For the past two years, research reports have presented analyses of teachers in general education, pre-primary, and early childhood education working in municipal educational institutions in Vilnius. The aim of the analysis is to exploratorily assess the age, length of service, positions held, workload, as well as employment and attrition trends of teachers currently working in institutions under the authority of the Vilnius Municipality.
Key insights from the report:
1. A larger share of teachers tend to work an increased full-time equivalent (FTE) workload. There are indications that this trend is persisting and intensifying (this year, an additional 288.42 FTE positions were filled in this way), suggesting that working an increased workload is becoming a normalized practice in schools. This is particularly evident among teachers of the most common subjects, as well as in schools where the language of instruction is Polish or Russian. Although this trend provides teachers with higher financial compensation and helps school leaders address shortages in certain subject areas, it does not ensure renewal of the teacher reserve and increases the risk of teacher burnout.
2. In schools where instruction is conducted in Russian, the long-term renewal of the teacher reserve is challenged by a higher proportion of pre-retirement and retirement-age teachers (37.9%) compared to other schools, as well as a relatively small number of younger teachers. It should be noted that these schools already face difficulties in attracting younger specialists; as a result, the full-time workload is shifted to currently employed teachers. If the teacher base in such schools does not renew within the next 5–10 years and current teachers retire, these schools will not be able to ensure a proper educational process. Significant challenges will also be faced by certain subject teacher communities in which a substantial share (40.1–52.8%) currently consists of pre-retirement and retirement-age teachers. These include teachers of Russian (native language), Russian as a foreign language, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
3. Although the age structure and teaching experience indicate that schools employ professionally mature teachers, the number of teachers newly entering the system (i.e., with up to two years of teaching experience) has increased. Schools where instruction is conducted in Polish face particular difficulties, as the proportion of new teachers there is especially low.
4. The analyzed period is characterized by a negative balance between concluded and terminated employment contracts: on average, 145 new contracts were concluded per half-year compared to 339 terminations. In recent years, at least one quarter of all terminated contracts involved teachers who had reached retirement age, while the remaining terminations involved working-age teachers and were relatively evenly distributed across age groups. This imbalance and the demographic trend in contract terminations hinder adequate replenishment of the teacher reserve and indicate that a larger share of teachers leave schools for reasons other than retirement (except in schools with Russian as the language of instruction and, to some extent, Polish-language schools), such as changing schools, moving to private schools, leaving the education system, or other reasons.
5. The conclusion of employment contracts shows clear seasonality, with a larger share of contracts signed before or at the beginning of the school year. In recent academic years, the seasonality of contract terminations has somewhat decreased, as a significant portion of contracts are terminated before the start of the school year, at its beginning, and at its end. This means that school leaders had a clearer picture of teacher demand slightly earlier than in previous years and, accordingly, had a longer “window” for teacher recruitment—throughout the entire summer period.
6. During the analyzed period, more than one fifth of teachers who concluded employment contracts with Vilnius City municipal schools did not possess a formal teaching qualification. The growing share of contracts with such teachers indicates an insufficient supply of qualified teachers; therefore, in addressing staff shortages, school leaders are increasingly hiring specialists from other professional fields to work as teachers.
7. Interestingly, the age profile of all newly hired teachers differs depending on the language of instruction. In Lithuanian-language schools, contracts are most often concluded with new teachers aged 33–43. These schools attract individuals who have already accumulated professional experience (pedagogical or otherwise). Although it cannot be determined whether these individuals previously left schools or are entering for the first time, this nuance suggests that such teachers may be more motivated and make more deliberate career choices.
8. Schools with Russian as the language of instruction have hired a higher proportion of retirement-age teachers than other schools, indicating difficulties in attracting new teachers.
9. In schools where instruction is conducted in Polish, mixed, or other languages, a higher proportion of newly hired teachers are aged 44–53. It may be assumed that this is related to teacher migration between schools.
10. A larger share of early childhood education teachers tend to work at or below a full-time workload, or part-time, while pre-primary education teachers most often work slightly above a standard full-time workload. Although this trend may allow part-time specialists to combine direct work with other activities and help school leaders attract a specific segment of employees, it does not create sufficient opportunities for teachers’ full integration into educational institutions and increases the risk of staff turnover.
11. The overall age distribution of pre-primary and early childhood education teachers in Vilnius City Municipality is relatively favorable. Only a small proportion of teachers are of retirement age, and they work part-time (a total of 175.71 FTE). With a slight increase in the recruitment of new teachers, Vilnius could achieve a balanced age distribution among pre-primary and early childhood education teachers.
12. Greater challenges arise in educational institutions where instruction is conducted in Russian. In these institutions, long-term renewal of the teacher reserve is hindered by a higher proportion of pre-retirement and retirement-age teachers (nearly 30%) compared to other schools, as well as by difficulties in attracting teachers under the age of 30.
13. Although the age structure and teaching experience of pre-primary and early childhood education teachers indicate that these institutions employ teachers with substantial professional experience, the number of teachers newly entering the system (i.e., with up to two years of teaching experience) has increased.
Report (in Lithuanian)
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