Actually, V Woolfe, the Aussies do discriminate. I am a primary teacher with 24 years of experience. Diploma in Primary Education (3 year) and have begun my Masters (as the Diploma is seen as degree equivalent). Not good enough for the Aussies who wanted me to do two extra years of training before they would register me.
So I'm all for examining closely exactly what qualifications all teachers have before being registered to teach in the UK.

Charlie, Edinburgh,

I teach in Eastern Europe and teachers here are certainly less qualified as many can "buy" their qualifications. They also favour teaching by rote ...totally uninspiring and their accents are hard to understand!

Janie G, Almaty,

The current problems were predictable, there are only so many young people with the educational ability to teach but from this small pool, doctors, dentists, lawyers, nurses accountants etc.etc must also be recruited there are simply not enough bright young British people to fill all these careers.

DM ABERDEEN

D MUNRO, ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND

"i totaly agree with what mary says, i am currently studying to become a primary school teacher.

stefanie, crewe, england"

You'll need to brush up on your English first Stefanie.

Roger, Norwich,

I quit teaching last year after completing two years. The main reason was the lack of support from management to challenge disruptive, rude and threatening behaviour of certain students.
Another reason was that I was unable to pay my household expenses and provide for my wife and two children on my wage.
The final straw was when I realised how my career, reputation and financial circumstances were dependent upon the say so of a minor and the " I'm alright Jack, lets take the soft option" attitude of senior management. Best thing I did was to leave the teaching profession, unskilled foreigner workers and college students better suit the present management style, they tick all the boxes.

Brian, Exeter, UK

I'm one such teacher who left after completing my NQT year but I still remain interested in education, teaching issues and maintain my NUT and GTC memberships.

Consequently I frequently talk to the various teachers from abroad I meet, usually from NZ and Australia.

Everyone without exception describe how British children are so much more difficult to teach, less interested and more disrespectful than the children of their homelands.

I do not believe this is some form of homesickness but an indication of a malady within our society which is gradually poisoning our children, leaving them disaffected and our nation impoverished.

When faced with such challenges is it any wonder that teachers do not want to increasingly play the role of surrogate parents to increasingly "unpleasant" children?

Nathan, Inverness, UK

Amazing !! Tony Bliar convinced us all that Labour's first three priorities were ' Education,education,education'.
Have they been lying to us all ?

R.M., London, England

I find this report very disturbing.
Qualifications or no, the professional practice of teaching is not a mechanical exercise.
I can imagine any number of science subjects people with little or no knowledge of our culture could teach ,but will it be confined to these ?
Having very little trust or confidence in any department of Government ,the pressure to find teachers for failing and ill disiplined schools will soon have lack of empathy with our culture on both sides of the desk, for any and every subject.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

i totaly agree with what mary says, i am currently studying to become a primary school teacher.

stefanie, crewe, england

Australian and New Zealand teachers are well qualified and competent teachers who are an asset to the British Education System. The unqualified teacher status is more to do with schools using this inequitable and unfair pay system to get cheaper teaching labour rather than it being the case that such teachers are incapable of doing the job as well as a British trained teacher. It is hours of work for Commonwealth
teachers to get QTS to enable them to be on better rates of pay. I understand that EU teachers automatically go on the British rates of pay without having to 'jump over the QTS hurdle'. I am a Kiwi, with 20 yrs experience, who has been teaching in England for 2yrs. I was doing the same work as a British teacher. The unqualified status is discriminatory and most unfair - should be equal pay for equal work! NZ does not discriminate paywise or otherwise over British teachers when they go to work downunder!
V Woolf, New Zealand

V Woolf, Auckland, New Zealand

Because they are foreign does not men they are unqualified. British education is below standard but the British are too self-centered to notice it.

Mary, Glasgow,

its not justteachers that this problems exists with. Doctors and nurses too. Teacher Recruitment Agencies encourage them to come here paying air fares and other incentives making it possible for schools to turn down the higher paid more experienced indiginous teachers. It doesnt seem just that teachers who are experienced cannot get jobs whiles teachers from overseas can.

Peter Godfrey, skipton,

"prompting fears that schools are being forced to look abroad to recruit staff as many British teachers quit the profession."

Think again.......they are cheaper and that's all Headteachers care about. A daughter of a friend of mine has recently been complaining that the children in her school have a Maths teacher from Africa that nobody can understand. The poor kids have no idea what he is saying to them and they are in their GCSE year. No wonder the results are appalling.

judy, Liverpool, England

MarkS, many of those age 50 plus teachers, along with a lot more local government employees, had no option but to retire early, whether they wanted to or not. Schools lost a great resource when those older, experienced teachers were retired or made redundant at a time when it was difficult for them to find other work. It is no coincidence that since then, standards have slipped.

Kay Warner, Eastbourne,

They can join the ranks of unqualified plumbers, electricians, carpenters, builders etc etc that have come here to swell the wallets of the bosses.

Roger, Surrey,

The teachers leave because they are paid the same as someone who cannot do the job and who get preference to promotion to tick boxes. The kids discipline reflects this as they cannot be controlled by someone who does speak the language and doesnt understand the culture.
As in the medical proffession direct positive action is needed to encourage the indigineous people to enter the professions.

Bill, sheffield,

Just because teachers do not have QTS does not mean they are unqualified - these hiring rates simply reflect the fact that principals can hire teachers at 20k pa instead of 30k pa!!

A Teacher, London,

I think the point made by MarkS from Leeds is critical here.

In many cases the teachers coming from overseas will be competent; but it must be costly to have so many teachers leaving their jobs and then returning. The costs are twofold: first, the obvious cost to the taxpayer; and secondly, the cost to pupils' education. In short, the terms on which teachers are re-engaged may favour the teacher more than the pupil.

Des, Edinburgh,

Teach the children discipline and good manners and ensure that they will not attack and harass the teachers and you will have no problem keeping your qualified British teachers.

Tina, Dusseldorf, Germany

Of the 10,000 who return to teaching every year, how many had retired with an early retirement pension?

MarkS, Leeds,