Finding supply work is incredibly hard despite being an individual who is willing to travel. I have bills and a mortgage and I’ve had to put off having children and seek benefits to continue working in this industry. I’ve had to pursue additional jobs just to cover the cost of my bills every month.
Mobility within the central belt and beyond is also difficult. Despite being from North Lanarkshire and selecting this as my first choice, I was placed in my fifth choice and was unable to change this. Ever since, I have had to travel almost 700 miles a week just to get to work. I even relocated for 2-3 years to pursue teaching which had a negative effect on my mental wellbeing and social life.
I have never been able to gain work in the council I am currently living in and pay taxes in as they only open to “internal” applicants. This has been incredibly demoralising and affected my interpersonal relationships, financial stability and mental health.
This is answer 14 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.