Teacher crisis forcing us to recruit abroad
SchoolS will have to recruit hundreds of foreign teachers to plug chronic shortages in maths and physics departments, a leaked Government memo suggests.
The Department for Education has launched a programme to attract teachers from abroad as schools struggle to recruit locally.
over the next year officials could advertise in other EU countries, as well as in china and Singapore – both of which are at the top of international league tables for maths and science.
Some schools are already looking overseas for staff, with two london academies recently recruiting 66 Jamaican teachers.
It comes amid a growing teacher shortage in maths and science, with the government failing to reach trainee recruitment targets last week. The problem is partly because of the recovering economy, which has meant specialists can earn more outside of teaching.
Yesterday teaching unions welcomed the latest move – but questioned whether it would offer a long-term solution.
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATl, said: ‘This is overdue recognition and acceptance by the Government that we have a teacher shortage.
‘But it is just a sticking plaster. Until the Government recognises that teachers’ pay is too low and the impact of constant Government- induced policy changes, and does something to improve working conditions, teachers will continue to haemorrhage from our schools.’
Details of the Government’s international recruitment programme emerged in an email written by a DfE official in July leaked to the Times Educational Supplement.
It states: ‘The department has recently embarked on an exploratory Stem [science, technology, engineering and maths] international recruitment programme.
‘The aim of the Stem interna- tional recruitment project is to boost direct recruitment of highquality mathematics and physics teachers coming from overseas.’
It adds that the DfE is ‘building relationships with target countries’, and talking to heads who are currently recruiting teachers internationally – and those who would like to.
The programme comes as part of a £ 67million package to attract 2,500 maths and physics teachers, many of whom it is hoped will come from the UK. It was first announced in December, but no mention was made of international recruitment. The email is addressed to Geoff Brown, head of teacher recruitment agency hourglass Education, who recently organised a recruitment trip to Jamaica that led to the hiring of 66 teachers by two london academies.
Mr Brown has previously said he fears Government suggestions of a future minimum salary threshold of £40,000 for such foreign teachers could stop schools in England from recruiting them.
When asked about head teachers’ increasing difficulty in filling vacancies earlier this summer, schools minister Nick Gibb said: ‘I don’t believe there is a crisis. There’s a challenge and we’re managing the challenge.’
Brian lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and college leaders, said: ‘I am pleased that the department is taking seriously the very significant difficulties that schools all over the country are reporting in recruitment. The challenge will be to ensure that whoever is appointed understands the English schools system.’
The DfE said it could not release the list of ‘target’ countries as this could change.
A spokesman added: ‘Schools have always been able to recruit teachers from overseas. outstanding maths and physics teachers are in demand across the globe and, where schools wish to recruit from overseas, we want to ensure they are able to do so from those countries whose education standards are as high as our own.’
‘Just a sticking
plaster’