“This will ensure sustained employment of additional teachers, while meeting local needs and benefitting Scotland’s children and young people.”
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