Hungary – School is starting soon, but where are the teachers?!

The teacher shortage has become a serious problem all across the country. Some schools are looking for IT, English, German, Mathematics, or History teachers, while others lack professors of Physics, Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Science, Drawing, clarinet, flute, or physical education. And all this just one week before school starts.

“If you meet a developmental teacher, please bring him/her with you” – the principal of an elite Budapest high school was joking according to a hvg reader, by which he certainly described that teacher shortage is a serious problem in their case as well. Furthermore, other schools are in an even more critical situation.

The Hungarian news portal, hvg.hu, checked the major job posting forum where the following results were found:

• 21st August – 941 search results for educators (the majority of them searching for kindergarten teachers); 1360 search results for teachers; 411 for tutors, and 626 for kindergarten teachers.
• 22nd August – 1153 results appeared for the same search;
• While for today, ‘only’ 1064 advertisements were found, meaning that job vacancies are being filled bit-by-bit.

Several institutions are looking for teachers of:

• Math – Physics, or Physics with any other specialisation;
• Hungarian – and any other specialisation;
• IT – and any other specialisation;
• English – and any other specialisation.

Last year was characterised by the same teacher job vacancies.

Despite the fact that the government “hates” to use the expression ‘teacher shortage,’ we are talking about a long-term problem which is becoming more and more serious. Comparing it to last year, this July, Eduline reported about 3600 vacant jobs, while one year earlier in the same period, only 2000 was counted. Last year, right before school started, a shortage of ‘only’ 700 teachers was registered.

Contradictive opinions

Labour union: ‘Something is going wrong’ vs. Ministry: ‘There is no problem’

According to Tamás Szűcs, Chairman of the Teachers’ Democratic Trade Union (PDSZ), some days ago a 1500 peak could be experienced; however, it is not surprising that the number of vacancies has decreased by the end of summer. The fluctuation can be explained by seasonal reasons: many people resign at the end of the school year; then, this number is reduced because many of them get employed by 20th August. There is a second wave as well, representing those who announce their termination by 20th August, as a result of which, teacher job vacancies rise again.