The country's three teaching unions are meeting today, with talks set to focus on pay and conditions.

The INTO began its annual think-in yesterday, while the ASTI and TUI conferences begin later.

The TUI has said new teachers are leaving their jobs because they cannot afford to pay rent. The union claims some of their members are earning less than €15,000 a year.

TUI general secretary John McGabhann said that as a result, some schools were already finding it difficult to find science and language teachers.

"We have instances of teachers who have to give up their jobs because the jobs simply don't pay enough to allow them to pay rent," he said.

"We have obviously instances of teachers who wish to teach in Ireland but find that in order to make a living, they have to take themselves, their qualifications and their passion for teaching abroad."

Teachers are warning that there is a three-tier pay scale in their profession.

ASTI President Máire Ní Chiarba claims that over a lifetime, new entrants will earn around €100,000 less than senior colleagues hired before 2011.