Anonymous survey answerSurvey Nº 176

I’ve already spent 7 years of my life training and preparing for the role, yet I am still delaying major life decisions, experiencing financial insecurities and having my mental health impacted by the lack of job opportunities.

Seven years of training and still delaying life decisions

Published 5 October 2026 · 1 min read

Employment situation: Temporary post
Sector: Primary

If I’d known how hard seeking full time, permanent employment was going to be, I might have reconsidered my options. I’ve already spent 7 years of my life training and preparing for the role, yet I am still delaying major life decisions, experiencing financial insecurities and having my mental health impacted by the lack of job opportunities.

This is answer 176 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.

Every answer in the report (PDF) Survey results

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