February 07 database summary
Summary of the database statistics as of February 2007.
- 110 people registered up to the end of February 2007. With high estimates of refugee teachers in England and Wales suggested to be 1000, this accounts for registrations of 10% of the total number of potential refugees in a 9 month period. 1 Registrations have been steady, and the database has doubled in size since the last
- The ratio of men to women on the database is moving towards parity, with 38% women compared to 62% men. This shows a 10% increase in female registrations from last report period. Refugee women are particularly marginalised and often unable to access services due to a variety of issues, so this is a positive step towards inclusion.
- 45% of registrants hold the equivalent of a UK bachelors degree or above, and have had this verified by UK NARIC. 17% of registrants have both a degree and a teaching qualification verified by UK NARIC. While this percentage may seem low, it should be noted that 38% of registrants do not yet have data available to verify their qualification level. 2
- 57% of registrants express an interest in priority subjects, mainly Maths and Science, or men who wish to teach in primary. Overall, 23% would like to teach Maths and/or Science, 23% are males wishing to teach Primary, and the remainder expressed an interest in RE or ICT.
- 54% or registrants have some type of teaching experience in the UK, although the vast majority are not currently working. It is of key concern to us that nearly half of all those registered have yet to secure experience, either voluntary or paid, in a school, particularly as many have been in the country over 3 years.
- Registrants have consistently cited costs, access to advice and qualifications as their largest barriers to employment, with 42%, 32% and 22% respectively. The perceived barriers of costs and qualifications are directly related to access to advice for refugees and asylum seekers. The RiT project continues to impart advice on Employment Based Routes and qualification equivalence to counteract their barriers.
- Registrants continue to hear about the project most commonly through friends or through the internet (both 15%). However, registrants cited 28 different sources for information about the project, highlighting the diversity of dissemination channels used by the project. Also of note are referrals of 13 teachers by the New Arrivals Project in Sheffield, and 7 from Education Leeds, providers offering similar local services.
1. The refugee population is highly mobile, while often also without of mainstream society, making tracking more difficult. This is reflected both in the registration targets for the year, and in the current total of registrations.
2. This may be for a variety of reasons, such as being on the guidance worker waiting list, awaiting UK NARIC paperwork, lack of original documents.
