Aberdeen teachers get £5,000 in recruitment drive

A RADICAL move by Aberdeen City Councillors to spend up to £260,000 on extra incentive payments to recruit teachers for “hard to fill posts” in the city’s schools has led to a flood of applications for the jobs, it was revealed today.

A radical recruitment drive by Aberdeen City Council has seen a spike in teachers applying for jobs in the city. Picture: Ian Rutherford

• Aberdeen City Council will give £5,000 to new teachers who take up “hard to fill” posts in the city’s schools

• Up to £260,000 to be spent by council as 85 apply for 52 posts, compared to zero applications for previous recruitment drives

Last month councillors approved plans to offer individual payments of £5,000 to candidates to fill up to 52 posts at primaries and secondaries across the city to help candidates from other parts of the UK to move to the booming oil capital of Europe

And the City Council announced today that, when its latest recruitment drive closed last Friday, a total of 85 applications had been received for the 52 teaching posts - compared to zero applications on previous recruitment drives.

Councillor Jenny Laing, the char of the council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee, said: “We are very pleased with the increased level of interest for all our posts. There have been times in the past when we have advertised teaching posts and received no applications so we are delighted 85 applicants have submitted forms this time round.

“Education is our number one priority and we are committed to using all means possible to ensure our schools are properly staffed with quality teachers.”

A city council spokeswoman explained: “In order to try and attract the best quality of candidates the council approved funds when it met last month to offer retentive incentive payments which will be paid in two instalments. It was hoped that this would not only attract candidates but also help retain staff as the second instalment will only be payable on completion of three years’ service.

“The council then advertised in England, Wales and Ireland as well as the usual channels in the Scottish education community. The vacant secondary teaching posts include physics, business education, chemistry and transition teachers. Primary teachers are also being sought.“

She added: “Staff will now work their way through each application as quickly as possible and will interview those candidates that meet the criteria. Following successful interviews preferred candidates will then go through the relevant statutory checks.”