Hugh Reilly: New teachers face a merry-go-round of short-term contracts

Published on Tuesday 8 September 2009 20:19

IN THAT cinema classic, On The Waterfront, unemployed longshoremen desperately line up outside the dock gates in the hope of securing a day's pay.

Mercifully, the nation's newly qualified teachers (NQTs) are spared the humiliation of moping around the school gate looking for gainful employment.

Instead, some of our brightest and best graduates have council human resources departments on speed dial, bombarding local authorities for supply work. With only one in seven NQTs in a permanent post, the only winner in this situation is the phone company.

The education minister, Fiona Hyslop, believes supply work will become available but, call me picky, praying for a swine flu pandemic or a plague of boils is not a policy.

She also thinks that, if not God, at least demographics are on her side. In a parliamentary debate, she pointed out almost 20 per cent of teachers are over 55 years of age, the inference being that the end is nigh for the shuffling legions of grey-haired chalkies.

My experience, admittedly anecdotal, is that ageing staff are remaining in the classroom longer than ever. It's an age concern that, of three colleagues who retired last session, the youngest was 60.

One can only speculate as to why dominies are doggedly staying the course. Loving the daily interaction with teenage scamps is a possibility, but one that is somewhat lacking in credibility. My best guess is that the poor sods need to build up capital reserves in the Bank of Mum and Dad to provide a deposit for a flat that will rid them of parasitic offspring.

In a week when injecting truth serum into Gordon Brown's brass neck would not have guaranteed a straight answer on matters Libyan, Labour's education spokes-person, Rhona Brankin, proved that being disingenuous was not the prerogative of her PM. Referring to the SNP minority government, she said: "In two years they have cut 1,000 teaching posts. That is unacceptable."

Okay, I am no political anorak but I was under the obviously mistaken impression teachers were employed by councils. Methinks the aim of Ms Brankin's blunderbuss is a tad awry. Fighting back faux tears, Ms Brankin continued: "It is heartbreaking for those young teachers and it's a gross loss to the education system."

Who can blame her for wistfully recalling the Golden Age of Scottish education – 2007, the final year of the Labour-led coalition – when, according to a survey conducted by the General Teaching Council, a mere 60 per cent of post-probationer teachers did not find permanent employment. Those were the days, my supply teacher friend.

In an inspired piece of thinking, the government has cut the number of teacher training places next year, but the nagging notion of stable doors and bolting horses comes to mind. The medium-term future for thousands of new teachers is, at best, a merry-go-round of temporary contracts in different authorities, or, worse, the demoralising routine of a Mayday morning phone call to personnel.

At least young NQTs have the option of a career change. I feel most sorry for those in their 40s who were encouraged to give up their current employment to embark in a new life as a teacher.

Saddled with debt, a mortgage and employment prospects on par with Annabel Goldie replacing Mel B as the face of Ultimo bras, many will be made bankrupt.

Somebody should be taking responsibility for the mess. We collect data such as birth certificates, therefore someone in power should be able to work out the number of school age kids in the education system and accordingly adjust the size of the teaching workforce. Sadly, the politics of the playground demand councillors, MSPs and teaching unions pass the buck.

In my view, the increased casualisation of the teaching "profession" is a national embarrassment. A Teaching Profession for the 21st century? You're having a laff!