To examine pre-service teachers experiences of school placement during a teacher supply crisis

Ref: 10/22/2025 - 6252026
Name: Patrick Dundon; Helen Lowe; AnnMarie Young
Email Address: patrick.j.dundon@ul.ie
Phone Number: 0862935837
Institution Address: University of Limerick
Seeking a partner/s in: Northern Ireland

School plcaement (SP) is a key component of all ITE programmes, both North and South.
Increasingly, pre-service teachers (PSTs) find themselves at the intersection of two interconnected crises: a cost of living crisis and a teacher supply crisis.
PSTs on SP in Ireland are unpaid, leading to significant financial burden (travel, living costs, materials), resulting in 61% of PSTs working part-time jobs during SP.
In addition, Ireland faces a significant teacher shortage (e.g., 1,847 vacant posts in March 2025), which places pressure on school management to find appropriate cover for absent teachers.
Over recent years, anecdotal evidence suggests that PSTs are being asked to do more and more Supervision and Substitution (S&S) whilst on SP.
A recent study, found that 91% of PSTs undertook S&S during their final block of SP. 79% of PSTs did an additional 2–10 hours of S&S each week, on top of their ten hours of assigned classes.
From our perspective, there is limited information (policy and empirical evidence) currently available on the extent of, or the effects of, this extra burden on PSTs whilst on SP.
We would like to partner with a HEI in Northern Ireland to capture the lived experiences of PSTs on SP, who are navigating the formative stages of their careers against the backdrop of an educational system short on teachers.