Teachers Want Out – Nearly half of state school teachers ‘plan to quit within five years’
Teaching is a job that many people feel they see themselves working within. It’s a noble profession, a self-less job that involves nurturing and passing on knowledge. Teachers are pillars of society, and that is no exaggeration. Yet, despite all these seemingly positive notions, it’s being reported that nearly half of all teachers in England are looking to leave the education sector within five years. In a survey of 1,788 teachers, 22% said they would leave within two years . That statistic doesn’t align with the layman’s view on what teaching is and its value to our communities, so are these teachers being greedy? Selfish? Why leave such a great job?
Pandemic of underfunding
Well, education is not in a great place. It’s a department that has been severely underfunded from 2009-2010 until 2020. Within this time, school spending per pupil fell by 9%, the most significant cut to the education sector in 40 years. Almost ten years of underfunding have left the education system a shell of its former self, and the pandemic is what caused the dam to burst finally. It’s important to understand that the teachers struggled way before COVID-19 hit. It took a global pandemic for any money to be put back into education, and with a government only willing to do that once all the damage has been done, is it any wonder that teachers do not want to stick around?
So, what has happened to teachers over those ten years of underfunded education? An article released in April of this year talks about the physical and mental punishment that they are feeling. The non-stop hours, unhelpful “health and mindfulness” exercises and 24-hour WhatsApp messages have pushed teachers to the brink. This problem has come about because of an increased workload. 4000 NASUWT members were asked if their workload had increased in the past year, and 91% said yes. In addition, 84% said that it has also negatively affected their mental health.
Creating a support network
The future has to be different, the education sector can only take so much more strain, and if things are to change, it must be within the next 3-5 years. Schools need to be more forgiving and proactive in their recruitment. Creating a support network for teachers should be a priority for all schools; bringing in great teaching assistants, cover supervisors, and school counsellors can be a great way to create that support network.
Joining a Trust
An excellent way for schools to give them more stability is to join a trust. A central system operated by a team of people offers more flexibility to which some teachers don’t have access. The DfE has a great article on teacher wellbeing and how that can be managed, significantly reducing teacher workload.
How can soccialy help?
At soccialy, we genuinely believe that teacher wellbeing should come first. You can keep your school on top by hiring great teaching assistants and support staff. Teachers need a way to manage their workloads as effectively as possible to avoid burnout. That burnout is what is pushing teachers away from the industry and is something that can be avoided through intelligent recruitment.
Over the next few years, when many teachers plan to leave the profession and others aren’t looking to change jobs, it is vital that you attract passive candidates to your teaching vacancies. That’s where we can help. Don’t hesitate to contact us to support you in finding the best candidates possible. We use social media to target passive candidates using our AI. It’s an innovative, savvy and affordable way to tackle your recruitment issues. Contact us today!
