South Canterbury primary schools are full to the brim for next year but finding enough teachers to teach them is a different story.
For many of the region’s schools, 2019 is going to be a “bumper” year, with enrolments either nearing or at full capacity, principals say.
However, recruiting teachers to cover this influx or replace those who are leaving has been a greater challenge.
While St Joseph’s Timaru School only had to recruit one teacher, principal Carmel Brosnahan-Pye said “it wasn’t easy”. “It’s[recruiting teachers] definitely an increasing issue in South Canterbury,” Brosnahan-Pye said.
Beaconsfield School principal Hamish Brown echoed Brosnahan-Pye’s comments saying finding new teachers has “changed dramatically over the last couple of years”.
Despite this, most schools have been able to recruit the teachers they need, although Timaru Christian School is re-advertising one of its 2019 positions.
While principal Bethany Rentoul would not say why, as the process was ongoing, she did say that the school had “filled three other positions recently”.
“We have received fewer applications for positions overall, over the past few interview rounds, and there has been a big increase in the number of overseas teachers applying,” Rentoul said.