There is no difference in the number of teachers seeking employment in the beginning of this school year in comparison to the past. The number of unemployed university graduates in this country is nearly 4,000, almost the same as last year. According to the Ministry of Education, there is a shortage of 1,800 teachers in Bulgarian schools as the shortage is mostly felt in Sofia and the big cities. Most needed are teachers in English, mathematics and information technologies. Some school principals announced job vacancies last year but no candidates appeared. Labor bureaus say the teacher’s profession is not attractive to young people anymore. The most popular positions are those in the sector of services, like hairdressing, cosmetics, etc. Even experts with pedagogical education say they want to learn new skills in order to find better-paid jobs. The average teacher’s salary in Bulgaria is about 300 euro a month while younger and less experienced teachers get even less.

The headmaster of the 119th high school in Sofia, Deyan Stamatov told us more about the obstacles that make the teacher’s profession unattractive to young people.

“Young people who want to start working as teachers are few and this has been the reality for years. The profession is feminized and the average age of teachers is over 40 years. Young teachers come but they quickly find better-paid jobs. We cannot keep them, as the salaries are so low. In this country the salaries of teachers are not adequate to the efforts, stress and workload that teachers face every day. There is another issue that has recently been discussed publicly. It concerns the right, provided by law, for private schools to receive equal subsidies like the state schools. The state subsidy, however, will strengthen control over private schools and their refusal to accept state funding is due to the fact these schools want to keep to the old practices. We should not forget that these schools are registered under the Companies Act.”

The decline in the number of students also remains a problem this year as it is most significant in northern Bulgaria. For example, in the region of Ruse the number of first graders has increased but 21 classes in secondary schools had to be closed, which means 600 students less. Closing schools is not only due to the demographic decline in the country in recent years, but also to migration processes. A great number of families leave the country in search of better lives abroad. In 119th school there are also children raised by their grandparents, because the parents work abroad. Older people are often incapable of dealing with the upbringing and education of their grandchildren, and this brings a number of problems in school, Deyan Stamatov says and adds:

 “This practice leads to a great number of problems and permanent issues in the family. Children need the care of their parents after all. The problem, however, has been getting worse over the years because of financial reasons. About 40 percent of parents assist the teachers but unfortunately most parents perceive school as an administrative institution and are interested in it only when they need some documents signed. These are some of the reasons behind the teacher’s profession losing its attractiveness and respect.”

English: Alexander Markov