Teachers in Scotland are facing fight to land a job
NEW teachers are struggling to find work with vacancies 40 per cent down on last year, according to the latest Scottish Government figures.
The statistics were disclosed days after it was revealed that, earlier this year, 500 teachers applied for one job, and one local authority had 239 applications for every vacancy.
But the Scottish Government claims teacher unemployment in Scotland is the UK’s lowest – and is falling.
Yesterday’s report showed there were 372 teacher vacancies advertised at February 2009, down from 607 in 2008.
The figure is also “considerably lower” than previous years, according to a Scottish Government statistical report.
A third, 115, of the unfilled jobs had been vacant for more than three months, compared with 200 in 2008.
The number of vacancies was the same in primary and secondaries.
Latest General Teaching Council for Scotland figures, out earlier this month, showed 89 per cent of newly qualified teachers are employed in teaching, up 10 per cent since last Autumn.
Yesterday’s report said those figures should not be mistaken for the number of jobs actually available for new graduates.
Last week, Labour released figures obtained from North Lanarkshire Council, showing there were 500 applications for one primary post advertised earlier this year, and the average number of applications for a teaching job in the authority was 239.
Labour’s Rhona Brankin said: “The General Teaching Council for Scotland survey showed around a third of teachers qualifying have found a full-time, permanent position.
“No wonder there are hundreds of applicants when a vacancy does arise. These damning statistics show just how bleak things are for teachers.”
However, Schools Minister Keith Brown said: “Scotland consistently has the lowest rate of teacher unemployment in the UK.
“Competition for jobs in any career is not unusual.”
