Free accommodation attracts new teacher for Moray

Gillian Elliot will be working in Fochabers

A first teacher has taken advantage of an offer of free accommodation for six months to teach in Moray.

The council has struggled to fill a number of vacant posts despite repeated advertising.

It teamed up with local developer Springfield to provide 10 new two-bedroom properties for new recruits.

Now Gillian Elliot, 23, will take up a post at Milne's High School in Fochabers after two years of teaching in Glasgow.

She said of the accommodation offer: "It was what drew me to the post.

"Starting a new job is daunting enough in itself without the additional pressure of finding somewhere to live. It is a great opportunity to get teachers to come to the area."

'Very encouraging'

Moray Council's director of education and social care, Laurence Findlay, said there had been a significant increase in the number of applicants for teaching posts.

He said: "Previously we were getting just a handful of applications for some posts - now we are typically getting well into double figures.

"Although Gillian is the first to take up the offer of accommodation, there has certainly been a very encouraging rise in the number of teachers applying for posts in Moray and that seems to have coincided with Springfield's very generous offer of free accommodation for six months."

Springfield chairman Sandy Adam said: "We are delighted to welcome Gillian to Moray and to her new home. It's good to hear that the number of teachers applying for posts in Moray is rising.

"Moray is a great place to live and work and we have extended the offer until Christmas with the intention of helping more teachers to make the move."