I teach maths in the UK, we likewise have huge teacher shortage problems as well as a lot of issues within the eductaion system itself.

Support for people doing their teacher training is non existent, our governement have experimented with different methods to get around this problem including a graduate teacher program which essentially throws people in at the deep end on a 75% full year timetable with 'training' done in the ither 25% and more.

Myself after teaching History, IT, PE and Maths at the secondary level (equivalent to 11 - 16 year olds) have since moved onto 'Sixth Form' (equivalent to 16 - 18 years old) where i teach Mathematics exclusively. I feel here i have found my niche and enjoy the job immensely...

However the first couple of years were very difficult both financially (starting salaries are low and set countrywide, the teacher training year i was more impoverished then when I was a student), emotionally (the kids give noob teachers hell), and physically (most weeks were 6am till 8pm full working days). It is difficult for me knowing this to recommend this career to anyone in the UK, it is a hard first three years. But then I guess that is true of any career.