Report by Georgia Kriebardi
The situation is exacerbated by exorbitant rents, with even the most basic accommodations costing upwards of €500 per month, while hotel rooms, prioritised for tourists, charge no less than €100 per night. “The situation with the accommodation of teachers in Mykonos is, in one word: hell,” said Dimitris Papadimitriou, president of A’ ELME for the Cyclades region. “Currently, 60 teachers, professors, and kindergarten teachers cannot find a house to rent. They are being asked for €500 for just 15 square metres.”
Papadimitriou described the dismal options available to these educators. “They are either accommodated in poorly maintained municipal structures, crammed with three to four people per room, or they rely on the hospitality of friends and colleagues. Those who have no other option are forced to pay for accommodation at tourist rates or, more often than not, sleep in their cars.”
Nina Grigoropoulou, a kindergarten teacher now in her fourth year on the island, shared her own experience: “Colleagues are sleeping in their cars because they can’t find a room under €100. Business owners prioritise tourists, and the municipality’s accommodations are full and miserable, unfit for anything beyond a brief stay.”
The hardship is not just limited to Mykonos. In Corfu, ELME has raised similar concerns, noting that housing costs are forcing many teachers to refuse their appointments altogether. “The issue of housing is becoming increasingly difficult,” said Nikos Gouliomis, secretary of ELME Corfu. “The government and local authorities are indifferent to this major problem, which is particularly challenging for newly appointed and substitute teachers. Housing costs are so high that they often consume half, if not two-thirds, of a teacher’s salary.”
This situation reflects a broader crisis affecting educators across Greece, particularly in popular tourist destinations. The refusal of local governments to address the housing shortage exacerbates the problem, leaving teachers with few options. “The refusal to offer decent living conditions is a failure of both municipalities and the state,” Gouliomis added. “There should be provisions for subsidized housing, and municipalities, along with regional authorities, should offer accommodations by renting or repurposing available spaces.”
The challenges faced by these teachers are not new, but they have been intensified by the economic pressures of the tourism industry. “It’s very positive that thousands of new teachers have been recruited,” said Zacharias Rigakis, president of ELME Heraklion. “But if they can’t find a place to live, how can they be expected to stay? Teachers are sleeping in their cars, on the beach—wherever they can. The situation is unsustainable.”
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