The situation is particularly acute in Dublin, with teachers often living a long distance from their school because they can’t afford to pay increasingly high rents. “They are giving up jobs in Dublin schools and taking jobs down the country, and it’s leading to a brain drain in the city. Markey Greene, a member of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland’s (ASTI) standing committee, says the level of work teachers do is often not reflected in their salary. “It takes six years to become a secondary school teacher for most subjects. While schools in Dublin often find it harder to fill vacancies, rural schools are also feeling the impact.

Source: The Irish Times March 31, 2026 08:01 UTC