In South Lanarkshire, some of us are “lucky” to have permanent posts which they call Area Cover; other councils have similar arrangements. This means we do have a guaranteed income and permanency but otherwise it is a raw deal and is making the staffing situation worse and worse.
We are now often being used for general short term supply instead of covering longer absences in our subjects. Anyone wanting part time basically has no chance as any gaps are “plugged” with area cover or NQTs. Our careers are at a dead end.
The overall solution to permanency NEEDS to look at these loopholes that councils are finding. If not, teachers’ financial security might improve but their careers are still at a dead end and the staffing situation and consistency for the pupils does not change.
This is answer 122 of the 269 written answers that teachers let us quote anonymously in the Scottish Teacher Employment Survey 2026. It answers the survey’s last question: what do the people who make decisions about teacher employment need to know?
We have corrected spelling, added paragraph breaks and removed details that could identify anyone. Words in square brackets are ours.