Sir, - Education and Living (February 22nd) claims that a second-level teacher in Ireland will start work on at least £15,859 per annum, and adds that this may be supplemented by allowances that could total as much as £2,942. Though based on official figures, this is not the case.
Approximately 5 per cent of teachers qualifying in any one year will receive such a salary. The other 95 per cent will begin their careers either by working in substitute positions for as long as two years - during which time they can expect to be unemployed for close to six months of the year - or on temporary, part-time contracts where they will earn on average about 25 per cent less than the stated figures. Few will find permanent employment in less than five years. In many cases it will take twice as long.
The article claims that teachers in England look with considerable envy at the earnings of their Irish counterparts. The truth of the situation is, however, that an English teacher within seven years of graduation can earn in excess of £23, 000, and also enjoy relatively promising promotional prospects. Their Irish equivalents at a similar stage may well be still searching for their first permanent employment, and are unlikely to be earning as much as the average industrial wage. - Yours, etc.,
Tom Tierney, Kilmainham, Dublin 8.