Poor pay is a key factor in the decision of many South African teachers to seek work in the United Kingdom, according to a new study.
The as-yet-unpublished study, by researchers under the leadership of Oxford research fellow Dr Kimberly Ochs, surveyed 192 teachers recruited from other Commonwealth countries to jobs in the UK.
Ninety percent of the South Africans who responded said they did not consider financial packages at home attractive enough, compared with a figure of just over 60% in Australia.
Asked whether their departure had ”anything to do with pay”, 62% of the South Africans said it did.
”Interestingly, only 45% of South Africans were in the teaching profession at the time of their departure,” the study said.
It also said that virtually none of the teachers in the survey had heard of the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol, a document drawn up by the Commonwealth two years ago to combat the loss of scarce professional skills in targeted countries.
Though the protocol is not a legally binding document, it sets out guidelines for recruitment, including orientation and induction programmes, and information on unionisation. — Sapa