National Schools:  With the chronic shortage of teachers, it's not surprising that an Irish education recruitment website is clocking up 7,000 hits a month. What is surprising is that the website provides a free service to primary school principals with vacancies. Anne Byrne reports.

The website is also free to teachers, who can register with the site, select their desired job by location and job type. They are then alerted, by e-mail, when a suitable vacancy arises.

This service is particularly useful to teachers who are working abroad and thinking of returning home.

The website, www.educationposts.com, is sponsored by the Irish Primary Principals' Network.

Sean Cottrell, of the IPPN, says: "aside from the shortage of teachers, the current system of recruitment is archaic.

"Education, in Ireland, has never been served by web-based recruitment companies because schools are not in a position to pay a finder's fee, which is usually in the region of 10 per cent of a year's salary," he says.

School principals are offered 14 days' free advertising on the IPPN website and any school vacancies, including secretarial or support staff, can be posted.

The inspiration for the site came to Cottrell two years ago when he was "desperately trying to find a teacher in Australia" to notify her of a vacancy that had arisen and which he thought may be of interest to her.

The main challenges now faced by the IPPN are finding the money to finance the site, which costs about €1,270 a month, and persuading principals to use the new technology.

Cottrell says he is considering extending the service to include second-level schools.