Teachers, religion and staffing crisis

Sir, – Once again the shortage of teachers, particularly at primary level, has hit the headlines (“Thousands of children left with unqualified teachers amid staffing ‘crisis’”, News, October 21st). As an outsider looking at teaching as a career, some key terms of employment seem to me make the job unattractive to those choosing a career.

In Ireland, there is a near-monopoly in primary school teacher employment. If you want to teach, it will almost certainly be in a Catholic school. There, you will find lots of teachers who and parents who would prefer a non-denominational school, but who have had no practical choice in the matter. Your attitude toward religion, even outside school hours, may be a significant factor in your career progression.

On the other hand, if you choose, say, engineering, there are a host of employers out there and your career progression will depend on your technical competence and business skills. You will work with colleagues who are there by choice. You will decide on the extent to which your religious or ethical beliefs impact on your employment. The lack of a diversity of employers, and the requirement to support religious or ethical beliefs which you do not share, are almost unique to primary school teaching to Ireland.

Why would any young person choose a career with these restrictions? For the long school holidays? For the pension? Hardly. But if you really want to teach, you can qualify in Ireland, then teach abroad and see the world – as thousands of our young teachers do. Maybe, one day, conditions of employment for teachers in Ireland will catch up, and you will come back. – Yours, etc,