Newly qualified teachers report higher levels of
wellbeing and life satisfaction compared to other graduates, but
are more likely to say hard work is unrewarded, according to new
UCL research.
The study, published today in the British
Journal of Educational Studies and funded by
the Nuffield Foundation, also shows that newly
qualified teachers work, on average, nine hours more a week
compared to graduates in other professions.
Researchers from the UCL Institute of Education
analysed data of around 16,000 people born in 1989-90 from the
Next Steps cohort study. The study began in 2004 and has
continued to track individuals into their twenties. By age 26 the
final sample of teachers who had been in the job for up to three
years was 291.
Teachers were asked questions about their wellbeing,
health, working and social lives as well as whether they believed
that hard work in Britain is rewarded.
Lead author, Professor John Jerrim (UCL Institute of
Education), said: "We are currently seeing a shortage of
appropriately qualified teachers, particularly in secondary
schools, and we wanted to find out why so many are leaving the
profession.
“This is of particular concern because not only are
teachers feeling undervalued, many school teachers and heads are
saying this is directly affecting and harming the quality of
education pupils receive.”
Overall, teachers reported higher levels of life
satisfaction and showed no evidence of worse mental health or
less active social lives, when compared to others in the cohort.
For example, 37% of teachers said they were ‘very satisfied’ at
ages 20 and 26, whereas 34% cent of those in office jobs (for
example) said they were ‘very satisfied’ at age 20 compared to
25% at age 26.
Teachers were however less likely than their peers to
believe that Britain is a place where hard work gets rewarded.
Around 30% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that hard work
is rewarded, compared to around 40% of health workers and
lower-managerial workers and 45% of all graduates and over half
of all office workers.
The findings also showed that compared to all
graduates, teachers are paid around £22 more per week. However,
teachers received £54 per week less than their peers working in
health and £71 less than those in office jobs.
Professor Jerrim added: “If teachers are expected to
work long hours, often for little extra pay – but do not feel
that this effort is appreciated – it is little wonder why many
end up choosing to leave the profession.
“More work needs to be done to understand exactly why
young teachers feel this way, and education policymakers and
school leaders need to make greater efforts to show junior
teachers that their hard work and dedication to the job is highly
valued and sincerely appreciated.”
Cheryl Lloyd, Education Programme Head at the
Nuffield Foundation, said: “It is reassuring that the early
career teachers in this study reported relatively good life
satisfaction and similar mental health to their
peers.
“However, given the ongoing teacher supply crisis we
must not be complacent, as less experienced teachers are more
likely to leave the profession. New, returning and more
experienced teachers have a vital role to play in education and
it is important that we build a better understanding of how we
can better attract and retain teachers.”
