London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 18, 2026

Teacher strikes: The young people in Scotland demanding better pay

Teacher strikes: The young people in Scotland demanding better pay

Young teachers in Scotland say they have been left with no choice but to continue going on strike.

The Educational Institute for Scotland (EIS) members have already taken action at schools in the constituencies of senior politicians.

The union says it's been "left with no other option" but to keep striking and wants pay rises above the rate prices are currently rising at.

It's a big factor in why 27-year-old Amy is walking out on Tuesday.

"It's hitting schools directly and it's hitting teachers directly," the teacher tells Newsbeat.

"We're subsidising for children who don't have things, like snacks, fresh fruit, and pens and pencils."

Teachers in Scotland are walking out on Tuesday and Wednesday - while there are also strikes in England and Wales this week.

But Scottish Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville says the continued disruption is "completely unacceptable" and has repeated her call for unions to "resume pay talks urgently".

Amy, and teachers like her, want a pay rise and her union is hoping to target a 10% increase this year.

Unions also want schools to get extra money to ensure pay rises do not come from existing budgets.

However, teachers say it's not just about money.

EIS members have taken action at schools in the constituencies of senior Scottish politicians


Ewan, who is also striking on Tuesday, doesn't have a permanent teaching job despite six years of studying and two degrees.

Instead, the 24-year-old's had to start working a zero hours NHS job at weekends to pay the bills.

"I scrimped and saved quite a bit, but as time has gone on I've realised this isn't financially viable," he says.

"I live at home but there should be no reason that someone who goes to university for six years cannot get a job in their profession."

Ewan feels misled at the lack of work available to supply teachers too.

"You're told right the way through that there will always be jobs, that schools are in desperate need for teachers. You come out and there's nothing," he says.

The most recent pay offer to Scottish teachers was an 11.5% rise over two years - 6% from last April and 5.5% this year.

But Amy says this isn't enough.

"We understand everybody's got a budget they must stick to, but we're making sure that we've got the tools we need in order to teach our children."

Amy spends almost £80 a week on her drive to work


For Amy, the prospect of getting a job closer to where she lives is near impossible.

She says when she came out of her probationary year - a guaranteed year of teaching in a school for all newly qualified teachers in Scotland - she was among 200 people going for two jobs in one council area.

Instead, she's spending close to £80 a week on the 40-minute drive to work.

"Without it, I would have to get two trains to get to work and even that financially isn't worth it," she says.

"It's leaving me with virtually no kind of expendable cash. I feel stressed, sometimes quite upset because I was really looking forward to making my way in the world."

But despite this, she still feels lucky to have secured a permanent job - something Ewan is trying to achieve.

"I was ready to move out and get my own place," he says.

"I actually had a deposit saved up, I'd met with a mortgage advisor who said we just need to wait for a permanent contract to come through and we can move on with it.

"And no permanent contract came through."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
For 36 Years, He Scammed About 300 Luxury Hotels — Until He Was Caught
England's World Cup Exit Expected to Cost Hospitality and Retail £334 Million
Former ICC Prosecutor Aide Speaks Publicly About Allegations Against Karim Khan
Opposition Raises Questions Over June Heatwave Power Grid Pressures
Mastercard Explores Sale of Majority Stake in UK Payments Operator Vocalink
Boeing Forecasts Global Commercial Aircraft Fleet Will Double by 2045
London GP Surgeries Receive £18 Million to Expand Primary Care Capacity
Health Advisers Recommend Nationwide Meningitis B Vaccination for Teenagers
OECD Warns UK Economy Faces Slower Growth and Weak Productivity
Treasury Places Major Global Cloud Providers Under Direct Financial Oversight
Financial Markets Rally as Shabana Mahmood Emerges as Leading Treasury Candidate
Incoming Government Prepares Thames Water Nationalisation and New North Sea Drilling Approvals
UK Government Plans Deep Cuts to Bilateral Aid for African Nations
United States and Iran Exchange Direct Strikes for Seventh Consecutive Night
Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham Confirmed as Labour Leader Ahead of Downing Street Handover
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
Andy Burnham Takes Labour Leadership and Prepares to Become Britain’s Seventh Prime Minister in a Decade
Tech Companies Want to Move Computing Off Your Screen and Onto Your Body
White House Teleprompter Operator Earned More Than $100,000 From Bets Linked to the President's Speeches
French Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote After Controversial Budget Cuts
European Commission Opens Excessive Deficit Procedure Against France
French Senate Blocks Key Immigration Reform Measures
French Government Pushes EU Action Against Ultra-Fast Fashion Imports
French Parliament Debates Expanded Autonomy Powers for Corsica
France Reopens Autonomy Talks With New Caledonia After Months of Unrest
Bordeaux Wine Producers Seek Three Hundred Million Euro Aid Package After Export Collapse
French Farmers Block Spain Border Crossings Over Imported Food Competition
Cannes Film Festival Bans Fully Artificial Intelligence-Generated Films From Competition
TotalEnergies Shifts More Than Three Billion Euros of Green Investment From Europe to the United States
LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault Presents Succession Plan for Luxury Empire
Kering Reports Fifteen Percent Revenue Drop as Chinese Luxury Demand Weakens
Sanofi Reports Positive Results From Messenger RNA Respiratory Vaccine Trials
France Places Energy Price Caps Under Review to Protect Households Through Winter
EDF Connects Two New Nuclear Reactors to France’s Electricity Grid
Mistral Secures European Commission Contract for Sovereign Artificial Intelligence Models
Renault Opens Next-Generation Electric Battery Plant in Northern France
Air France Signs Two Billion Euro Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deal to Cut Emissions
Marseille Launches Three Billion Euro Port Expansion to Strengthen Mediterranean Trade Role
French-Owned Ubisoft Announces Global Restructuring With Nearly One Thousand Job Cuts
National Railway Operator Suspends Artificial Intelligence Ticket Pricing System After Consumer Backlash
United Kingdom to Ban Sales of High-Caffeine Energy Drinks to Under-Sixteens
Home Office Designates Iranian and Russian Paramilitary Groups as National Security Threats
National Health Service Launches Housing Plan to Retain London Healthcare Workers
British Heatwave Fuels Wildfires and Emergency Evacuations in Scotland
United Kingdom and Estonia Sign Defence Agreement to Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to African Nations by More Than Eighty Percent
Bank of England Overhauls Banking Rules to Encourage More Lending to Businesses
United Kingdom and India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force, Reshaping Bilateral Economic Ties
Andy Burnham Confirmed as New Labour Leader and Prime Minister-Designate
UK Government Faces Pressure Over Extreme Heat Workplace Rules
×