The job market for graduate teachers in schools
The annual report on teacher supply at the start of school year was released by the Ministry of Education this week. The report shows the past two years have seen fewer vacancies due to the constrained economic environment. However, the future prospects appear to be brighter. In the first weeks of school this year there were 30% more vacant positions than in 2012 in primary schools, and 10% more in secondary schools, with 33 of the 220 job vacancies in the Wellington area. From a school principal’s perspective the ideal number of teaching vacancies at the start of the year would be zero, with all teachers employed before the end of the previous school year. Two factors other than the economic situation which influence the opportunity for employment are the retirement or resignation of existing teachers and the size of the schooling population. With 10% of teachers aged over 60 years of age, and a mini baby boom since 2004 it is inevitable that there will be an increasing demand for teachers in the future. This data, along with principals reporting fewer applicants for vacancies at this time of year, indicates an increase in the opportunities for beginning teachers to secure employment in New Zealand schools as they graduate in the future.