THE report (TES, February 5) on the introduction of a 3.5 per cent pay rise does indeed highlight the risks taken by graduates, and those changing career, when entering teacher training. Not only do they have to finance themselves during training but there is no guarantee of a job waiting for those completing the course.
Added to this is the recent recommendation that teachers qualifying after May 1999 require three terms’ induction experience, gained within five years. Failure to meet the standards could mean losing qualified teacher status.
If there are to be redundancies following the pay rise, what hope have the newly qualified of securing a position long enough to complete the said three-term induction, always of course assuming that schools are prepared to accept yet another responsibility?
Judith Burton, 11 Worcester Way, Daventry, Northants
