There are teachers living in camping tents in the Algarve while they wait for the summer season to be over and for house prices to lower. The news came from Diário de Notícias this morning.
As the paper explains, teachers who are assigned to schools in the Algarve have to show up for work on Monday, September 2. But as summer is still in full swing until at least mid-September, there are few houses available at accessible prices.
With “no alternatives left”, many teachers end up staying at guest houses, hostels and, in some cases, at campsites.
DN gave the example of 42-year-old kindergarten teacher Susana Ferreira from Braga who this year was assigned to work at a school in Loulé.
She has already committed to rent a house that will become available in mid-September but, until then, she has to live in a tent.
Some teachers are aware of situations in which landlords rent a room for €300 but then it is shared with three other people, all sleeping in bunkbeds.
Teachers do not receive housing or transportation subsidies from the state and, in many cases, they have to decline teaching jobs for family reasons as they cannot take their children with them.
Mário Nogueira, head of the national teachers’ association FENPROF, says that none of this is new.
“During the tourist season, teachers struggle to find accommodation and some even stay in trailers or tents. This has been happening for years,” he told TSF radio.
Nogueira believes that local councils should step in and take action.
“We have talked about this with local councils. It is their duty to ensure dignified, affordable accommodation for teachers,” the association boss added.
