Wasted money training Scottish teachers

According to the Scottish Labour party, more than £60m has been squandered on training teachers in Scotland who are still looking for work. Only one in seven qualified teachers has actually found work after being trained, and the party says that the cost of teacher training programmes is a waste of taxpayer's money. All in all, the total cost for teacher training adds up to almost £85m.

An anonymous teacher who did not wish to be named told us: "I know people who've had to quit teaching because they can't support themselves. They might get some work off and on but it's not enough for people who've got young families. It just seems an absolute waste after four years on a course. The issue isn't just about new teachers not getting work. It's about those who qualified last year and the years before. There are far more of us than people realise."

A government spokesperson retaliated: "We wouldn't expect every probationer to have a job at the start of the school term as vacancies arise throughout the year. This is reflected through the regular GTCS (General Teaching Council of Scotland) surveys, with the last survey from April showing 89% of post-probationer teachers employed in a teaching role. That represents an 89% return on our £60 million investment. Recruitment does pick up with the re-opening of schools, as local authorities make adjustments to their staffing requirements. This was evident in August last year when there was a sharp rise in vacancies, with around 300 posts advertised in TESS (Times Educational Supplement Scotland)."