The government insists there has never been a been a better time to work in a science teacher job in the UK, or any classroom position for that matter. 

So, if that is the case, why are ministers making funds available to woo PhD students with large salaries to enter the teaching world?

Most trainee teachers see their initial placement in a school as the fulfilment of their vocational ambitions, a teaching job for them is the realisation of dreams they may have held since they learned at school themselves.

So why would the government need to tempt others into the role - especially with the rather crass lure of a hefty salary?

The plans, as they are currently understood, would see the start of a scheme that placed the postgraduates in non-selective state schools from September. It will be sponsored by major employers, each of which will contribute £75,000 over three years to cover the increased level of pay and training costs. 

It means that holders of PhDs in maths and physics would be paid a £40,000 starting salary, which compares favourably to the standard starting salaries of £21,600 for newly qualified teachers in the state sector. Furthermore, these parachuted-in PhD students will then be expected to simultaneously teach and learn the classroom ropes.

TLTP Education's role as a teaching recruitment specialist has allowed the company to have firsthand experience of nurturing and guiding the supply line of teaching talent in the UK and the company's managing director has likened the latest government proposals to sticking a plaster over a gaping wound.

Darryl Mydat explained the coalition's initiative risks demotivating other teachers at a time when the government should be looking at ways it can boost morale in the profession to guarantee the respect educators need to have if they are to fulfil government targets.

There are other problems to consider too. Industry or academic experts have no previous teaching experience, they may not have the requisite skills they need to pass on their knowledge to their pupils.

Mr Mydat pointed out that teaching is not simply something that can be fast-tracked. 

He said: "Experienced teachers will tell you that there is more to managing a class than simply subject knowledge and, if students are aware of that, it risks making the new teacher’' job even harder. In addition to that, it is going to be tough to maintain a harmonious staff room if you have two teachers starting at the same time with one earning almost double the other."

However, the major problem is the inadequacy of the numbers the scheme will provide. The UK is currently on the verge of a teacher shortage with council leaders in the UK - and London in particular - pointing out their are not enough school places available to meet demand due to a rising population.

The small scale nature of the current solution will do little to solve this underlying problem. 

If ministers were serious about addressing the issue, surely they would be working to build help teachers build respect from the ground up rather than substituting them at the final minute by inexperienced outsiders on inflated pay?