Language teachers may find a shrinking jobs market in the UK

Posted 30 Aug 2010

More language teachers may need to look overseas for work as a result of the decline in British students studying languages at GCSE and beyond.

That is to be inferred from an editorial in the Times, which expressed concerns that schools will employ fewer language teachers as a result of the declining numbers learning languages.

As a result, those with the skills and qualifications to teach languages might want to teach English abroad if they are unable to find full-time vacancies in the UK.

The Times suggested: "It is important that all pupils have the opportunity to study a foreign language if they wish to: schools must retain teaching capacity as enrolment dwindles."

But with a number of university language courses and departments having already been scrapped, such an outcome may seem unlikely at a time when schools are coming under increased pressure to reduce their budgets.

This year's GCSE results showed that modern languages were not among the ten most taken subjects for the first time since the qualifications were introduced.

Category: Teaching and Learning