Over 1,000 applicants are expected to apply for 70 teaching jobs in second level schools in the Galway-Roscommon area.
Over 70 posts are available in the Galway-Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) area, and GRETB Chairman Pat Gilmore expects a huge response.
“It’s very welcome news from a few years ago when new teaching jobs were scarce but since these have been advertised on the GRETB website the applications have been coming inso quickly that we expect there will be well over 1,000.
“While schools such as Coláiste Bhaile Chláir (Claregalway) and Merlin College have the most vacancies, there is general growth in numbers in all our schools and so the jobs are spread out over all of Galway and Roscommon.” says Pat.
CEO David Leahy told the May meeting of the GRETB that it was great news that they would be employing so many extra teachers for the coming school year.
“This is more than ever before and the interviews will start on June 1st. But we are still seeking additional back line staff,” he added.
Cllr. Kerry McHugh said that there is a need for more back line staff in schools and training centres or else it will not be possible to deal properly with the growth in student numbers.
She also asked the CEO who would be on the interview boards for the teaching post and he replied that it would be a number of people with experience in the education sphere including some former school principals.
One of the schools that is set to employ a large number of new teachers for the coming school year is Coláiste Bhaile Chláir and principal Alan Mongey confirmed to The Tuam Herald that the number of students seeking places there has grown far more quickly than the Department expected.
“We require ten to 12 extra teachers as we have 190 new pupils starting here in September. This will bring our total to 580.
“While we felt that the numbers would grow very rapidly, this has exceeded the expectations of the Department. Usually when a new school opens in an area the growth in numbers can be slower at the start but in Claregalway it has risen very quickly,” says the principal.
He is pleased that provision has been made for the rapid growth and planning permission has been granted for 23 additional classrooms, with building expected to start within the next few weeks. The new rooms will be ready for next September.
