Taught lesson on life

TEACHERS are the biggest influence on a person’s life after parents and friends.

Some 82% of people said teachers were very, or quite, influential on their lives, according to a survey by the Get Into Teaching campaign.

More than a third (36%) of respondents in England aged over 16 said school or university was one of the biggest influences on their life – topped only by family life (58%) and work (40%).

Celebrities (59%) and social media (56%) were deemed to have less effect than parents, friends and teachers.

A spokesman for Get Into Teaching said: “Our research underlines how teachers have stood the test of time when it comes to shaping lives.”