Vacant principal posts blamed on workload and poor rises

EXCESSIVE workload and inadequate salary increases are among the main reasons why fewer teachers are applying for vacant principal posts, a survey has found.

Over 1,500 teachers took part in the study by the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) and their second-level counterparts, the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), which asked if they were likely to apply for the post of principal.

The survey was undertaken in response to a serious decline in applications for such posts in recent years, having dropped from an average of 5.5 to less than three for appointments at primary level from 1996 to 2004.