Dozens of secondary school teachers appointed to work in the Greek Islands have found themselves sleeping in their cars or on the beach, falling victim to the extended tourism season.
Schools in rural and remote areas of Greece depend on temporary, seasonal employees and younger teachers often find themselves travelling around Greece looking for lodging each September. However, as this year’s tourist season lingers on, the available rooms are fewer and pricier – especially in islands such as Mykonos and Santorini. Complaints made public through the website of PAME, the communist-party-controlled workers’ union, state that teachers have been asked to pay anything from €350 to €700 per month for a one- or two-bedroom apartment, when the monthly salary of a temp teacher does not exceed €850.
Part of the problem is an effect of the last-minute announcement of their employment. According to a report printed in Ta Nea newspaper, the Education Ministry hired 15,000 teachers in just two days, without consulting with local councils as to where they will stay once they arrive at their place of hire.