A recent UK survey reported in the Guardian reveals some alarming statistics about the reasons why teachers leave the profession. The UK survey was conducted by a teacher and author who asked participants about their working hours, motivations to join the profession, positive elements of their jobs and what aspects they find most challenging.  Although the results of the UK teachers survey were alarming, they should not be disregarded by Australian schools because they are from the UK.  They are also relevant to Australian teachers because they reflect sentiments shared by Australian teachers, as revealed in local findings.

50% of teachers work more than 16 hours overtime

1,419 responses received in the UK survey revealed a range of factors which contributed to teachers leaving the profession. Perhaps one of the most concerning statistics revealed by the UK survey was that 50% of participants said that they worked more than 16 hours a week beyond contracted hours.  And 25% of participants put this figure at more than 20 hours per week.

The dangers of this extra workload are clear, with stress and burnout common consequences of over-worked teachers.

Other important statistics revealed by the survey include:

• 67% either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement “my workload was manageable”;
• 32% ranked workload as the top factor (of a choice of six) in their decision to leave the profession;
• 10% of former teachers stated that bullying by managers drove them away from the profession; and
• 5% of participants agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “teaching is positively portrayed in the media”.

The importance of teacher well-being cannot be underestimated.  Teachers who are passionate about the welfare and education of their students appreciate the benefits of their hard work when they see their students achieve and excel.  But when the positives of their profession are outweighed by the negatives, including a negative portrayal by the media – as revealed by the survey – it is understandable that teachers can lack the motivation, or the physical capacity to continue teaching.

Better pay demanded by Australian teachers

The views of the UK teachers are common and shared by their Australian colleagues.  We have previously featured articles talking about the health and safety risks that can arise from teachers who feel they are overworked and unsupported.  For example, The emotional workload of teachers is too often ignored and Teacher awarded $770,000 in damages for injuries caused by ‘feral’ classes.

The phenomenon of teachers feeling ‘burnt out’ is not a new one, but the question remains: “What can be done to improve the industry?”

A recent article by the Age reveals that better pay is a key factor that could improve teacher retention rates.  The Age reported that ‘Victorian teachers asked for a 21 per cent pay rise over the next three years’ and ‘relief from an ever-expanding workload and a reduction in the use of short-term contracts.’  Although that article refers to teachers employed by the Victorian government, the issues it raises are also relevant to non-government schools.

Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Meredith Peace is quoted as saying:

• teachers are expected to do more and more, often out of school hours, and technology means they are in constant contact with parents and students;
• teachers provide students with individualised learning, send real-time reports to parents and need to find time to collaborate with colleagues; and
• ‘there needs to be a recognition that this is additional work on top of the important work we are already doing, like teaching kids numeracy, literacy and life skills’.

But will increased pay solve these problems?  Many teachers teach because they love educating, not because it brings financial reward. And research reported by the Conversation has shown that teachers who teach from a place of personal satisfaction are likely to be healthier, more satisfied, less inclined to burnout and, importantly, perform better than those who do not.

What can schools do?

There are various steps schools can take, other than increasing pay, to try and improve teacher job satisfaction.

These include:

• improving culture:  does your school leadership team take an active role in generating a positive culture amongst teachers?  Does the leadership team encourage feedback from teachers and implement change in response to that feedback?
• education: does your school offer teachers information sessions about personal wellness and how to manage stress?  Does your school encourage activities to promote mental health such as offering staff meditation or yoga classes?
• managing parent-teacher boundaries: does your school enforce a code of conduct for parents in their dealings with teachers?   Do teachers know how to manage unreasonable parent demands?

Ultimately, understanding the demands of teaching is a community-wide priority.  As stated in The emotional workload of teachers is too often ignored: “Teacher well-being is an important issue for all of us, not just in terms of teacher attrition or wasted training. We bestow a great deal of responsibility on our teachers to nurture our children in all aspects of their development. But we can hardly expect this from burnt-out and stressed teachers whose own emotional needs are neither being acknowledged nor met.”

All schools should develop strategies to improve the support and well-being of their staff, including managing expectations from the school community.