‘Nearly half of young teachers to quit by 2022’

ALMOST half of young teachers expect to quit the profession within five years amid a backdrop of increasing paperwork, longer hours and concerns over their mental health, a report has found.

A recent survey of more than 3,000 young teachers, conducted by the NUT Young Teachers Working Party, found that almost half were considering leaving as a result of an excessive workload driven by increasingly irrelevant accountability measures.

The survey found that 83% believed admin tasks “added to workload and did not contribute to the teaching of children”.

Of those questioned, 77% said that their morale had declined since they had started teaching.

The survey also found that 74% were working 51 hours or more per week, with nearly a quarter saying they are doing more than 61 hours.

The union said that the link between not being able to achieve a reasonable work/life balance and poor mental health cannot be ignored and have today called on the government to take note of the findings.

Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“Mental wellbeing is a key issue for young teachers and a decent work/life balance is therefore essential.

“Young teachers are the future of the profession, yet many talented and enthusiastic professionals are being driven away from teaching, to the detriment of our children’s education. The government needs to accept its responsibility in this crisis and take positive steps to resolve the issues.”