I have been surprised that you’ve not published any letters in response to Ruth Brandon’s (18 June) suggesting that young people who can’t find jobs should go into teaching. The saying “Those that can, do; those that can’t, teach” has been poisonous, feeding the notion that a career in teaching is a last resort and requires few skills. It explains why teachers are so often despised. Compare that with other European countries where a teaching career requires high qualifications, is well paid and highly respected.

Teaching is an exceptionally difficult job that requires a multiplicity of skills on top of sound subject knowledge. We all want not just “good” but “inspirational” teachers for our children, not people who are incapable of anything else. How wonderful it would be if the first-choice career for our brightest and best graduates was teaching, with only those who couldn’t get a job elsewhere going into banking.
Bob Epton
Brigg, Lincolnshire

Ruth Brandon’s suggestion not only plays into the very offensive “those who can’t, teach” adage, but also suggests that there aren’t any particularly specific skills involved in teaching. I am a qualified teacher and have struggled to find work in Brighton and Hove (alongside hundreds of others) due to declining class numbers and vast numbers of teachers applying. There is a surplus of teachers and not enough children to teach in the majority of British towns and cities, making this suggestion even more ludicrous.
Lily Bond
Hove, East Sussex