Most teachers would recommend a career in the classroom to their pupils...
but some would not wish it on their own children.
This week’s TES survey shows that 69 per cent would be happy to direct pupils towards a local teacher training college in their search for a career. However, only 58 per cent would encourage their own offspring to follow in their footsteps.
Predictably, enthusiasm for teaching seems to diminish with age. While 85 per cent of those under 30 would recommend it to their pupils, only 80 per cent of teachers in their 30s would be prepared to do so. This compares to 62 per cent in their 40s and 56 per cent of those over 50.
Teachers’ eagerness to recommend a career in the classroom comes despite mounting evidence that their workload continues to increase.
Despite reforms in September, that give teachers more time in school hours to mark and prepare, 19 out of 20 still work at home every night and a quarter do more than two hours work at home in term (see chart, right).
Classroom teachers do more work at home than heads, with 43 per cent clocking up between one and two hours compared to 36 per cent of heads.
However, heads are much more likely to stay late - 84 per cent arrive home after 5.30pm, compared to 48 per cent of classroom teachers. More than half of all teachers say they have less free time than in 2002.
The findings reflect conclusions by Ofsted last month that reforms designed to improve the work-life balance of staff have failed to make a significant impact and heads in particular still have a heavy workload.
