ABSTRACT
On a national level, the Swedish Government is fully aware that a large cohort of teachers face retirement at the same time as increasing numbers of children are entering all school sectors. The number of uncertified teachers and preschool teachers is expected to increase to about 80,000 by 2031. Schools in disadvantaged areas are particularly likely to be unable to recruit certified teachers. National actors can affect the number of student teachers at universities and fund in-service training, but it is actors such as the Swedish Association for Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), and private organisers of K-12, that actually employ the teachers and are responsible for quality. SALAR is aware of the situation and supports municipalities’ efforts to become attractive employers and thereby to improve their recruitment and retention of teachers.
At the same time, SALAR is open to alternative means of recruiting teachers, such as hiring assistant teachers and implementing alternative paths to becoming a teacher, because it is unrealistic to think that student teacher recruitment will satisfy the demand for teachers. A teachers’ union can support higher salaries and professional development, while an association for school leaders can suggest that salaries be levelled out and professional development programmes be restricted. The chapter concludes that it is difficult to balance between the need to have staff (almost any adult) in the classroom and the need to have certified teachers for reasons of quality and out of respect for the profession. Solutions such as selective increases in salary, fast-track schemes into teaching and teaching assistants can be perceived as contrasting with teacher perceptions for retention, such as supporting relationships with students, colleagues and school leaders.
