I see this story is finally getting some publicity today:
I'm in a Dublin school and once again this year it's a problem. We lost one tenth of our staff this May because they've got jobs outside Dublin. Well, one or two of them haven't got jobs but figure they'll be better positioned in their chosen area than paying accommodation costs in Dublin for another year. In each case, property prices was the deciding factor (childcare costs were a secondary factor for some).
How are other countries solving this issue of key staff not being able to afford accommodation in their most expensive cities?
A quick google and it seems we are decades behind New South Wales in Australia which:
[quote]The Teacher Housing Authority of New South Wales (THA) is a statutory corporation constituted under the Teacher Housing Authority Act 1975 as amended. Under the Act, the principal object of the THA is to provide and maintain suitable and adequate housing accommodation for teachers. The THA also: • initiates, promotes, commissions and undertakes surveys and investigations into the housing needs of teachers; • undertakes, promotes and encourages research into the design, construction and maintenance of housing suitable for teachers; • plans the provision of a comprehensive and coordinated housing service for teachers throughout country New South Wales; • provides, conducts, operates and maintains a housing service for teachers; and • advises and makes reports and recommendations to the Minister in respect of matters relating to the housing of teachers.[/quote] [https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/326255/08-tha-annual-report-11-12.pdf]
In Britain, they have a Teachers' Housing Association since 1967: http://www.teachershousing.org.uk/about-us/
Gardaí, nurses, firemen and other key staff are undoubtedly enduring a similar problem. One thing which strikes me is that many schools could, with a bit of joined-up thinking from the DoES, Revenue and the schools, utilise school or church property (the latter own the vast majority of the school properties) to help solve this issue. At least the younger, single, poorer-paid teachers might get some reprieve there and hang on in Dublin schools.
