13 January 2017

Teaching sessions offer chance for New Year, new career in Aberdeenshire

Information sessions for people considering a return to teaching will take place next week across Aberdeenshire as part of the council’s drive to recruit more teachers.

The sessions, which will take place in north, central and south Aberdeenshire, are aimed at registered teachers, including those who have previously taught elsewhere in the UK or abroad.

An afternoon session at 2pm and an evening session at 7pm will take place at each of three locations – Peterhead Academy, Inverurie Academy and Portlethen Academy – on Thursday, January 19.

Council officers will be on hand to explain the different options open to teachers who may not have taught for some time, may never have taught in Scotland or perhaps have never used their teaching qualification.

Chair of the council’s Education, Learning & Leisure Committee, Cllr Alison Evison, said: “The council is trying a whole range of different and innovative ways to recruit teachers but we are still experiencing some difficulties in pockets of Aberdeenshire.

“We know that there are people living in the area who have taught previously, perhaps in another country, and there are others who started along the road to becoming a teacher but did not complete their studies for various reasons.

“These sessions will give people the chance to find out how the council can help, I encourage anyone who is a registered teacher in Aberdeenshire but is not currently teaching to come along and find out more about this rewarding career.”

Vice-chair of the committee, Cllr Charles Buchan, said: “The council has had great success through programmes such as the DLITE scheme which allows people who are interested in becoming a teacher to study part-time for their post-graduate qualification.

“Last year our first intake of former oil and gas workers began their training to become teachers and we’ve also been contacting retired teachers to ask if they would consider returning to the classroom.

“So we are targeting specific groups of people and these sessions are another step in that process so that people with teaching qualifications who are not currently working as teachers in Aberdeenshire can find out more about the support available at the council.”