John Cullinane, the principal of St Anne’s Secondary School in Tipperary town, said that while his school has no staff vacancies at present, he has noticed a significant group in the amount of applicants to job postings in recent times. “It’s fallen off a cliff edge,” he said.
Ms Keena agreed. “The housing and the rent is a bit cheaper [in rural areas]. In urban settings, it’s a nightmare.” Further to this, just 13 per cent of teachers were appointed to a permanent position on their initial appointment. People want security in their job, Mr Cullinane said. “Particularly, you’re starting out, and you want to get a mortgage or you want to rent a house or whatever, you want some bit of financial stability. And I suppose not having a permanent contract ... that is an issue for people.”