Newly-qualified teachers may find that changes to the profession's pay structure will lead to them earning less than their colleagues.

This is according to teaching union ASTI, which stated many entrants could consider the prospect of taking home less money for doing the same amount of work "demoralising".

Under proposals announced yesterday (July 5th), second level teachers will be appointed to the first point of the pay scale instead of the third point as they were in the past, the union explained, which would effectively mean a pay cut of five per cent on top of the ten per cent reduction already being applied to all new public sector staff.

General secretary of ASTI Pat King said: "This unfair targeting of their terms and conditions has the potential to deeply affect the morale of young teachers who will earn significantly less over their lifetime than their colleagues who graduated before them."

Last month, cuts to the education budget that could see less support for children with special needs were criticised in the Dail by Independent TD Finian McGrath, who suggested the consequences of the proposals have not been thought through, RTE reported.

Written by Donal Walsh
 

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