Teacher case study: 'I got snapped up in England straight away'

KEVIN Morris, 26, came to Scotland from the south of England as a student at the University of Stirling and soon came to think of this country as his new home.

"I loved Scotland and I wanted to stay here," he says. But, against his hopes, he has now had to return south because he simply cannot find the job he so longs for.

The biology graduate qualified as a secondary school teacher in 2009. He immediately began looking for a full-time job, ideally in Edinburgh. However, only one came up, in Musselburgh, and he failed to land it.

Quite soon, he realised that, despite wanting to work in Edinburgh, he couldn't afford to be so selective. He has now resorted to taking a temporary post covering maternity leave at a school in Herefordshire.

He said last night: "I am now back down south and, to be honest, I might have to change my plans about getting a job in Scotland because I just don't see it coming.

"I applied for jobs up there and didn't get anywhere. Then I went for one job in England and I got snapped up straight away because science teachers are so much in demand. Working in Scotland just doesn't seem viable any more."