Nursery school teacher shortage: wages are incredibly low
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We already reported many times that Hungary struggles hard with labour shortage because people get too low wages, so they go to Western countries to work for more. Here is a report about a nursery school teacher who after four years of experience, gets 136 thousand HUF (EUR 428). Meanwhile, nursery schools are becoming overcrowded because there are not enough teachers, and directors feel helpless.
According to Közigállás, a website collecting open positions in the public sector, there are more than 700 unfilled positions for nursery school teachers countrywide. Furthermore, there are institutions where more than 4-5 teachers are missing, and thus, directors have to consider the option to start a group even with 29 kids in it – atv.hu reported.
Among the counties there are no significant differences, a considerable number of nursery school teachers are missing from each of them. György Kóber, a kindergarten teacher, says that
the main reason is the low wages in the sector.
“I have four years of experience, and my salary is 136 thousand HUF (EUR 428)” – said Kóber. He added that even if he manages to pass the qualification process successfully, his income will not rise appreciably. “If a colleague of mine applies to the qualification process and uploads their portfolio in November and finishes the procedure in spring they will get their salary increase only from next year’s January and the difference will not be too much” – he emphasised.
According to Kóber, many experienced nursery school teachers change their career because in other sectors they can get much more for less work. “For example, I know a colleague who
decided to start working as a cashier after 32 years spent in a kindergarten
and such decisions are becoming more and more frequent” – he said.
Because of the labour shortage, many turn to the teacher’s trade union. Attiláné Verba, head of the union’s kindergarten department, said that they receive more and more questions about how to start a school year with groups where there are 29 kids and only one teacher. Teachers ask whether they can gain some extra payment for their overtime work, which is inevitable in such situations.