Teachers choose the job because they WANT to do it. Schools are underfunded and professionals are required to support the system. We need teachers permanently in schools to build up positive relationships with staff, parents, children and the wider community. Temporary contracts and supply work does not support this at all.
This is answer 34 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.