Teachers Working Far Too Many Hours According To New Report
Teachers are some of the hardest working people on earth, with most going far beyond what should be within their job description.
Personnel Today reports that a recent series of studies conducted by University College in London found that most teachers work between 47 and 49 hours per week on average with some working 59 – 65 hours. To change this, the UCL is asserting “radical action” would be required to reduce those hours.
The study was gathered from four surveys with input from primary and secondary teachers conducted from 1992 and 2017 and found that nearly one-fourth of those surveyed were working more than 59 hours per week. An estimated 40% indicated that they usually worked in the evenings after school while 10% worked over their weekend. Seven percent of those surveyed also said that they worked at night to be able to manage their current workload.
Lead researcher, Professor John Jerrim told Personnel Today that this has long been the case for those within the teaching profession and is at least partially responsible for teachers reporting feeling high levels of job-related stress and ultimately leading to poor rates of teacher retention.
UCL researchers recently released a statement saying;
“Policymakers might therefore be better off focusing on other, better evidenced approaches to improving retention, such as increasing teacher pay, improving school leadership and improving working conditions,“
The Department of Education has said that it is making every effort to reduce the number of hours teachers are being asked to work. The agency has also said that over the next three years it will push to improve working conditions and to increase the starting salaries for primary and secondary school teachers.
