So there is a recruitment crisis. I am not surprised. I have just started teaching practice and my so-called colleagues are so far unprepared for me to take over their work to complete my practical quota. I have not been made welcome and I am really thinking of choosing another career.

First, don’t give up. Teaching is a challenge and sometimes that challenge is colleagues rather than students. But colleges that accept trainees must be prepared to help them. This may involve allotting additional paid hours to lecturers to advise and guide trainees. You would normally have a mentor who would be a full-time teacher in your department. You would also have to do a certain amount of unassisted teaching. Certainly if colleges are to solve recruitment problems then they should not make trainees feel out of place.