IT is a word that teachers often hear from their pupils: “boring”. But could that be how an increasing number of young people see teaching itself?

According to Ken Muir, chief executive of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, the answer is definitely yes. Some graduates, he says, see teaching as safe and moderate and would prefer to seek greater risk and challenge in their careers. Teaching might offer lifelong security, but to some young people teaching simply looks a little bit boring.

If true, this might help explain the teacher shortage and why it has become increasingly difficult to find applicants for some posts in some schools, but it could only ever be part of the explanation. As Larry Flanagan of the Educational Institute of Scotland says, if you want to attract teachers you have to look at the salary and we know that teachers’ pay has decreased in real terms since the McCrone Deal in 2001.

There are other issues that could be putting graduates off, including the notorious workload and the piles of paperwork. It also can’t help that when graduates do choose teaching, they are often thrown straight in to the deep end to cover staff shortages and end up disheartened before they have properly begun.

In other words, attracting graduates is not just about making the job seem exciting, it is about making the job sustainable, rewarding and well paid.