'The profession is in trouble' says teacher

Schools in Cork are struggling to recruit teachers ahead of the new term in September.

Data from the Association of Secondary Teachers (ASTI) earlier this year revealed that 81 per cent of secondary school principals had to resort to employing unqualified teachers due to the shortage of qualified applicants.

Principals in the county are blaming factors including pay, the housing crisis and an unmanageable workload.

Aaron Wolfe, principal of Coláiste Éamann Rís in the southside of the city believes that teaching has lost its appeal for graduates.

“Teaching is no longer attractive and graduates are going to make a lot more money in the private sector than in the public sector as a teacher,” he told the Cork Independent. “I think the profession is in trouble and while we are attracting good graduates, many others are coaxed into the private sector.”

According to Mr Wolfe, the pay for teachers often falls significantly below a livable wage, making it unsustainable to support themselves. “When you start as a teacher, that’s based on a 22 hour contract in the classroom. But the contract is based on the needs of the school, if the school needs just 10 hours of maths then they are only on a 10 hour contract.

“So if the starting salary is €40,000 but you are only on an 10 hour contract, in reality your starting salary is €20,000. It’s impossible to live on,” he said.

He said that for many young teachers they will find more promising opportunities in their profession abroad. “You can go off to Dubai and teach for two years and you get a tax-free lump sum. You can go to Australia where you can be paid up to 3,000 dollars a week to be a teacher. Just like doctors and nursing, it’s much more attractive to leave the country.”

Mr Wolfe also pinpointed the current housing crisis as a significant issue for young teachers, noting that many have to live with their parents and endure lengthy commutes, which he referred to as a "complete mess".

Another challenge that teachers are grappling with is the overwhelming amount of work on their plates. “There’s a burden on teachers, it’s a tense job with an unmanageable workload,” he said.

“Teenagers are harder to teach today than there were 20 or 30 years ago. Teachers become councillors and social workers. Young people aren’t as resilient as they were, and a teacher is dealing with so many emotional issues in a class. They are burning out because the demands of the profession are far greater than they were,” he said.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has said that second-level teachers must be provided with full-time, permanent jobs when they start employment in order to tackle the teacher recruitment and retention crisis.

TUI General Secretary Michael Gillespie said that the Department of Education must implement real and effective measures if it is serious about tackling the crisis.

“A survey of over 1,300 of our members carried out earlier this year found that of those appointed in recent years, only 31% received a full-time job upon initial appointment. Just 13% were offered a permanent position upon initial appointment, while it took a third of respondents more than three years to secure a contract of full hours receiving full pay,” he said.

Molly, a newly qualified primary school teacher says that many of her friends would consider leaving the teaching profession in the future. “I know some of my friends are interested in leaving the conventional teacher role and pursuing a career in art or play therapy for children instead,” she said.

She also says that the housing crisis and pay conditions make it difficult for graduates to live in cities. “The shortage of teachers in cities is due to the cost of living and not being accommodated. In corporate jobs, they get a higher wage if they’re living in the city. And if you’re subbing, as a young teacher and only being newly out of college, the profession does not guarantee a fixed income,” she added.