Building union power depends on young people. When joining, young and early-stage teachers, researchers and education support personnel may struggle to find a place within their union. We must make sure that they are included and have a voice at all levels of education trade unions.
We work with our member organisations to ensure trade unions meet the needs and expectations of young education workers and that union structures, policies and activities are fully open to them.
I was impressed by the way my teachers, both in Primary and Secondary schools, had taught me. The way they taught was very motivating and contagious. That inspired me to be like them when I grew up.
#youngteachers “Finding the balance: my passion as a teacher and its workload”, by Petero Sanele Kubunavanua (FTA, Fiji).
Get ready. This is going to be a feel-good story about why you should go out into the world and teach. Also, hopefully it will inspire you to become an active unionist. And if you have left teaching, I will try to convince you to come back to the magical...
#youngteachers “Join the world of teaching! It’s worth it.”, by Anette Sandvaer (UEN, Norway).
After completing university with good grades, I had the chance to do the national service: a one-year mandatory service for Ghanaian students who graduate from accredited tertiary institutions which aims at tackling brain-drain and unemployment hence ensuring that various key sectors are adequately resourced. I did it at the Amansie...
#youngteachers “Making education a choice career for young Ghanaians”, by Samuel Rainer Donkor (TEWU, Ghana).
If you are passing through Glasnevin Cemetery on the outskirts of Dublin City Centre, you may come across the noticeable yet simple gravestone of James Larkin. Engraved on it is ‘James Larkin 1876-1947, The Labour Leader’. Larkin’s Gravestone may be simple but the legacy he left behind is much more...
#youngteachers “I owe my union activism to my students”, by Anthony Dowling (TUI, Ireland).
The professionalisation of the teaching profession, initiated at the beginning of the 1990s, was conceived solely in terms of technical skills. There was little talk of ethics at the time. In this text, we would like to show that far from being “an extra soul”, ethics is at the heart...
"Teacher ethics: ethics of presence", by Eirick Prairat.
In 2015 the number of immigrants seeking asylum in Sweden reached record numbers. In total, Sweden received 163 000 asylum seeking refugees that year. For us. as a teachers’ union, it was natural to contribute to the creation of a system that would make good use of the teaching competence...
“The Fast Track for Newly Arrived Teachers in Sweden: the union’s perspective”, by Patrik Ribe.
Young teacher-activists from Senegal and the Ivory Coast came together to exchange ideas and expand their knowledge on a number of issues relating to attaining quality education for all.
Young Senegalese and Ivorian teachers come together for quality education and effective trade unions
This study aims at examining how teachers’ professional identities are constructed in seven contrasting education systems. The jurisdictions - Berlin, Chile, Kenya, Ontario, Scotland, Singapore and Sweden - were selected to achieve an economic and geographical balance and a range of contexts in relation to educational performance and teacher supply...
The first Education International regional seminar for young and early stage education unionists has clearly shown the young African education unionists’ commitment to not only increase their involvement in their own unions but also support education policies that promote quality education for all in the region.
Young African trade unionists unite to develop ways to strengthen unions
I am a young teacher from New Jersey with over seven years in the classroom. This summer, I traveled to seven different cities to participate in ten different conferences. We had powerful conversations around racial justice in education, progressive movement-building, leadership development, and more. The most impactful experience was the...
Think Global, Act Local: Perspectives from EI Young Advocates' workshop
During an intensive week of training workshops, lectures, and exchange of experiences, over 200 young teachers from all over Russia and neighbouring countries came together to discuss strategies for on-the-ground trade union work in the Russian Federation and beyond.
Russia: Exchange and development for young professionals
During a week of training, sharing experience and exchange, over 150 young teachers from all over Russia have come together to discuss strategies for on-the-ground trade union work in the Russian Federation’s roughly 60,000 schools.
Russia: Intensive training for young professionals