Date: 05 Mar 2010

Male teacher training applications up 50%

An increasing number of men are applying to become primary school teachers.

The recession and subsequent job losses have resulted in a 50 per cent increase in the number of men applying for teaching jobs in primary schools, new figures have revealed.

According to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), job losses in Britain's financial hub, the City of London, led to the significant increase in teacher training applications.

The number of male applicants jumped from 7,900 to 11,700, although this figure only accounted for 30 per cent of the 38,800 applicants, the organisation revealed.

London recorded the biggest growth compared to any region as teacher training applicants increased by 23 per cent from last year's figure thanks to 7,797 candidates.

TDA chief executive Graham Holley explained that "teaching is a profession with increasing status that is becoming more and more competitive" hence the increasing number of career changers.

Men are severely underrepresented across the nations' staff rooms, especially in primary schools, some of which do not have any male teachers.