Teachers are warning would-be recruits against the profession because of spiralling workload, a survey has found.
Nine out of 10 respondents to the EIS study say they have been lumbered with extra work in the past year.
The country’s largest teachers’ union said declining staff numbers and increased demands from those who remain over assessment has led to intolerable workloads.
In the face of major recruitment challenges across Tayside and Fife, fewer than half of those surveyed said they would recommend teaching as a career.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “These findings should issue a stark warning to local authorities and the Scottish Government that more action is needed to reduce workload.”
Scottish Labour’s Iain Gray said: “It is time John Swinney and the SNP listened to the EIS and got back to the day job.”
Education Secretary John Swinney said the Scottish Government is “absolutely committed to freeing up teachers to do what they do best – teach”.
“We have already acted to reduce teachers’ workload.
“As agreed with the EIS and others, we are removing mandatory unit assessments for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications.
“We have also issued a definitive statement that clearly sets out, for all teachers, what they should and should not be asked to do and reviewed demands placed on schools by local authorities in relation to Curriculum for Excellence.”
Earlier, Mr Swinney was warned by the Scottish Greens’ Ross Greer on the prospect of teachers going on strike over the public sector pay freeze.
On pay, Mr Swinney blamed constraint in Scotland on UK Government austerity.
He accepted it was “difficult to support” the pay freeze, which the SNP have pledged to end.