Happy teachers’ only gripe is long hours

1st February 2002, 12:00am

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Happy teachers’ only gripe is long hours

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/happy-teachers-only-gripe-long-hours
A TES survey paints a picture of a remarkably content profession. Biddy Passmore reports

too much work, rather than too little pay, is the major worry for teachers, who are generally satisfied with their jobs and standard of living.

The profession seems to have shaken off the image of, as John Major once put it, “the battered sedan and grimy house on the corner”. The then prime minister was speaking in 1990 and his hope for a better lifestyle has been fulfilled: today, a typical teacher lives in a detached house, owns a new-ish car, holidays abroad and likes the job.

The survey suggests staff work long hours, feel under more pressure than a year ago and only three in five expect to be still teaching in five years. Most of the over-50s who will leave will have reached retirement age but younger teachers will largely quit because of heavy workload.

The poll, conducted before last week’s announcement of a 3.5 per cent pay rise, suggests that unions are right when they say extra money alone will not solve teacher shortages.

But the pay deal, which raises starting salaries to pound;17,628 and makes it possible for bright new teachers to get a pound;10,000 pay rise in just four years, could attract and retain younger teachers. Two in five teachers under 30 feel hard-up.

The survey of 500 state and independent school teachers in England and Wales, conducted by FDS International last month, sends a clear message to the Government: cutting workload and bureaucracy is the key to keeping teachers in the profession.

Writing in The TES this week, Eamonn O’Kane of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers proposes changes in teachers’ contracts to take the pressure off. He wants a maximum “contact” time in class and a limit on working hours, as well as more delegation to support staff. But the Education Secretary this week appeared to rule out a cap on hours.

The poll shows teachers do not want assistants taking classes in their absence. Four out of five were against the idea.

Eight out of ten feel “comfortably off” or “well-off” although the figure drops to six out of ten in London. Nine out of ten own their homes and most take less than 20 minutes to get to work (mainly in their own, quite new, cars.) Most teachers over 40 live in detached houses; many of those are large, with four or more bedrooms.

The survey also shows 82 per cent take at least one holiday away from home a year and nearly a half at least two. Most go away for at least two weeks for their main holiday, generally in the UK, France or Spain.

Most teachers are happy with their jobs. Nearly half describe themselves as “fairly satisfied” and a further quarter “very satisfied”. Teachers under 30 are the most enthusiastic and those over 40 most dissatisfied. Twice as many are “very satisfied” in the independent sector as in the state sector, although there is little difference in the two sectors in standard of living.

John Bangs of the National Union of Teachers said the poll showed teachers were “survivors”. “They’re keeping up with ... unreasonable demands because they love teaching kids but what it does is shorten their working lives. The poll demonstrates their resilience, but at what cost?” Lifestyle survey, 4-5 Pay deal, 8-9; Workload blow, 9 Eamonn O’Kane, 19

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