A striking Bristol teacher has told Bristol Live that despite the perception of teaching as a secure profession, they are struggling financially partly because rent in the city is “astronomical”. The staff member at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, where staff went on strike last week in a dispute with the government over pay, said that despite being mid-career and having a partner who works full-time, they are unable to get a mortgage.
The staff member is keen to dispel the myth that teachers are all financially comfortable with disposable income. They said: “A lot of people have this false perception that teachers are all financially stable. I’m in a very unstable position, and it's important that the government know that not all teachers are in really stable homes with low mortgage payments and loads of extra money.
“That’s not the reality, it can be really difficult to make ends meet, and the current situation [with high inflation] is making that so much harder, especially in Bristol.
