We are being driven to emigrate, says graduate [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 April 2011
A YOUNG graduate claimed yesterday that newly qualified Irish teachers are being driven to emigration by an unfair 14pc pay reduction compared to their older colleagues and the increasing difficulty of securing a full-time job in Ireland.
Aoife Ni Mhaille -- a 24-year-old Irish language graduate from Leitrim -- received a standing ovation at the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) conference yesterday as she explained the brutal economic plight now facing young teachers.
"Teaching positions -- not to mention the very rare permanency -- are as hot as the Adele tickets for the Olympia last month," she said.
Struggle
"As graduate teachers struggle to become an active part of the school community through part-time work, it has become apparent that our best chance of finding full-time work is to find it abroad -- emigration is the new permanency. But emigration is not an option for me as an Irish teacher."
Ms Ni Mhaille -- who completed a masters at Trinity College -- now faces a desperate battle to secure a job.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
