Mayors in Greece’s top touristic destinations on the islands appeal at locals to adopt a teacher even if temporary. A big accommodation problem emerged on islands like Mykonos and Santorini, when part-time teachers in primary and secondary education were assigned end of August the islands considered to be top tourist destinations and therefore very expensive for Greeks.
With a salary at 700-850 euros per month, a teacher can hardly afford to rent a house even if with other colleagues or a small flat for 700 euro. Unions speak of prices like 350 euro for a small studio or 700 for a two-room apartment.
The Mayor of Santorini, Nokos Zorzos made a public appeal to local population and asked them to “adopt a teacher.”
Speaking to Aegean Voice TV, Zorzos said “We are in constant search for accommodation for teachers. We have been holding several meetings to address the issue. There are no houses to rent, we are in dead end. I appeal to locals: Adopt a teacher for a short time.”
Dozens of part-time teachers literally stranded on Mykonos and Santorini last weekend and had to spend the nights in sleeping bags at the beaches. Τhey have been unable to find either affordable rooms in hotels or flats to rent. They have been sleeping under the stars in sleeping bags or in cars. And some allegedly set up summer tents.
In a report of daily TA NEA, the ministry of Education had hired 15,000 alternate teachers short before the school year started on September 11th.
When teachers submit an application for a job, they do not apply for a special city or island but for the broader region. These teachers may have had smaller and therefore cheaper islands in mind.
Sector unions denounce that teachers in expensive areas have to pay exorbitant rent prices while they do not receive any subvention by the state.
A total of 120 nursery school, primary and secondary teachers arrived last weekend in Santorini alone.
One of the teacher described the situation as dramatic and told Ta NEA “I saw people crying.”
A woman said she followed her husband to Santorini together with their 1.5-month-old baby.
“There is no place where we can stay. They showed us a very bad room with not even a toilet,” she said.
The family found a temporary solution after the mayor’s intervention.
The problem does not affect only teachers assigned to Mykonos and Santorini but also to Syros, Corfu and Crete. In fact to all islands where the tourist season is still ongoing and the prices scales target tourists and not working Greeks.
Several teachers blamed also online platforms facilitating short term rentals for the high prices.
Also first time high school students who are forced to study in a city away from home, complained about the shortage of affordable long-term accommodation.
I really don’t understand how the Greek education system allocates teachers.
Why don’t they employ them on the island that they already live on?
The man who attempts to teach me Greek is a married, late 20’s fully qualified primary school teacher who has an apartment here. He was offered 3 months work elsewhere which he could not afford to take as it would cost him more than he earned, he would lose all his private students and his wife would still have to work and live here, and all for 3 months when the whole rigmarole would start again.
Even though he has previously worked at schools on this island his experience counts for nothing and he has to go through the allocation process again and again.