The ASTI supports the concept of increased flexibility in the recruitment of teachers in order to address the high level of casualisation in second-level teaching which has resulted in low working hours and low incomes for many recently qualified teachers and is exacerbating the issue of teacher shortages.
The ASTI will consider the proposals announced today in relation to the Teacher Sharing Scheme. However, this scheme will only have a minor impact on teacher shortages. Key issues impacting on teacher recruitment and retention include:
- Unequal pay for post 2010 entrants to teaching
- The cost of completing the two-year Professional Masters in Education (PME)
- The length of the teachers’ pay scale
- The need for a supplementary panel for substitute teachers at second level
- Conditions of work including class size, initiative overload, quality of resources and facilities in schools etc.
