From Italy to Sweden, from France to Germany, from Portugal to Finland, teacher shortages are a European disaster. Many countries are facing great difficulties in recruiting teachers to replace the thousands who have retired, left the profession or are on leave. The aging of the class, which is felt all over Europe, is accelerating the erosion, not helping the “professional crisis” that seems to affect teaching.
Explanations for the phenomenon vary and differ from one system to another. In some cases, salaries will be low, in others, more difficult classes, difficulties in career advancement or even professional stress and pressure from parents. In the end, a little bit of all of this will be what keeps young people out of the profession. “All of these factors make the profession more complex and stressful and therefore less attractive to young people, especially when they see that working conditions and levels of independence are not keeping up with the degree of professionalism required to meet all of society’s expectations,” summarizes Karen Tremblay, an analyst in the OECD Policy Department responsible for years at Akbar International Study of Teachers (Talis).
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