Government Introduces New Travel Subsidy for Teachers: Up to €300!

New Travel Subsidy for Teachers

The Portuguese Government has announced a new travel subsidy for teachers who work more than 70 kilometers away from their tax residence. This decision was revealed by the Minister of the Presidency following a Council of Ministers meeting.

The subsidy will range from €70 to €300, depending on the distance. It is specifically aimed at teachers in schools identified as having a critical shortage of educators. In addition to this subsidy, a special recruitment process will be launched to fill these positions, focusing on subjects with the most significant teacher shortages.

Addressing Teacher Shortages

Directors and teachers' unions have long advocated for both the travel subsidy and the new recruitment process. These measures were not initially part of the Plano +Aulas +Sucesso, which aims to tackle the issue of teacher shortages. According to Leitão Amaro, the Government is taking these steps in response to the results of recent teacher placement competitions, which highlighted the mismatch between students without classes and teachers without students.

In June, the Government identified 169 school groups facing critical shortages, with 119 located in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The Alentejo and Algarve regions are also significantly affected. The selection criteria focused on schools that had not filled teaching positions in the past three academic years.

Disciplines in Demand

Fifteen subjects have been pinpointed as having the highest demand for teachers, including Portuguese, Mathematics, Biology, Geology, Physics, Chemistry, History, and English. The Ministry of Education reported that the Lisboa and Vale do Tejo, Alentejo, and Algarve regions still face the most unfilled positions.

Currently, there are 3,000 positions unfilled, 19,000 teachers without placements, and 1,600 teachers with no assigned hours, predominantly from the Northern region of the country. This situation prompted the Government to approve a new decree-law that includes the travel subsidy and an extraordinary recruitment process.

Additional Measures

Among the measures approved is a bonus for teachers who continue teaching after reaching retirement age, as well as for retired teachers who choose to return to the classroom. The Government aims to recruit 1,200 teachers through these initiatives, although skepticism remains among educators regarding their effectiveness. As noted by Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Public School Directors (ANDAEP), many teachers are exhausted and disheartened with the current system.