11th February 2015 8:00
By Blue Tutors
A new survey has revealed that almost three quarters of newly qualified teachers have considered leaving the profession. The survey carried out by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers suggested that heavy workloads are causing severe problems amongst new recruits, as over three quarters of respondents cited workload as their reason for considering dropping out. Even more said that they did not feel that they had a good work-life balance, and said that their dislike for their jobs stemmed from the amount of work they were expected to complete.
The NQTs surveyed also said that “teacher bashing” in the national press and lack of respect for the profession were almost amongst their main reasons for wanting to leave. Respondents also pointed to the large number of out-of-hours activities in which they were expected to take part. Almost half said that they work between 6 and 10 hours each weekend, and nearly 30% said that they worked more than 10 hours each weekend. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers warned that unless changes were made, thousands of good teachers would be forced out of the profession.
The Department of Education has responded by saying that high workloads were due to school bureaucracy which they are working to reduce. They also reiterated their support for the development of an independent college of teaching which would help to raise the standards and status of the profession. Teacher support organisations warned that changes needed to come quickly, as stress and mental health problems were on the rise in the profession. 53% of new teachers said that they did not see themselves teaching in 10 years’ time, and a quarter said that they would consider leaving after 5 years.