The maths teacher under investigation for sending sex texts to several girls had been twice sacked from teaching jobs for the same offence, local broadcaster RTV Rijmond said on Friday.

The 28-year-old was let go by both the Comenius College and the VAVO adult education group in Rotterdam and both schools had informed the schools inspectorate, the broadcaster said.

Nevertheless, the man had been able to get hold of a certificate of good behaviour, which all teachers are required to have, when he applied for a job at the city’s theatre school and the VAVO college.

Comenius College head Joany Krijt told the broadcaster that it had sacked the teacher in 2011 after it became clear he was sending sexual texts to a pupil. The school reported him to an education ministry hotline.

Nevertheless, he was still able to get a job at the city’s theatre school. Then, in 2015, he moved into adult education.

References

‘We gave him a year contract,’ a spokesman for the VAVO college said. ‘He had a certificate of good behaviour and references from previous employers. However, over the year it emerged he was in an amorous email exchange with an adult student. We suspended and later sacked him.’

The VAVO reported the issue to both the schools inspectorate and the police.

The current case against the man stems from a complaint made by a theatre school pupil, the broadcaster said. He was arrested on Monday and was remanded in custody on Thursday for two weeks.

He is being investigated for inappropriate conduct with minors and the possession of child pornography.