Hope On The Horizon – Irish Teachers Targeted By UK Recrutiment Firm To Fill Jobs

Three months summer holidays a year, finishing work at 4pm and you don’t have to wear a suit! Teaching seems like the perfect job, doesn’t it...

For many out-of-work or newly qualified teachers, the job market in Ireland looks bleak and the possibility of a permanent job is up there with winning the Euro Millions every Friday night.

But there is hope on the horizon – if you’re prepared to relocate to the UK.

The Independent are reporting that British teaching recruitment specialists have been travelling to Ireland on a huge recruitment drive to try and lure Irish teachers into jobs in the UK.

Hourglass Recruitment was among was among more than 1,000 firms offering job prospects at a Jobs Expo in Croake Park at the weekend and revealed that the UK is seriously lacking in Science, Maths and English teachers.

For many Irish graduates, emigration is the only option 

Hourglass Education Recruitment director Geoff Brown said he was trying to find at least 100 maths teachers, and roughly the same number in physics and chemistry.

The recruitment firm has taken on 30 teachers since it began hiring in Ireland last year. He said pay for new entrants in Ireland starts at €27,814 a year.

The same newly qualified teacher in the UK would get £23,400 (€27,167).

And the bonuses don’t stop there. As temporary workers, Irish employees would be entitled to further benefits including an allowance covering accommodation worth roughly  £7,000 (€8,127).

"What we do is monitor the situation around the world and see where there are places where there might be more teachers than there are jobs," Brown said.

"The problem for Ireland is that as each year goes by, these people become de-skilled and more lacking in confidence. Two or three years down the line, when things change and jobs are in abundance, those teachers won't apply or won't be considered."

A total of 87,100 people emigrated in the 12 months to April last year, up from 80,600 the previous year.