I have been qualified as a teacher for almost 7 years. In that time I have worked in a long term temporary post in various schools across Stirling Council, often working in classes that have proved too much for the class teacher to deal with.
I have demonstrated I am not just on the supply list to supplement my income, but because I want to secure long term, permanent employment. I have submitted countless applications and attended the same amount of interviews, but if I am honest the more interviews I do, the worse I get at them because my stress levels are so great it causes me great mental anxiety.
I am at the point where I think it would be better to give up and do something else. It’s kind of heartbreaking that I have spent so much time giving everything of myself to the job, but have so little to show for it.
This is answer 99 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.