Just a few years ago, secondary-school principals had no problem finding people willing to work. Now there is even a shortage of general-education teachers (in isolated cases). As Jacek Jurkiewicz, principal of the Construction School Complex in Bolesławiec, admits, the problem with vocational-subject teachers has always existed.
How is the “Construction School” coping? With retirees. Working teachers are given 1.5 full-time positions. There is still a shortage of specialists in construction, forestry, surveying and landscape architecture. A Polish-language teacher is urgently needed. Much about the current situation is revealed by the fact that teachers now commute to the Construction School Complex from Leśna and even… Żary.
Why is this happening?
One likely reason is money. Principals have little room for manoeuvre here because the rates are the same everywhere. And they are not particularly impressive: a trainee teacher will receive… PLN 2,900 gross to start with.
The result? IT specialists, mechatronics technicians and mechanics simply cannot afford to come and work at a school, even for a few hours, because they will earn much more during that time at their regular companies.
The situation is not bad for now, but there is certainly no reason for excessive optimism. It may improve following the “several-dozen-percent pay rises במסגרת a broad reform” for teachers announced for 2022 by Minister Przemysław Czarnek.
We will certainly return to this topic.