at the job fair in Paris, the rectorates continue to recruit contract teachers

It will still be necessary to recruit new contract teachers in September 2023. The Minister of National Education Pap Ndiaye admitted this by revealing on franceinfo in early December the number of candidates registered for teacher competitions. It is up slightly compared to 2022, but not enough to fill all teaching positions at the start of the next school year.

TESTIMONIALS >> “A leap into the void”: how did the new education contract workers experience their first weeks of class?

In 2022, 3,700 positions were not filled in the public sector, 300 positions in the private sector following the competitions. The academies want to anticipate the hiring of new contract employees now. More than 7,000 new teachers have already been recruited since the start of the 2022 school year. The rectorate of Versailles is trying to attract candidates on Friday February 10 during a job fair organized at Porte de la Villette, in Paris.

“We are still in goodwill”

If the teaching profession is experiencing a vocation crisis, the stand of the Ile-de-France Academy is always full. At midday, around forty potential candidates had already come to find out: “In which discipline do you wish to apply?”asks a recruiter. “I did philosophy, and here I am in political science. So rather philosophy or history-geography”, replies Charles. This 23-year-old young man is interested in teaching. So why not start as a contractor?

“The passage through the status of contract at first and then after seeing how it goes. It’s true that we hear a lot of things about it. That the teaching environment is tough. I guess that yes. I want to test the waters and based on that, I make up my mind.”

Charlie, 23 years old

at franceinfo

It is not necessarily a long-term commitment, but in front of him, Isabelle Coelho is satisfied with it. “We are still in benevolence, we need themdevelops the person in charge of recruiting contract workers in middle school and high school in the Versailles academy. Going through the contractor can be a mode of access to this profession. But hey, we will succeed in remotivating everyone to register for the competition.”

“I still have support needs”

But the competitions this year 2023 are not full. There are barely 10% more candidates to become a full school teacher, 3% more in college-high school, compared to 2022. A catastrophic year in recruitment. To fill the shortage in 2022, the Versailles Academy has recruited 800 new contract workers, with no teaching experience. Note that this represents 1% of teachers in the academy. She will surely have to rehire several hundred for the next school year and even now, insists Isabelle Coelho: “I still have replacement needs. We have teachers who are absent for various reasons, and they have to be replaced. I have disciplines where I still have needs such as physics-chemistry, technology, musical education.”

This is good for Bruno with his master’s degree from engineering school in his pocket, the young man wants to try teaching physics and chemistry. “It’s always been something that makes sense to me.confides Bruno. Passing on knowledge is wonderful.” For several years, he gave tutoring classes, in mathematics, physics and chemistry, but also in French, in parallel with his studies. His profile is so sought after that he already has an interview with the rectorate of Paris when he has not even arrived at the end of the application procedure on the Internet.

“There is a small fear that we entrust classes to anyone. But hey, I hope that’s not it.”

In an attempt to reassure, the Academy of Versailles specifies that many candidates fail during the recruitment interview with inspectors. The rectorate also plans a four-day training course for new contract employees before the start of the school year. They are also monitored by a teaching tutor in their establishments to which they are assigned as well as by inspectors.