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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Teacher recruitment crisis or not?!

88 replies

rollonthesummer · 27/12/2015 11:53

link

I am sick of reading articles like this where independent studies have shown teaching is heading for a massive recruitment crisis, only for the last sentence of the article to be 'but a spokesman from the DFE says there has never been a better time to be a teacher. Recruitment is at an all time high'

They can't both be right?! Which is it?
I think the spokesperson should be named and evidence provided!

OP posts:
WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 28/12/2015 15:48

I read an article online about this today, think it was in the Independent.

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 28/12/2015 15:52

here

They need to look at why staff are leaving. Same as the nhs where nut erases, drs and midwives are leaving in droves. They can train new, keen people.....but most leave within a few years.

noblegiraffe · 28/12/2015 19:59

I don't understand the latest news articles about the teacher recruitment crisis. They talk about how not enough teachers have been recruited for DT and computing and so on, but make no mention of the traditional shortage areas of maths and physics. As far as I know schools are in dire straits when it comes to hiring maths teachers and many are hiring from abroad - why is this not in the news? The government says it's meeting its recruitment targets - have they set their targets woefully low? I can't see the country being awash with maths teachers any time soon Confused

BelindaBagwash · 28/12/2015 20:12

I'm in primary in Scotland and we have dire shortages in supply staff. We recently had a teacher off for around 6 weeks and we couldn't get anyone for more than a couple of days. We had to cover it by the DHT and ASN teachers which meant that our SN pupils didn't get the help they need.

IguanaTail · 28/12/2015 23:07

Yes recruitment is a huge problem, especially maths, physics, chemistry. But retention in my opinion is far far more concerning because really good teachers are leaving mid way through their careers because of workload and poor conditions.

ArmchairTraveller · 28/12/2015 23:15

'Also, over the last few years the staffroom was filling up with 20 somethings doing teaching as a starter job. Decent holidays, looks good on a mortgage application, get out by 30...'

I've noticed this a lot too. Or out by 25. It's a useful travel ticket, accepted in many countries.

MidniteScribbler · 28/12/2015 23:45

From today's Sydney Morning Herald

Gwenhwyfar · 28/12/2015 23:53

I have a degree in French and Spanish, apparently shortage subjects. The problem is that I'm not sure I could really do it and can't commit to a year of PGCE to find out. Also, can't afford the PGCE even with the grants available and quite frankly don't want to be studying with 22 year olds. I would be interested if I could do a 'taster' and then, if it suited me and I was OK at it, train on the job.

IguanaTail · 28/12/2015 23:54

Yes - GTP.

Or at an independent school some are quite happy for you to have no teacher training.

IguanaTail · 28/12/2015 23:57

You can't really do a "taster" - the school would have to pay about £60 for a DBS check and that would have to come through etc. You would have to commit.

Kitla · 29/12/2015 00:01

In my experience / area recruitment is quite dire. Just a couple of examples:

I know someone who had to advertise three times to get someone they could employ.

My work colleague received a phone call from a job he had applied to 10 years previously, offering him a job. I'm guessing they had trouble recruiting too.

PreAdvent13610 · 29/12/2015 00:04

WhoTheFuckIsSimon have you considered teaching Health and social at a FE College?

Gwenhwyfar · 29/12/2015 00:06

"You can't really do a "taster""

Yes, I know that really. I also know that even being a student teacher doesn't give the whole experience, whether you would be able to control a class etc. Just thinking that if there were a genuine shortage, the government would have to do something to make it possible for older people to become teachers. You can't expect people over 30 to be able to drop everything to do a PGCE without any certainty that it's right for them.

TeaFathers · 29/12/2015 00:07

as far as i'm aware, there is a recruitment crisis and the reason for this crisis lies with OFSTED.

Gwenhwyfar · 29/12/2015 00:08

I know someone who teaches at a private school and she thinks it wouldn't be possible for her to move to the public sector, that no state school head would employ her because they believe private school teachers can't do discipline or can't cope in the state sector.

MrsUltra · 29/12/2015 07:15

I would be interested if I could do a 'taster'
You can. I know someone last year who offered to do an afternoon a week giving extra Spanish to A level pupils. It gets you into the school where you an talk to teachers, hear staffroom gossip etc and see things 'under the bonnet'
You will probably then decide not to do a PGCE.
The DBS is a red herring. Cost the school nothing for volunteers and now done online and comes through in less than a week ( I do DBS for volunteers - nothing like as cumbersome or lengthy as the old paper CRB)

MrsUltra · 29/12/2015 07:20

I know someone who teaches at a private school and she thinks it wouldn't be possible for her to move to the public sector, that no state school head would employ her because they believe private school teachers can't do discipline or can't cope in the state sector.
Hmm Really?? What an odd misconception.
(and why does she want to move to the state sector anyway [hmm?)
In many state schools for many subjects they will take anyone with a pulse, and people move between the sectors with no problem.
I did a couple of weeks supply recently at a top state school doing maths (not my speciality, an recently trained, not yet done NQT.)
Before Xmas had a call from them asking I would consider doing my NQT with them - in Maths.
Errr, no - have no intention of doing NQT, even in my own (entirely different) subject.

SisterViktorine · 29/12/2015 08:59

It is true that a school with a significant recruitment problem will take a chance on a candidate so, if you are the right subject in the right area, moving between sectors is unlikely to be difficult at the moment.

However, it is also true that if you have only ever taught in a small, sheltered Independent with gentle classes of max 15 pupils and little in the way of monitoring and being held to account you may well be eaten alive in a fortnight in a tough state school.

BoneyBackJefferson · 29/12/2015 09:58

They talk about how not enough teachers have been recruited for DT and computing and so on, but make no mention of the traditional shortage areas of maths and physics.

I suspect its because DT and computing are the "fun" subjects, what is often over looked is that DT fluxes in and out of teacher recruitment shortages as various governments have tried to drive it out of schools or reduce its importance (for want of a better word).

Computing is the governments new baby and they are pushing for it to happen, unfortunately it suffers from the same issues as IT did in that anyone that has worked in the industry only stays for the minimum amount of time as they get paid more for less stress (not hours worked).

BoneyBackJefferson · 29/12/2015 09:59

that is all IMHO

Gwenhwyfar · 29/12/2015 10:44

" extra Spanish to A level pupils."

That's not really the same as having to control a class. A level students are usually small groups and keen, or they were in my day.

Gwenhwyfar · 29/12/2015 10:46

"(and why does she want to move to the state sector anyway [hmm?)"

She just wants to move from where she is now and there aren't that many private schools around.

Schwabischeweihnachtskanne · 29/12/2015 11:12

Gwenhwyfar you can do Schools Direct (which I think replaced the Graduate Teacher Programme). I did GTP way back when it was quite new - it was a baptism of fire back then (don't know if it still is) and certainly an introduction to real teaching (I was in a secondary school in a deprived area of London which had just come out of special measures, and was given my own classes from day 1, though a light timetable. I was left to sink or swim most of the time and didn't get any real training beyond copies of the syllabus and a kind of "briefing" until a couple of weeks in... Hmm Pretty sure it wasn't supposed to work like that though!)

Can't actually say I recommend it (I passed the GTP and my NQT year without problems but still left teaching a few years later, mainly due to the working environment, by which I don't mean the kids but the attitude of senior management to ordinary teachers). However it is a way in on a living wage - just about. At least you don't incur debt that way.

IguanaTail · 29/12/2015 11:26

Classroom management is a massive thing, to be fair. It takes years of experience and also building up relationships to get tough classes eating out your hand.

Scarydinosaurs · 29/12/2015 11:26

What shocks me is the complete lack of willingness in schools to try and retain their existing staff. From speaking to colleagues in a range of different schools, SLT who were previously positive, encouraging and appreciative, all seem to be out to 'get rid' of expensive teachers and replace with NQTs. And then those NQTs leave! We lost 12 last year. 12! It's just crazy.