The scale of teacher recruitment problems has emerged in figures showing education chiefs struggled to fill key posts at the first time of asking across Dundee, Perthshire and Angus.
All over Tayside a total of 96 jobs ended up being readvertised at primary and secondary schools in 2021-22.
In Perth and Kinross, 67 jobs remained vacant after the first attempt.
In Angus, 18 posts were reshared, while in Dundee 11 roles had to be advertised at least twice.
The figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats revealed a computing teacher job at the Community School of Auchterarder took six attempts to fill.
Across Scotland, at least 636 posts remained unfilled after initially becoming available.
Recruitment woes
A post to become an English teacher at St John’s Academy in Perth was readvertised four times before a suitable applicant was finally found.
In Dundee, an advertisement for a maths teacher had to be reshared on five occasions.
The ongoing recruitment crisis has been especially acute in rural areas and comes in the wake of school strikes.
Teaching staff are demanding improved pay to help them cope with the cost-of-living crisis and higher inflation.
Perth and Kinross Labour councillor Brian Leishman said: “The current situation shows the importance for our teachers to receive the pay they deserve.
“Lack of job security and below inflation pay mean that it is harder to recruit teachers for the long term.”
In 2021, a shortage of maths teachers in Fife led to one school seeking after-hours college tutoring for pupils to ensure they were ready for exams.
Levenmouth Academy had been unable to replace four staff members for the subject and the only applications were unqualified to teach in Scotland.
Data on how many teaching posts across Fife were readvertised in 2021-22 is not yet available.
Former Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, the MSP for North East Fife, said: “There seems to be a surplus of teachers in some parts of the country and in some subjects but an acute shortage in others including rural areas and in subjects like maths and technology.
“It will be impossible for young people to reach their potential if we can’t find them
teachers.”
Trade union bosses warned schools will continue to face hiring struggles unless teachers are given better pay and reduced workloads.
Mike Corbett, from school teachers’ union NASUWT, said: “Erosion of pay, spiralling workloads and chronically insecure employment, overseen by the government and employers, are blighting the profession’s ability to recruit talented teachers.
“Ministers should be investing in making teaching an attractive career choice. This might go some way to addressing the recruitment issues currently being experienced in the north-east.”
Dundee Labour councillor Pete Shears said: “The Scottish Government has underfunded local authorities for over a decade which means our teachers are now overworked, short-staffed, and underpaid.”
A Perth & Kinross Council spokesperson said: “While we are not experiencing any overall shortage of teaching staff, it has been necessary to advertise for some vacancies more than once, as a result of national shortages in subject-specific areas.”
A Dundee council spokesperson said: “The council carefully monitors all staffing issues across its schools.”
SNP government education chief Shirley Anne-Somerville said: “Local authorities are responsible for teacher recruitment, and they have autonomy to provide incentives to attract teachers to their area.
“We provide bursaries of £20,000 to encourage more teachers into STEM subjects, where the demand for teachers is greatest.
“Through the Teacher Induction Scheme, we provide incentives of up to £8,000 to encourage probationer teachers to move to more rural areas to help meet recruitment challenges.”
Conversation