An increasing number of trainee teachers are being forced to take on part-time jobs alongside their course to make ends meet, with some working late shifts in supermarkets and pubs after a full day in school, Tes has learned.

Students are risking failing courses and putting their mental health on the line as they juggle the demands of training and working second jobs to stay afloat, initial teacher training (ITT) provider directors have warned.

Providers have also warned that recruitment numbers for this year are likely to fall beyond the record lows seen for the current academic year as mounting numbers drop out of courses due to begin in September because of money woes.

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It comes as new data, published by the Department for Education last week, revealed that applications to primary ITT courses fell by almost a fifth in March compared to last year, while monthly figures for applications to secondary courses dropped year-on-year for the first time in 2023.

Tes first revealed providers’ fears that trainees could be forced to drop out of courses as the cost of living soars last November.

Now, several ITT directors have told Tes how rising costs are pushing trainees to the brink to stay afloat.

Claire Ball-Smith, director of ITT at the University of York, said that this is the first year she’s experienced trainees not being able to afford basic costs such as food, rent and council tax bills.

Ms Ball-Smith said that a lot of the university’s current trainees are holding down up to three jobs on top of studying full-time postgraduate certificate in education courses.

She said this means they’re struggling to focus on the course and placement work as they’re “having to work in the evenings to simply survive”. 

She added that she used to strongly advise trainees not to take a job while training, but it is not realistic for her to expect that commitment now “because it’s just impossible for people to survive”. 

Hayley Aldis, course coordinator at Portsmouth Primary SCITT (school-centred initial teacher training), said it’s common for students to start with a part-time role in the autumn but then stop after Christmas to focus on training as their responsibilities in school and workload increase, but many have held onto those jobs this year.

‘Impact on classroom progress’

Ms Aldis said she has trainees who are struggling with mental health challenges because they are having to work evening and weekend shifts with local retail and hospitality employers after being in school for a full day to help with the cost of living.

Henry Sauntson, SCITT director at Teach East, said that one in five of his students has an additional job alongside their training this year, a higher figure than last year. 

Meanwhile, Stuart Russell, senior director of ITT at Kent and Medway Training, said that several trainees have had to leave the course this year because they simply cannot afford to continue.

He said: “The cost of living, travel costs, lack of bursaries, does make things unmanageable for many. In order to stay on the programme, some are moving back home to live with parents, taking out personal loans or relying on part-time employment.”

Mr Russell added that all those leaving the course are trainees who are not in receipt of a bursary.

In October last year, the DfE announced that it was raising bursaries across several subjects and also reinstating the English bursary at £15,000 from September 2023 following a slump in teacher recruitment.

However, some subjects, such as primary and history, remained unfinanced. 

The National Foundation for Educational Research estimated last month that the government is set to miss its teacher trainee recruitment target for the second year in a row, despite the bursary hike.

Katrin Sredzki-Seamer, director at the National Modern Languages SCITT, has also said that the number of trainees working second jobs has increased this year. 

Ms Sredki-Seamer said that she knew of around 20 per cent of primary and secondary trainees working second jobs alongside their training this year, but said the true figure was likely to be higher due to trainee embarrassment preventing them from disclosing this information to mentors. 

These are mostly trainees in subjects without bursaries, but even some with bursaries are taking on part-time work to make ends meet, she said.

Ms Sredki-Seamer added that she is concerned about the risk that some students may end up failing their courses because they are being forced to do multiple night shifts as well as work at weekends to pay for their tuition fees and to support themselves.

Nicki Rooke, SCITT director of Alban Federation, told Tes that some of their trainees had considered taking second jobs, while others started the course already working part time elsewhere and ”found the additional work has had a negative impact on their progress in the classroom”, including “exhaustion” and “having limited time to prepare lessons or become immersed in the wider life of the school”. 

Applicants withdrawing due to ‘financial challenges’

Providers have also told Tes they are bracing for even lower recruitment levels for the next intake in September as the number of application withdrawals due to financial concerns is starting to mount.

Their warnings come after the publication of new Ucas data, which showed prospective students are attending fewer university open days when researching where to study due to rising living costs.

The ongoing teacher pay dispute is also putting off potential trainees, providers told Tes.

Stefanie Sullivan, director of ITT at the University of Nottingham, said that concerns about teacher pay and working conditions are the predominant obstacle to trainee recruitment for next year’s cohort.

She added that a “lack of flexibility in the work schedule of a teacher” is also putting off graduates who might be attracted to the growth in remote working opportunities in other professions since the pandemic.

Ms Rooke told Tes that applications for September 2023 are “significantly down” and several applications have been withdrawn mostly due to “financial challenges”. 

Experts have warned that the £30,000 starting salary for teachers should be raised to be more competitive as it has become “less ambitious” since it was introduced in 2019, before the cost-of-living crisis and soaring inflation.

Mr Sauntson said that Teach East had seen a much higher pattern of applicants withdrawing before interview this year as they reassessed their finances after the initial application and decided not to go through with the process, due to “feeling the pinch”. 

He added that a much higher than usual number of candidates have asked about deferring places to allow time to save money to support them in their course next year. 

Meanwhile, Lisa Murtagh, head of initial teacher education at the Manchester Institute of Education, warned that some areas that normally rely on recruiting trainees from outside of the local area are likely to face more severe problems with attracting recruits as students are having to train near their home location rather than where they might want to teach to avoid hefty accommodation and placement travel costs.

“This could have a real impact on providers who typically recruit trainees from outside their home location, and be potentially damaging for such areas in terms of recruiting school staff going forward,” she said.

Career changers put off going into teaching

Dr Annabel Watson of the University of Exeter said potential applicants are concerned about whether they can afford to train as teachers due to the rising costs.

She said some potential applicants have decided not to apply as a result of those concerns, particularly career changers “who are attracted to teaching but anxious about leaving other stable employment”, and “people with children who are also worried about taking a risk when there is so much financial uncertainty”. 

James Noble-Rogers, executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on students teachers and on retention. It is not always possible, practicable or desirable for student teachers to work to supplement their income. All student teachers should receive bursary support to help them complete their training without having to seek part-time work.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “All trainees on tuition fee-funded ITT courses can apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan to support their living costs, regardless of whether they are also eligible for a bursary or scholarship or not.

“Our bursaries and scholarships worth up to £27,000 and £29,000 tax-free are helping to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as maths, physics, chemistry and computing. On top of this, these teachers can receive a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free in years one to five of their careers.” 

Overall, the number of applicants placed on courses is down by 9.8 per cent year-on-year, with 14,599 recruited by April 2023, compared with 16,191 this time last year. 

There were 6,527 “placed” ITT applicants on primary courses last month - those that were recruited, accepted a conditional offer or deferred an offer - down from 8,100 in April 2022.

And the number of trainees placed on secondary courses is 0.5 per cent down on 2022, despite a hike in bursaries.