The current situation around teaching employment is having a significant impact on me both personally and professionally. As I do not have a permanent contract, I feel unable to make important decisions about my future, including moving out and becoming financially independent, as I do not have the job security needed to plan for these things.
I am constantly living with the fear that my contract could be broken by the council and that I could potentially have to restart the two year process towards permanency all over again. The uncertainty and lack of security is having a real impact on my mental health and I genuinely feel that if I were placed back in this position again, I would reach a point where I would consider leaving teaching altogether.
I have spent years studying and training to become a teacher, only to find myself without the job security that I had expected after qualifying. While I completely support the proposed three year guarantee for newly qualified teachers, I believe that consideration also needs to be given to teachers who have already completed their probationary [year].
This is answer 128 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.