A survey of 8000 public school teachers reveals the majority can’t see themselves staying in the profession until retirement.
The research, led by Professor Fiona Longmuir, of Monash’s Faculty of Education, was collected from public school teachers, principals and other education support staff across Victoria, with seven in 10 saying they don’t see their current roles as their forever career.
Mid-career professionals are the most uncertain about whether they plan to quit or stay, with excessive workloads listed at the top of career-related concerns. The data shows teachers work an average of 12.4 hours of unpaid overtime per week and reveals that more than 80 per cent are unhappy about their salary. The research paper highlights that, unlike comparable professions, salaries in the education sector do not typically increase over time.
Worries about increasing incidences of poor student behaviour, including physical violence, were also having an impact, with two-thirds of respondents citing it as a key reason behind their plan to leave the profession early.
“I was never employed to work with violent students and that is what my job is turning into,” one anonymous respondent told researchers.
One-third of respondents named the issue of poor parental conduct as a contributing factor.
Educators feel “bogged down”
AEU Victoria president Meredith Peace says being “bogged down” with admin work was another issue for educators.
“Without significant and urgent action to retain current staff, the teacher workforce shortage crisis impacting Victorian public schools will get worse,” Peace says.
“They report not having the time for doing their key work, including working directly with students, collaborating on teaching and learning, supporting colleagues and planning curriculum.”
She said the Victorian state Labor government had not done enough to address teacher shortages and claimed the education department “dumped” extra regulatory work on already over-burdened staff.
“Salaries in Victorian public schools do not reflect the complexity of teaching or adequately cover the hours worked and are not competitive with teachers in other states and territories or the private sector,” Peace says.
