Many primary teachers are deciding not to apply for a principal post because of childcare commitments and the increasing view that the job is not family friendly, according to a new INTO survey.
Many current principals have difficulties managing their childcare arrangements and report that their home life has been seriously affected by their position, the survey said.
In many cases principals concluded that they would not have applied for the position if they had had children at the time of their promotion, such is the stress and pressure involved.
These principals believe there should be a facility for a "step-down" to class teaching hours while their children are small.
Despite the fact that principals can earn upwards of €90,000 a year, based on the size of their schools, 12 principal vacancies had to be readvertised last year because there were too few applications.
The decreasing interest in the job may also be linked to the discrepancy in salaries. A teacher who already holds a high-grade position with special responsibility may only benefit by an extra €100 a week before tax on a principal's salary. This may explain why the average number of applications for each advertised vacancy fell from 2.9 in 2004 to 2.3 last year.
Teaching parents carry a large burden of guilt about their childcare arrangements and in some cases choose to job-share to avoid what they describe as the "childcare minefield", said the survey.
In assessing the standard of their childcare arrangements, 72 per cent of teachers said carers did not have relevant qualifications, while 62 per cent said they had not sought Garda clearance. Some teachers reported paying upwards of €450 a week in childcare fees.
John Carr, general secretary of the INTO, acknowledged that while teachers enjoyed relatively favourable hours and holidays and could, therefore, maximise the amount of time they spent with their children, they continually had difficulties with creche arrangements.
The survey found that the inflexibility of teachers' starting and finishing times - with extra-curricular activities and parent-teacher meetings - could pose problems for childminders and teachers alike.
To accommodate the childminder, many teachers are prevented from doing extra work after school on the school premises.
"The report shows that teachers share the same serious difficulties experienced by all parents in gaining access to adequate childcare and in meeting the costs of this. It is also clear that teachers wish to spend a longer period in caring for their own young children and, in effect, providing their own childcare," said Mr Carr.
Recommendations
Paid maternity/paternity leave to be extended.
Maternity leave to be extended from 18 to 26 weeks as an interim measure with an option of a further 26 weeks' maternity or paternity leave on half pay.
Timeframe to be agreed for 52 weeks' maternity/paternity leave on full pay.
Greater flexibility in securing parental leave.
Parental leave to be extended and available in respect of children of primary school age.
Job-sharing to be made more accessible.
Incremental credit to be available where career breaks are taken for childcare purposes. The State to make a contribution to childcare through the tax credits mechanism.
Childcare facilities to be available at the work place.
Where childcare facilities are located in schools they be separated from the core role of primary schools.
The Department of Education and Science to assume overall responsibility for early childhood education and care policies.