Mykonos: an appeal for housing for teachers

An appeal to the owners of homes and tourist accommodation on Mykonos to make properties available for housing the teachers who will serve on the island this year has been issued by the Independent Teachers’ Movement, on the initiative of Vlassis Kokkinos. The teachers are due to arrive on 1 September 2026, a few days before the start of the school year. The request is divided according to employment status: for supply teachers, properties are sought from September to June, while for permanent and newly appointed teachers they are sought for the whole year. The initiative’s slogan, as set out in the announcement, is “Let us welcome them with respect”.

The problem is neither new nor confined to Mykonos. On islands with high tourist demand, most of the housing stock goes into short-term letting, with the result that rent for a twelve-month home settles at levels a supply teacher’s salary cannot bear. The consequence is practical and measurable: teachers who have been posted do not take up their duties or leave early, and the gaps are filled late in the school year. Supply teachers are usually posted a few days before lessons begin and are expected to find housing in a period that coincides with the end of the tourist peak, when availability remains low and prices high. The phenomenon has repeatedly shown up in resignations by supply teachers immediately after taking up their posts, with the gaps filled by new appointments during the school year.

A similar move was recorded earlier in August on Santorini, where homes are being sought for the island’s teachers, as TodayGrid reported in “Santorini: homes sought for teachers”. The repetition of the same request on two different islands within the same week shows that housing for public servants has become a structural issue for the Cyclades, and one that concerns not only teachers but also medical, police and coast guard staff. On Mykonos, housing for workers has for years also been a concern for the tourism sector itself, with businesses securing accommodation for their staff as part of the hiring package.

The initiative relies on a voluntary response from owners and is not accompanied by any institutional measure or financial incentive. No number of properties already offered has been announced, nor how many teachers are expected on Mykonos this year. The next milestone is 1 September, when it will become clear whether the postings are covered in time. More from the island on the Mykonos page. The request is also addressed to owners who keep properties closed during the winter period. No institutional measure has been announced by the municipality or the region for housing teachers this year, nor any rent subsidy scheme for public servants on islands under high tourist pressure.