Education | An advertisement for an application that provides placements annoys teachers: “It gives the impression that anyone can be a teacher”

Vicar is an application released at the beginning of 2023, which is intended for passing on placements in the teaching field. The application has advertised on social media with word reversals that have irritated some of the teachers. The teachers contacted the editorial office of Helsingin Sanomat.

The ad reads: “Did you know you can earn by placing, even if you don’t have a teaching qualification?”

OAJ’s director of education policy Nina Lahtinen notes that the advertising slogan is apt to reinforce the image that anyone could work as a teacher without actual teacher training.

“This annoys those in the industry beyond measure. Substitutes should call themselves substitutes, and those who have acquired a teacher’s qualification are teachers.”

However, Lahtinen believes that the application itself can be a good addition to the surrogate market. In the field, it is common to contact the school principal directly when you want to make substitutions. Kuntarekry and the employer’s own channels are also in use. Through Vikaaria, for example, education students can report their interest and skills to schools and those who decide on placements. The application is free for those who sign up as substitutes, municipalities pay for use.

“Everything that contributes to making it as easy as possible to combine a workplace and a creator is welcome. The employer can then check through the application whether there are any suitable applicants available. It is the employer’s responsibility to hire qualified people.”

Lahtinen wondering if this is a deliberate provocation to gain attention for the new app.

The background of the application is Softigo from Vaasa, whose CEO is André Erickson. He assures that the purpose of the ad was not to annoy or offend anyone.

“We absolutely do not want to give the impression that qualifications are not important. I have to go through all the ads and make sure the message is the right kind.”

Ericksson sends greetings in the direction of OAJ, if the trade association has good suggestions for the content of the ad. The service currently has around 700 users, and it has been tested mainly in the Coastal Ostrobothnia region. Next, the application will be tested in Turku.

“My wife is a special education teacher, and she has told me how frustrating it can be for the school principal when it is difficult to find a substitute, especially at short notice. There is Åbo Akademi’s teacher training institute in Vaasa, but we still don’t want to find substitutes.”

Ericksson says that he was surprised by the fact that there has not been an app for surrogacy in Finland before. He firmly believes in the service, even though we are still in the early stages.

Nina Lahtinen points out that OAJ is still waiting for the teachers’ register to be implemented. In the last term of government, investigations were carried out on the establishment of the register, and now it would be time to register who is a trained and qualified teacher.

“The register would also provide information on the need for training, so that there would be enough teachers for substitutes.”