Teachers across Australia have had enough. They’re tired of having limited work-life balance. They’re stressed “most of the time”. And, a great chunk of them at least, are thinking about quitting.
This is all according to the results of a nationwide survey, conducted by the Australian Scholarships Group and the Australian College of Educators.
The research looked at the satisfaction of 380 teachers across the country and reportedly found 21 per cent of teachers have considered quitting in the past three months. This percentage was higher (27 per cent) for teachers in government schools.
“A lot of issues with retention come within the first five years,” the ACE chief executive officer Helen Jentz told The Australian. “You come out of university and then you’re it. You’re in charge of a classroom. You’re in charge of 30-odd students. It is down to you.”
“Ensuring that early-career educators are well equipped to be able to handle that level of pressure, and that level of autonomy and authority is absolutely imperative.”
What a recent study about schools tells us about class in Australia. Post continues below.
Almost half of the teachers surveyed, from across all education sectors, felt stressed “most of the time” or “fairly often” during the work week.
Forty per cent reportedly said they were “poorly” or “very poorly” paid, and half claimed they “hardly ever” had access to mentoring.
Limited work-life balance was also a problem. Teachers in faith-based schools reported the worst work-life balance, with teachers at private schools not far behind.