Huge drop in EU teachers coming to Scotland
The number of teachers from European countries who are applying to come to Scotland has fallen “off a cliff ”, new figures show.
The General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) said only 14 requests for registration had been made in the first six months of 2018 from applicants hailing from European Union (EU) countries and Switzerland.
That compares to 128 applications in 2015, 159 in 2016 and 186 last year. GTCS chief executive Ken Muir attributed the decline to the decision to leave the EU.
Brexit is to blame for the number of teachers from European Union countries applying to come to Scotland falling “off a cliff ”, it was claimed yesterday.
New figures revealed by the General Teaching Council of Scotland show that only 14 requests for registration had been made in the first six months of this year from applicants from the EU and Switzerland. This compares with 128 applications in 2015, 159 in 2016 and 186 last year.
GTCS chief executive Ken Muir attributed the decline to the decision to leave the EU.
In an interview with Holyrood magazine, Mr Muir said: “Having maintained numbers pretty high from the EU, they are falling off a cliff, and that’s absolutely down to Brexit.
“Particularly from three countries in the EU, Greece, Poland and Spain, we get a good number of applicants, followed by the Republic of Ireland … those four are our big hitters, and those numbers have dwindled to next to nothing.”
The overall number of applicants from outside Scotland has also fallen, with only 126 in the first half of 2018, compared with 614 registrants in 2016 and 598 last year.
Mr Muir added: “It’s always been the case that immigration rules, tier two status and all the rest of it have had a role to play in that, but I think that, together with Brexit, means folk are asking, ‘Is it really worthwhile to come and teach in Scotland?’”
The recruitment of teachers in Scotland has been a matter of long-standing concern, as has the impact of the UK leaving the EU on the Scottish labour market.
Last month research conducted by Edinburgh and Glasgow universities suggested Scotland will lose out on EU workers as a result of the ending of freedom of movement and the potential for tighter immigration rules. Particularly hard hit are likely to be the agriculture, care, construction and hospitality sectors.
Last night Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the figures reinforced the SNP’S argument for the devolution of migration powers.
He said: “Already highly-skilled and hard-working EU citizens are thinking twice about choosing to live and teach in Scotland which will not only have a negative impact on the education workforce but our economy and society as a whole. Once again this underlines the clear case for the Scottish Government, accountable to the Scottish Parliament, to set the rules for a migration system tailored to meet the country’s needs.”
Scottish Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: “These are deeply worrying figures.
“The number of teachers in Scotland’s schools has already plummeted under this SNP government, with thousands leaving the profession as class sizes soar and wages continue to fall in real terms.
“A collapse in the number of applications from abroad as a result of the Tories’ shambolic handling of Brexit will only make this SNP teacher recruitment crisis worse.
“The Tories must urgently fix the mess they are making of Brexit – but the SNP must also urgently improve teachers’ pay and conditions to ensure more people are attracted to the profession.”
A UK government spokeswoman said: “We deeply value the contribution of all EU citizens working in the UK’S education systems, they are vital to the future of our children.
“After we leave the EU, we will have in place an immigration system which works in the best interests of the whole of the UK, including Scotland.
“Freedom of movement will end and we be will creating an immigration system that delivers control over who comes to the UK, but that welcomes the brightest and best who want to work hard and contribute.”