Over 16,000 apply to teach

**Voodoo Vince** · 05-06-2009, 07:44 PM

Over 16,000 apply to teach
By Zakir Hussain

MORE than 16,000 people have applied to be teachers as at end-May, said Education Minister Ng Eng Hen on Friday.

This figure is 10 per cent more than the total number of applications received for the whole of last year, he added.

About 2,400 teachers have been hired so far this year, Dr Ng said, giving an update on teacher recruitment to 150 senior executives and unionists from the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers Union.

They were at the union's Tripartite Initiative forum, held for union leaders and bosses to exchange views on issues like managing excess manpower.

The new hires form 80 per cent of the target 3,000 teachers the Ministry wants to add to its pool. This is an increase against the 2,400 teachers hired last year.

But Dr Ng stressed that the extra hiring will not compromise standards.

'I'm not changing the criteria or the checks that we have, to make sure that the people we hire have the aptitude to teach,' he said

Beyond teachers, MOE also wants to hire 680 allied educators this year. They are to give teachers a hand in counselling and helping weaker students.

More than 75 per cent of them have been already been hired, he added. There are 600 such helpers in schools, not including the new hires. MOE wants to raise the total to 2,800 by 2015.

In his speech, Dr Ng also stressed that the Government would remain committed to investing in education. It will spend $8.7 billion on education in the current financial year, a sum that is expected to hit $11 billion by 2013.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_386478.html

**~Katz~** · 05-06-2009, 07:47 PM

Wow so many teachers. I wonder if I would be able to get to be a teacher next time since so they already have so many applications.

**Voodoo Vince** · 05-06-2009, 10:13 PM

There's always room for new employment as many will leave the education after 3 years as it is a 3 years contract; subjected to renewal; if I'm not wrong.

**sj_jiienx** · 06-06-2009, 06:57 PM

wow so many people want to be a teacher.
it's not a easy job!

**Voodoo Vince** · 06-06-2009, 09:23 PM

I must agree with you. Teaching is not an easy career. You need a passion for teaching.

**XinGaPoLang** · 07-06-2009, 12:58 AM

ahahahaa... teaching quite a stable job ma.. teach good or not still get pay + nowadays student barely listen.. Easier to teach ? lols .....

**Voodoo Vince** · 07-06-2009, 07:48 AM

Not as stable as it used to be. My friend teaches Science in JC, and he says the contract will not be renew if his students' performance are bad.

**JetGrey** · 09-06-2009, 10:55 AM

That's based on contract teaching. However, most are on permanent basis, and if your students continually don't do well, it will just reflect bad on you in the staff room and to your P and VP.

Plus, being a teacher now is not just about teaching. Teaching is your main job, but then there are other stuffs like admin work, going for in-service (ie. taking courses, etc), coming up with new ideas for the school, conducting/going for workshops, and possibly the worst of all, handling parents. It's hard if you get students with hard-to-please parents.

**japanesespitz** · 09-06-2009, 03:40 PM

most of them should be cant find job, just apply for anything for now wait till everything is better they will just go else where to work.