Lack of housing aggravating Amsterdam’s teacher shortage

The lack of suitable housing aggravates Amsterdam’s teacher shortage, according to recent research by Dorien Manting of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Stan Majoor of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA). More teachers are moving out of the city, and they’re increasingly also leaving Amsterdam education, Parool reports.

In 2012, 8 percent of teachers between 18 and 40 left Amsterdam, though they mostly kept working there. Only 1 percent also took a job elsewhere. In 2020, 13 percent of teachers in that age group left the city, and 4 percent went to work outside Amsterdam. The share of teachers working and living in Amsterdam shrank from 57 to 51 percent.

Majoor called the outflow quite dramatic. It increases inequality of opportunity for children in the city because schools in struggling neighborhoods - where good education is most needed - suffer from the greatest teacher shortages. And that also puts extra pressure on the teachers these schools do have.

Amsterdam has invested in youth housing, so novice teachers can still find living space in the city, although it is often only temporary. “The problems mainly occur in the later age phase. Teachers’ incomes are often too high for social rent and too low for owner-occupied housing unless they have a partner with a high income or other support,” Majoor said.

Over 70 percent of teachers can’t get a mortgage above 438,000 euros based on their income. There are hardly any homes for sale in Amsterdam for that price. The share of teachers who own a home in Amsterdam dropped from 43 to 31 percent.

Moving can be very tempting for teachers because being unable to find a suitable home often means putting your entire life on hold - postponing moving in with a partner or starting a family. Or you live far away from your school and have to work a long commute into your life. “It is already a tough profession, especially if you have young children. Then you have to plan your commute while there is also work at a closer school.”

The municipality of Amsterdam is investing 24 million euros to retain teachers and attract new ones to the city. The city is working on a package of measures, including a scheme giving teachers priority for rental housing. The interest is great, and the waiting list is already about 100 people long, according to Parool.

But UvA researcher Manting worries that the scheme is not sufficiently tailored to teachers with families. “They are often small homes for single teachers.” And 47 percent of young teachers have a family. The researchers understand that tailoring the supply better requires more affordable family homes. “You could also make agreements with surrounding municipalities about priority arrangements for teachers.”

Schools could also be more flexible with working hours, allowing teachers to come in later on some days or leave earlier. Not struggling through rush hour could make working at an Amsterdam school more attractive.