Amsterdam city council has set aside €400,000 to pay travel expenses to new teachers in an effort to cope with the capital’s shortage of teaching staff.

The shortage of teachers at primary schools is forecast to rise to 400 by 2020 as high housing costs and expensive travel deter them from moving to the city, according to the Parool.

New teachers who live at least 20 kilometres from the city will be able to claim up to €2,000 a year and the project will run for two years, the paper said.

Schools are also being encourage to attract more people from other professions to move into education. The council has also allocated €100,000 to fund the special checks that people without teaching qualifications need to take the plunge.