Scotland’s schools have record numbers of teachers, yet hundreds of newly qualified staff cannot find permanent jobs and many are leaving the country altogether.
A BBC Scotland investigation has exposed a devastating crisis: only one in four new teachers secured a full-time permanent post last year, with primary teachers hit hardest. Some have waited almost a decade on supply lists, while others, like Louise Fraser, have moved to Dubai for the security they cannot find at home.
Shocking Official Figures Lay Bare the Scale of the Problem
Scottish Government data for 2024/25 shows exactly how bad things have become.
Of the 2,294 teachers who completed their probation year:
- Just 568 (25%) landed permanent contracts
- 1,015 took temporary or fixed-term posts
- 711 ended up on supply lists or left teaching completely
Primary teachers suffered the most. Only 11-12% of new primary teachers got a permanent job in their first year after probation. That means almost nine out of ten are stuck in temporary roles or not working in schools at all.
The numbers are the worst on record and come despite repeated government promises to fix teacher recruitment and workload.
Louise’s Story: From Ayrshire Graduate to Dubai Classroom
Louise Fraser, 24, graduated with dreams of teaching in her local Scottish primary school.
After her probation year in 2022, permanent jobs simply did not exist.
She told BBC Radio Scotland: “I didn’t move to Dubai for the lifestyle. I moved because I needed job security.”
Now engaged and desperate to return home to her family, Louise is terrified.
“I’m having to save as much money as possible because I’m scared about coming back to this dire job crisis,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll still be able to be a teacher when I come home.”
Thousands of young teachers share her fear. Many have already packed their bags for the Middle East, Australia, or England where permanent contracts are easier to find.
Nine Years on Supply: “It Nearly Cost Me My Life”
One modern studies teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, has been on the supply list for nine-and-a-half years.
He has been told twice that he got the job, only to receive an email days later saying the council gave the post to a cheaper probationer instead.
The financial and mental toll has been brutal.
“I racked up £50,000 in debt,” he said. “Last year I tried to take my own life. I’m lucky I have a partner who helped me through it, but I never thought the job I love would push me to that point.”
His story is extreme, but far from unique. Supply teachers across Scotland describe constant anxiety, unpaid school holidays, and no sick pay or maternity rights.
Why Is This Happening When Schools Say They Are Short-Staffed?
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth admitted the problem is partly down to teachers’ pay rises.
Better salaries have made permanent contracts more expensive for cash-strapped councils, she told MSPs. Councils therefore keep posts temporary or fill them with probationers whose first year is fully funded by the Scottish Government.
Council budgets have been squeezed for years. Many local authorities now face multi-million pound cuts, making headteachers scared to commit to permanent staff.
The SNP’s 2021 manifesto promised 3,500 extra teachers and a cut in class contact time to 21 hours a week. Five years later, neither target is close to being met.
Teacher numbers are at a record high overall, but the distribution is wrong: too many experienced teachers in some areas, not enough permanent posts for new ones in others, especially primary.
What Happens Next?
Teaching unions say urgent action is needed before another generation of talent is lost forever.
The EIS union has called for ring-fenced funding to guarantee permanent contracts for probationers who want them.
Ministers insist they are making progress on overall teacher numbers and point to the recent pay deal that made Scottish teachers the best paid in the UK.
But for Louise Fraser in Dubai, the anonymous modern studies teacher still waiting after nearly ten years, and the hundreds of new graduates facing the same uncertainty this year, promises ring hollow.
Scotland trained these teachers. Scotland needs these teachers. Yet Scotland is pushing them away.
How many more have to leave the country, or give up the career they trained for, before the system is fixed?
Tell us your experience in the comments below. If you are a teacher affected by this crisis, share your story. Use #ScotTeacherCrisis if you post on social media; the conversation is growing louder every day.
