Why is there a shortage of teachers?

Question

I am going to university next year to study for a degree in Chemistry. Afterwards I hope to become a secondary school science teacher. This has alway been a career which has appealed to me and nows the time for me to make it reality.

However, whenever I tell people this, they say that jobs for science teachers in the UK are in abundance, so I wont have any trouble finding work.

I am just curious as to why? and also, is this the same in other countries such as Australia and Canada?

Answer 1

Its easy. The children are generally lazy and stupid. Secondly they are not interested in subjects like chemistry so rebel against it.

Answer 2

Prolly a various amount of factors. Is the pay good? Some people don't have as much of a tolerance for children as they think they might. Also, there can be a lot of rules and restrictions placed on a teacher to avoid lawsuits, angering parents, etc.

Answer 3

There is a shortage of all science and maths teachers in the UK and jobs are in abundance. After you have done your chemistry degree you will have to do a post grad course in teaching as this is now a requirement, unless you get a PhD then this is often waived. When you have your degree you might see better paid jobs about than teaching so I suggest you focus on the studying and see how things are in 3 years. Teaching is a good job if you are committed and not there for the money and the long holidays. Pupil respect as well as parents of pupils respect is at an all time low and the chances of getting a kid accusing you of something you have not done are on the increase. Think really hard. Meanwhile best of luck at university.

Answer 4

Because of the lack of respect teachers get from pupils.

Answer 5

there is a shortage of teachers because the pay they get isnt that great, and they feel as though it is too much work for the little salary they get. a lot of students dont even respext the teachers and drive them crazy, and it gives the teachers a lot of stress. so basically, it takes A LOT a time, money, and patience to be a teacher....which more and more people are running out of these days! ;-)

hope i helped a bit!

Answer 6

Underpaid, overworked and disrespected by pupils, parents and government alike.

Answer 7

people consider teacher as cheap job bcoz of leess income n students r not good nowdays people r interested in other job

Answer 8

Teachers are in short supply only in certain fields.  There is an ABUNDANCE of primary/elementary teachers.  There is a shortage of math and science teachers, probably because the people who have degrees in those fields can easily get other jobs that offer higher pay and a greater amount of professional respect.

Answer 9

1) Too much work for too little money

2) Lack of respect from pupils and their parents

3) Lack of respect from society (ie: "Those who can't do teach" and "Stop complaining, your job is easy! You get a whole summer off!)

4) Teacher burn out from being so many things to so many people

5) Lack of support from the faculty and staff

6) Long hours

7) Observations

8) Emotional stress from dealing with your student's issues

9) Having to spend your own money in your students because the school does not provide money for materials (I dropped about 1,000 this year on class decorations, pizza parties, pencils, composition notebooks, folders, a new pencil sharpener, dividers for the desks, etc)

Answer 10

I don't know if it's the same in the UK as it is in the US, but here are some of the problems with teacher retention in the US.  Many people go into teaching with an incorrect idea of what teaching is all about.  They believe the people who think teachers only work a few hours a day, get paid during the summer for not working, and retire with great benefits.  A tenth of all new teachers leave during the first year.  Half of all teachers are gone after 5 years.  You are faced with increasing demands in terms of student performance and paperwork.  You are faced with students who believe that their learning is not their problem or important to them.  You have parents and administrators who honestly believe that a student failing in your class is your fault even though you spend countless hours after school and before school to help students only to have those students not show up.  You have parents who pull their students out for family trips and try to excuse excessive absenteeism and tardiness.  You have members of the public who believe that all teachers are (or could be) as perverted as the last teacher they saw on the news.  They believe that you have no interest in the children sitting in front of you (when they will sit) and are only in it for the paycheck (which they see as exorbitant).  Lack of respect and support are tops on many lists.  Lack of family time because you have to grade papers, prepare lessons, collect (or buy with your own money) the materials you need for class, attend meetings, and hold help sessions.

If you're serious about going into teaching, you need to find a teacher who will be brutally honest about the challenges you will face.  Even then, they will miss some (as I certainly have).  Because, to really last in teaching, you need to look past all of that to the students in whose lives you actually make a difference.  They are why we teach.  And, they are why, in spite of all of the rest of the problems, we stay in teaching.  Others will fall by the wayside.  

And, that is why there is a shortage of teachers.  People in other professions come to try to teach, but they don't last.

Answer 11

In the USA it's because our schools are crowded and underfunded

Answer 12

The biggest reason is because the first of the "baby boomers" who became teachers are now retiring, and that's A LOT!!!  America is in need of special education, science, math, and English as a second language teachers!

Answer 13

financial problems. Teachers don't get paid a lot!!

Answer 14

it's not the topic,but teaching in general,everywhere.Lack of respect,for the teacher,and peers,having to play "policemen" instead of "teacher"Teaching at one time was  a respected    job.No longer.I wonder if part of your course is to either student teach,or observe classes in different neighborhoods.This is a problem all over the world.Parocial schools have less of a problem ,I think.Congrats and best wishes.

Answer 15

This is also shortage of teachers  in  USA

1. Kids are crazy and schools will not disclipline them

2. Kids are crazy and parents won't disclipline them

3. Teachers don't get paid near enough

4. Way too much paperwork

5. Hands tied because of following the NCLB law (in USA)

6. Can't teach anymore, can only spoon feed information into kids like robots so they can MEMORIZE, not LEARN, so the kids can pass the state tests so the school can GET MORE MONEY.

In other words, they have to cheat by giving the kids the answers on the tests.

7. Teachers also have to teach kids HOW to take the tests.