Spending Cuts Put Teaching Jobs at Risk

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Last week, it was announced that the number of new teachers finding work in Scotland had dropped by 9%, a figure Scottish union EIS calls “shocking”. Just 30% of new teachers find full or part-time work and spending cuts are unlikely to improve the situation.

Dingwall, Ross-Shire, June 25, 2010 (PressReleasePoint) -- Last week, it was announced that the number of new teachers finding work in Scotland had dropped by 9%, a figure Scottish union EIS calls “shocking”. Just 30% of new teachers find full or part-time work and spending cuts are unlikely to improve the situation.

The Scottish Government announced its decision to reduce the number of teachers being trained in order to reduce the surplus but this has been met with protest and as a direct result, 24 jobs are at risk at the faculty of education at Glasgow University.

Further jobs are at risk at higher education institutes due to spending cuts. The Scottish Herald reports that universities are facing 15% cuts over the next few years and that there are plans to cut 80 jobs at Glasgow University. The cuts are described as unnecessary due to the university’s predicted £6 million surplus for the financial year 2009-10 and lecturers have voted for industrial action if plans to axe jobs go ahead.
The national government has warned that cuts will be “painful” and has announced that it will reduce the deficit by £9 billion this year. Teachers in primary, secondary and higher institutes may encounter further difficulties when plans for how to cut the deficit are fully outlined.

However TEFL Scotland co-founder, Joe Hallwood , takes an optimistic view and states that: “We’ve been involved in training primary and secondary school teachers for a number of years now and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) has provided them with an excellent opportunity to gain classroom experience so they are more competitive in the job market in the UK.”

The TEFL industry has often been described as recession-proof and Joe Hallwood goes on to say: “We have seen an increase of 28% in the last year of interest from primary and secondary school teachers”, which is perhaps a result of the economic problems in the UK and a response to the steady demand for TEFL teachers around the world.

About TEFL Scotland:
TEFL Scotland Ltd is the foremost TEFL course provider in Scotland and also the most accredited in the UK. It was recently winner of HBWCs Most Enterprising Business of the Year award and has trained over 2,000 students in the last twelve months. All graduates are offered a recruitment service for paid teaching positions in several countries in Asia and Europe and are trained by a team with over 25 years teaching and training experience.
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