The lack of jobs really put a strain on me. We moved to Scotland from England, I’m a very experienced teacher with middle management experience. We moved to be closer to my family so we could start a family.
I put those plans on hold because I didn’t have a permanent job. This meant I am now pregnant later in life than I wanted to be and could mean I won’t have the option to have a second child.
It also put a strain on my relationship and in my finances which we are finally rebuilding. Had I known how hard it would be to get a job, I maybe wouldn’t have made the move...
This is answer 189 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.