interests of the teachers of the country cannot be too much
emphasised, having regard to the fact that local authorities are
bodies composed mainly of men elected on a rate-saving principle.

The salaries paid to bursars and student teachers are insufficient
to cover charges for maintenance, clothes, books, etc. Speaking
generally, a quite substantial sum must also be found during each
year of the collegiate course, for college expenses and for board
and lodging during vacations, so that a candidate's parents must hold
themselves financially responsible for her during the various
stages of her training, except in so far as the cost is covered by
scholarship and maintenance grants. Women candidates are in this
respect far worse off than their male colleagues, as, at every stage
of their training, they receive a smaller maintenance grant. At a
residential college, while men receive £40, women receive £20; at a
non-residential college the grant for men is £25, for women £20.
As the whole supply of teachers for each year leaves the Training
Colleges in July,[6] it follows that many of these must wait for
varying periods before finding employment: during these periods the
burden of maintenance must again be borne by the parents. The need for
legislation in the economic interests of teachers is borne out by the
fact that highly trained students of good character are unable to
find employment, even at low salaries. Of 4,384 teachers who left
the training colleges in July 1908, at least 1,226 were, three months
later, without employment, and 259 were known to be without employment
even twelve months later; whilst of the 4,386 students who left the
Training Colleges in July 1909, 1,528 were still without employment in
October 1909. These figures are for both sexes, but by far the larger
number of teachers are women.