Primary school teachers in Scotland

[Mmmmdanone]

Didn't know whether to put this in staffroom or here, but as it's about the Scottish system here it is!
My dd wants to be a primary school teacher and will be applying to uni for next year.
I have a friend whose daughter did her nqt year last year and has struggled to find a permanent position. I was just wondering if this was was common situation all over Scotland or if my friend's dd has just been unlucky so far?
My dd has been looking at primary teacher jobs on line and can't find many at all. It has her worried that she may not be able to get a job after the NQT year.
Any teacher out there able to comment? Thank you.

It's been very common in Edinburgh due to the fact they had 70 odd nursery teachers to redeploy after taking them out.

My Dd is heading into 4th year and is nervous now. Our probationer at work still hasn't found a job and most likely will need to do supply. My friend has struggled too. I noticed someone asking on Twitter about finding a job after passing probation and there were a lot of newly qualified teachers in the same boat.

Last year Edinburgh took most on as Covid recovery teachers and they were trying to match some up to jobs for this year. It's not been like this in the 15 years I've worked for The council.

It’s funny because it’s very cyclical in teaching. My year came out and we mostly got jobs, two years later, people had to go on the long term supply route.

If she really wants to teach, I wouldn’t let this put her off. This has been a bad year but overall there will always be positions available.

There seem to be so so many babies being born this year and last too! All these pandemic babies will need teachers in 5 years’ time.

It has been on the news that there are more than 3000 teacher looking for work in Scotland and very few jobs

Scotland has had a steadily falling birth rate for last 12 yrs
2020 was the lowest on record

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57651135

Thanks all. V helpful.

A recent graduate teacher friend in the position of not being able to find a position here in the NE, however she’s doing Covid recovery work. Seems like there is perhaps a slight over supply at present, hope it rights itself.

To be honest the situation is pretty dire. There are lots of people caught in cycles of temporary contracts without reaching permanency. There’s a Facebook group called ‘Scottish Teachers Working Together for Fair Employment’. It makes pretty bleak reading.

www.tes.com/news/august-intake-probationer-teachers-jobs-schools-set-top-3500

there's definitely an issue at the moment... part of the problem I think is the funding cycle which sees money targeted each year but that means that there aren't then permanent jobs because there's no guarantee the money will be available the following year. as someone else says, hopefully this is just a blip and things will settle down but if one of the reasons for going into teaching is job security then definitely worth considering how many teachers are being forced into supply/temp contracts at the moment.

My dp is in her 4th year of teaching - she has never had a permanent job - 1 year nqt and then three mat cover posts.
This year our LA had 60 nqt's to give a job to so people in their 2/3/4th years teaching aren't really getting a chance to get a permanent position. It's really hard to get jobs. Our local school had over 90 applicants for a job recently.

Is pretty depressing! Wish my dd would think about doing something else, but teaching is all she has ever wanted to do (despite most teachers she has spoken to trying to put her off!)
Thanks all for taking the time to reply.

I think she’ll have to be prepared to relocate to where there is a shortage.

In London, jobs are very easy to come by if you are good. The wage with weighting is enough to live in a nice house share, or 2 bed with another friend depending on area. There won’t be enough for insane luxuries but I did it as an NQT with treats and meals out once a week.

If she was prepared to do her NQT and a couple of years somewhere else, she’d find it much easier to return home and get a job there. She’ll be low enough down the pay scale to be ‘cheap’ but have good experience in these teacher shortage cities.

I agree, teach in London, where many job adverts attract no applicants at all

I would be wary of teaching in England before teaching in Scotland, she might be told she has to do her probation year again or at least go back down to the starting salary.

The job situation isn't great currently, but as people mentioned it is cyclical. When I was first qualified in 2010 it was very hard to get a permanent job. In 2016/17 it was relatively easy if you weren't too choosy about schools. Then 2020 we're back to a real shortage. Presuming your daughter is going to uni at undergraduate level - consider a degree in a subject that interests her then have the option of the PGDE after graduation. That will give her more career options but still can be a teacher easily. She can do work experience in a school during her undergraduate (providing covid regs lift) to get a sense for if its definitely what she wants to do, maybe experience in industry too.

After the degree or PGDE, she'd be guaranteed a year's teaching as a probationer. After that she might be lucky and get a permanent job or might have to do some supply or maternity covers for a bit first. Depends what the job market will be like in 4/5 years.

Not sure the qualification will be recognised in England without a conversion course. It's the same up here.