Crisis is another reason to delay rushed pace of Senior Cycle redevelopment – TUI
The teacher recruitment and retention crisis in Irish second level schools is worsening, according to the findings of a new survey carried out in 111 schools by the Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Association of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI).
The TUI is calling for urgent action from the new Minister to ensure that schools can continue to put qualified teachers in front of classes and that students have access to the full breadth of subjects. Secure jobs of full hours and career progression opportunities are essential measures required to tackle the crisis.
The Union has said that the current crisis is another valid reason to delay the rushed pace of implementation of Senior Cycle redevelopment, which risks undermining both educational standards and fairness for Leaving Certificate students. The implementation timeframe was accelerated by the previous Minister for Education.
The survey of principals and deputy principals in 111 second level schools was carried out between September and November and represents a strong sample of the sector’s approximately 730 schools.
Key findings include:
- 75% of schools advertised positions in the previous six months for which no teacher applied; 64% have unfilled vacancies due to recruitment and retention difficulties; 20% have been forced to drop subjects
- 93% of schools experienced teacher recruitment difficulties in the previous six months; 58% of schools experienced teacher retention difficulties in the previous six months
- Just 3% believe that enough is being done at Government level to tackle the crisis; 84% believe more could be done to tackle bureaucratic/incremental credit barriers preventing Irish teachers living in other jurisdictions from returning home
(Full findings at end of statement)
Commenting on the findings, TUI President David Waters said:
‘‘We welcome Minister Helen McEntee to her new role and look forward to meeting with her. In terms of key issues, it is clear that the recruitment and retention crisis has not been treated in any way seriously up to now by Government, who have been happy to ‘ride it out’ until demographics change.’
‘Let’s be clear about this – it is students who lose out most as a result of the recruitment and retention crisis, with less access in many schools to the full breadth of subjects across the curriculum. In this latest survey, 20% of respondents state that they have been forced to drop subjects.’
‘In addition, the unavailability of teachers across a range of subject areas is another valid reason to delay the pace of implementation of Senior Cycle redevelopment, which risks undermining both educational standards and fairness for Leaving Certificate students if rushed through. In November, 30,000 second level teachers protested over this issue. This followed the previous minister choosing to accelerate the implementation of the redevelopment by two years from the previously announced timeframe.’
‘Schools have displayed remarkable innovation in papering over the cracks, but principals have felt increasingly abandoned by Government on this issue. Failed sticking plasters measures frustrate principals rather than in any way alleviating the crisis.’
‘Clearly, the impact of the accommodation emergency is exacerbating the problem, particularly in situations where teachers have contracts of less than full hours.’
‘As a starting point, new entrants to the profession must have a job of full hours. Also, posts of responsibility must be restored to pre-cutback levels. These provide pastoral support to students, administrative support to overburdened principals and the critical career progression opportunities that greatly help to retain teachers in the profession. Furthermore, Irish teachers working in jurisdictions such as Australia and Dubai must be awarded full incremental credit for their service abroad if they are to choose to return home.’
Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Association President Michael Murphy said:
‘We hope that the new Minister notes the finding of this survey which shows that just 3% of respondents believe enough has been done at Government level to tackle this crisis. From now on, this must be a key priority if education standards are to be maintained and if students are to have access to their choice of subjects.’
‘The worsening crisis has created significant levels of additional work for already overtasked principals in schools. 60% of respondents report losing teachers subsequent to the setting of the year’s timetable, while 68% report situations where teachers accept a position only to later reject it. These trends result in a logistical nightmare for principals. Schools need larger teaching allocations that would allow them to offer more attractive positions of full hours rather than just fractions of jobs.’
‘Teacher retention is now as big a challenge as teacher recruitment. These highly qualified graduates, who are hugely attractive to employers in other areas, must be offered enhanced career structures through more middle management opportunities. This would also greatly assist principals and deputy principals who are struggling with burnout from an ever-expanding list of duties.’
Key findings
Online survey of principals and deputy principals in 111 second level schools was carried out between 16th September and 4th November 2024 and represents a strong sample of the sector’s approximately 730 schools.
Has your school experienced teacher recruitment difficulties over the last six months?
93% stated that they have experienced teacher recruitment difficulties
Has your school experienced teacher retention difficulties over the last six months?
58% stated that they have experienced teacher retention difficulties
Have you had a situation in the last six months where a teacher accepted a position only to later reject it for a position elsewhere?
68% stated that this situation had arisen for them
Has your school lost teachers subsequent to the setting of the year’s timetable?
60% stated that they had lost teachers subsequent to the setting of the year’s timetable, 40% stated that they had not
If your school has experienced recruitment/retention difficulties, please specify the subject area(s). Subjects should be rated '1' for the most difficult to employ a teacher in, '2' for the second most difficult to employ a teacher in etc. Fill in as many subjects as are relevant to your situation.
The ten subjects most difficult to employ teachers in in ranked order were:
1. Maths
2. Irish
3. French
4. Construction Studies/Woodwork
5. Engineering/Metalwork
6. English
7. Biology
8. Home Economics
9. Chemistry
10. Art
Has your school been forced to drop any subjects due to the teacher recruitment and retention crisis?
20% stated ‘Yes’, that they were forced to drop subjects. 80% stated ‘No’, that they weren’t forced to drop subjects
Has your school been forced to restrict/limit student access to any subjects due to the teacher recruitment and retention crisis?
43% stated ‘Yes’, 57% stated ‘No’.
In the past six months, has there been a situation where no teacher applied for an advertised teaching post in your school?
75% stated ‘Yes’, that they have had a situation where no teacher applied for an advertised post
In the past year, has your school used second-year PME students to alleviate teacher shortages?
79% said that they had used second-year PME students to alleviate teacher shortages
Does your school currently have unfilled vacancies due to recruitment and retention difficulties?
64% responded ‘Yes’, that they have unfilled vacancies due to recruitment and retention difficulties
From a list, respondents ranked the following as the most significant causes of teacher recruitment and retention difficulties:
1. More attractive options for new graduates in other employments
2. The unavailability of full hours upon appointment
3. Accommodation costs/availability in the vicinity of the school
Transport costs
Is the cut-off point at the end of October for the employment of teachers on a permanent or fixed-term basis a further factor that contributes to recruitment and retention problems?
36% of respondents said 'Yes’, 29% of respondents said ‘No’ and 35% said that they didn’t know.
Do you believe that enough is being done at Government/Department of Education level to tackle recruitment/retention issues in second level schools?
89% answered ‘No’. 3% said they believed enough was being done, 8% said they did not know.
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)
84% answered ‘Yes’, that they believed more could be done to address these issues.
Has your school lost out on potential teachers because of bureaucratic delays in their registration with the employer?
48% said ‘Yes’, 39% said ‘No’ and 14% said that they didn’t know