The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) today criticised the Department of Education and Youth for its continuing failure to address the teacher recruitment and retention crisis. New findings of a survey carried out in 101 second level schools by the Principals and Deputy Principals’ Association (PDA) of the TUI show, in stark terms, the extent of the crisis.
Students lose out on a daily basis as a result of the failure to meaningfully address this issue.
The TUI is once again calling for action from the Minister and her Department to allow schools offer the full breadth of subjects and to ensure that qualified teachers stand in front of classes.
Jobs of full hours from initial appointment, better career options and a halving of the duration of the Professional Master in Education (PME) from two years to one have been identified by TUI as key measures required to tackle the crisis.
Key findings:
- 75% of schools advertised positions in the previous six months for which no teacher applied; About 60% have unfilled vacancies due to recruitment and retention difficulties; Almost one-in-five schools (19%) have been forced to drop subjects
- 89% of schools experienced teacher recruitment difficulties in the previous six months; 55% experienced teacher retention problems in the previous six months
- Just 6% think enough is being done at Government level to tackle the crisis, while over three quarters (76%) believe more could be done to remove barriers for Irish teachers who wish to return from abroad
Full findings at end of statement
Comments from TUI President, Anthony Quinn:
‘While these latest findings are of little surprise, the continuing inaction of the Department is absolutely startling. Now more than ever, an urgent will to tackle the root causes of this crisis must be demonstrated. It has long been our belief that our policy makers have been happy to ‘ride out’ the crisis until student demographics at second level change. However, this is an insult to the students currently in the system who are losing out in terms of subject options and inconsistency in terms of the teachers standing in front of them.’
‘We once again call for:
- Access to full-time jobs for new entrants (this remains the exception rather than the norm)
- More career progression options
- A halving of the duration of the two-year PME required to teach at second level
- Full incremental credit for teachers who wish to return from abroad and
- A reduction in the unsustainable workload that is driving many from the profession.’
Comments from PDA President, Michael Murphy:
‘We are finding that the retention of teachers already in the system is often now as big a challenge as actual recruitment. These highly qualified graduates are extremely employable in a range of areas across the economy.’
‘We need to ensure that the profession is a sustainable one for them from the start and that they have access to the option of enhanced career structures later in their careers such as additional middle management posts. These posts were cut during the last recession and have never been fully restored. This deficit has had a hugely negative impact on the workload of principals and deputy principals where we are seeing huge problems with burnout and, in an increasing number of cases, early retirements.’
Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Association (PDA) survey on teacher recruitment/retention crisis
101 schools responded – survey carried out online between November 2025 and January 2026.
Recruitment difficulties
Has your school experienced teacher recruitment difficulties over the last six months?
A large majority of schools (89%) reported teacher recruitment difficulties in the previous six months. Only 11% reported no difficulty.
Retention difficulties
Has your school experienced teacher retention difficulties over the last six months?
Over half of schools (55%) experienced teacher retention problems in the last six months.
Job offers declined after acceptance
Have you had a situation in the last six months where a teacher accepted a position in your school only to later reject it for a position in a school elsewhere?
Nearly two-thirds of schools (64%) had teachers accept a post and later reject it in favour of another school.
Teachers lost after timetabling
Did your school lose teachers subsequent to the setting of the year’s timetable?
Over half of schools (55%) lost teachers after the timetable had already been set, causing disruption for school leaders.
Subjects hardest to recruit/retain
The ten subjects most difficult to employ teachers in in ranked order were:
Irish
Maths
French
Guidance Counselling
Home Economics
Physical Education
Spanish
Engineering/Metalwork
Construction Studies/Woodwork
English
Subjects dropped entirely
Has your school been forced to drop any subjects due to the teacher recruitment and retention crisis?
Almost one in five schools (19%) have been forced to drop subjects altogether due to recruitment and retention problems.
Access to subjects restricted
Has your school been forced to restrict/limit student access to any subjects due to the teacher recruitment and retention crisis?
A majority of schools (51%) have limited or restricted student access to certain subjects because of staffing shortages.
No applicants for posts
In the past six months, has there been a situation where no teacher applied for an advertised teaching post in your school?
75% of schools had at least one advertised teaching post in the past six months that received no applications at all.
Use of PME students
In the past year, has your school used second-year PME students to alleviate teacher shortages?
An overwhelming 89% of schools have relied on second-year PME students to plug staffing gaps, underlining the level of pressure on the system.
Current unfilled vacancies
Does your school currently have unfilled vacancies due to recruitment and retention difficulties?
59% of schools had unfilled teaching posts due to recruitment and retention difficulties.
Primary causes of the crisis
Respondents ranked the main causes from a given list as follows:
More attractive employment options for graduates outside teaching (highest overall score)
Unavailability of full-hour contracts
Accommodation costs/availability near schools
Transport costs (lowest ranked, but still relevant)
Irish teachers abroad
Do you believe more could be done to address barriers that might be discouraging Irish teachers who live in other jurisdictions returning to teach in Ireland? (e.g. Addressing bureaucratic impediments/delays, recognising incremental credit)
Three-quarters of respondents (76%) believe more could be done to remove barriers for Irish teachers abroad who want to return, such as bureaucracy and recognition of service.
Registration delays
Has your school lost out on potential teachers because of bureaucratic delays in their registration with the employer?
Over one-third of schools (37%) have lost potential teachers due to delays in registration with the employer, while others were unsure.
Government response
Do you believe that enough is being done at Government/Department of Education and Youth level to tackle recruitment/retention issues in second level schools?
An overwhelming 84% of respondents believe not enough is being done by Government or the Department of Education and Youth to address the crisis.