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One In Three Teachers To Leave Within Five Years

One In Three Teachers To Leave Within Five Years

One in three teachers expect to leave teaching within five years, according to new research by the MORI Social Research Institute. In the research, carried out on behalf of the General Teaching Council, more than half (56%) of teachers in England say their morale is lower than when they joined the profession and a third would not go into teaching if they had their time again.

7 January 2003

Education

Some 15% of newly-qualified teachers, and one in five teachers with between one and five years' experience, between six and 10 years' experience and 11-15 years' experience (22%, 21% and 22% respectively) believe they will quit teaching within the next five years

Asked to nominate the main factors which demotivate them as teachers, more than half (56%) cite "workload (including unnecessary paperwork)". At the same time, two in five (39%) mention "initiative overload"; a third (35%) the "target-driven culture"; and three in 10 (31%) blame poor pupil behaviour and discipline. Male teachers, Black teachers and those working in the secondary sector are particularly likely to highlight the last of these as a problem.

More than nine in 10 teachers feel respected by their colleagues, but feel neglected by those outside education. More than four in five (86%) believe the media gives them no or little respect and 78% say the same of government. Three quarters (74%) "strongly agree" most members of the public don't understand the nature and complexity of the teacher's job.

Topline Results

MORI conducted a postal, self-completion questionnaire survey of all 530,000 members of the GTC.
These figures are based on 70,011 completed questionnaires. For all questions, the aggregate results are shown.
The fieldwork ran from 4 October until 29 November 2002.
Data have not been weighted.
An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage of less than 0.5% but greater than zero. Where percentages do not add up to 100 this may be due to computer rounding, multiple responses or the exclusion of 'don't know categories'.
Base: All respondents, unless stated.
Figures are expressed as percentages.

Being a teacher

Q1. Thinking back to your decision to become a teacher, which THREE of the following factors, if any, most motivated you to do so?

	%
Family "tradition"	8
Giving something back to community / society	19
Inspired by a good teacher	21
Is a "safe" career (job security)	17
Lack of other options post-graduation	8
Long holidays	12
Love of my subject	26
Opportunities for career progression	3
Opportunities for professional learning	2
Pay	2
Positive personal experience of school	20
Professional autonomy	6
Role is creative / mentally stimulating / challenging	33
Role is dynamic and varied / is not routine	23
Wanted to teach pupils better than I was taught	10
Work in the public sector	2
Working with children / young people	54
Other specified (see data tables for breakdowns)	1
Other	8
None of these	*
Don't know	*
Not stated	1

Q2. Which THREE of the following factors, if any, continue to motivate you most as a teacher?

	%
Being part of a school community	18
Collegiality / teamwork	15
Effective school management	3
Giving something back to community / society	11
Hours fit with family / other commitments	14
Is a "safe" career (job security)	9
"It's better the devil you know"	5
Job satisfaction / sense of personal achievement	32
Long holidays	16
Love of my subject	14
Opportunities for career progression	2
Opportunities for professional learning	2
Pay	7
Professional autonomy	3
Role is creative / mentally stimulating / challenging	25
Role is dynamic and varied / is not routine	19
Sense of vocation	14
Too late to re-train / do anything else	16
Working with children / young	42
Other specified (see tables for breakdowns)	*
Other	3
None of these	1
Don't know	*
Not stated	3

Q3. And which THREE of the following factors, if any, demotivate you most as a teacher?

	%
Boredom / lack of variety	1
Changing priorities / commitments (e.g. family)	3
Conduct of / lack of support from parents	11
Inappropriate / inadequate professional training	3
Increasing pressure from pupils' parents	4
Initiative overload	39
Inspection	19
It's a younger person's profession	1
Lack of professional autonomy	6
Levels of resourcing	11
Low morale of colleagues	9
Pay	11
Perceived low professional status / image	18
Physical / mental ill-health	3
Poor school management	10
Pupil behaviour / discipline	31
State of school buildings	4
Target-driven culture	35
Time for a change / to do something different	2
Workload (incl. unnecessary paperwork)	56
Other specified (see data tables for breakdowns)	*
Other	4
None of these	*
Don't know	*
Not stated	2

Q4. How would you rate your current level of morale / motivation in comparison to when you first became a teacher?

	%
Higher	11
About the same	27
Lower	56
Don't know	1
Not stated	5

Q5. Do you expect to still be a teacher in five years' time?

	%
Yes, definitely	21
Yes, probably	43
No, probably not	20
No, definitely not	15
Not stated	1

Q6. What are you most likely to be doing in five years' time?

Base: All who do not expect to be a teacher in five years' time (24,064)

	%
Pursuing an education-related career (e.g. as an LEA adviser, for an exam board, developing education resources etc.)	10
Pursuing a new career unrelated to teaching or education	17
Raising a family / caring for dependants	4
Studying or re-training	2
Travelling	2
Voluntary work	2
Retired	52
Other specified (see data tables for breakdowns)	*
Other	1
Don't know	4
Not stated	6

Q7. If you had to make the choice again, would you still consider a career in teaching?

	%
Yes, definitely	21
Yes, probably	29
Not sure either way	17
No, probably not	21
No, definitely not	11
Not stated	1

Teachers' skills

Q8. Thinking about your skills, qualities and experience in comparison to those of your colleagues, how would you rate your effectiveness as a teacher?

	%
Well above average	32
Slightly above average	39
About average	24
Slightly below average	1
Well below average	*
Don't know	2
Not stated	1

Q9. Are you involved in Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in your school?

	%
Yes	24
No	72
Not stated	4

Q10. In what capacity are you involved in ITT?

Base: All involved in ITT (16,806)

	%
As a trainee mentor	62
As an ITT co-ordinator	9
Other specified (see data tables for breakdowns)	13
Other	2
Not stated	14

Q11. How far do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

Base: All involved in ITT (16,806)

	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
My involvement in ITT has enhanced my own professional practice	23	42	20	5	2	1	6
My involvement in ITT is well recognised and supported	10	26	27	19	8	1	8
I have sufficient time to undertake my role in relation to ITT	4	13	12	33	31	1	8

Q12. Are you involved in Induction?

	%
Yes	23
No	72
Not stated	5

Q13. In what capacity are you involved in the Induction of new teachers in your school?

Base: All involved in Induction (16,323)

	%
As an Induction mentor	46
As an Induction tutor	18
Other specified (see data tables for breakdowns)	16
Other	3
Not stated	16

Q14. How far do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

Base: All involved in Induction (16,323)

	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
My involvement in Induction has enhanced my own professional practice	17	43	26	6	3	1	5
My involvement in Induction is well recognised and supported	11	30	29	16	7	1	7
I have sufficient time to undertake my role in relation to Induction	5	16	14	33	26	*	6

Q15. In your school, which of the following opportunities, if any, do you have?

Q16. Which of the following opportunities, if any, would you welcome having?

	A (Q15) Have	B (Q16) Would welcome
	%	%
Being mentored or coached by a colleague	29	15
Being part of a school-based research or project team	21	25
Contributing to the professional development of colleagues	54	16
Diversifying from teaching to pursue an education-related career (e.g. as an LEA adviser, for an exam board, developing education resources etc.)	8	37
Observing colleagues from your school teach	62	22
Observing colleagues from other schools teach	22	44
Participation in collaborative curriculum development or teaching	47	23
Ring-fenced time for professional development (beyond the five INSET days)	16	56
Not stated	17	18

Q17. Beyond your school, which of the following types of professional learning network, if any, have you participated in?

Q18. Which of the following types of professional learning network, if any, would you welcome being part of?

	A (Q17) Part of	B (Q18) Would welcome
	%	%
A network facilitated by a higher education institution	18	19
A network facilitated by my LEA	38	17
A network facilitated by my union / professional association	8	13
A network sharing practice across a cluster, partnership or consortium	35	22
Active membership of a subject / specialist association	24	20
As part of a research project	10	23
As part of an online professional community	10	13
Through participation in a course of study	28	19
Not stated	29	43

How is the teaching profession perceived?

Q19. What level of respect do you feel each of the following groups gives to you personally as a teacher?

	A great deal	A fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Don't know	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Your pupils / students	28	56	13	1	*	1
Your pupils' / students' parents	16	61	19	1	1	1
Your colleagues	43	50	5	*	1	1

Q20. What level of respect do you feel each of the following groups gives to the teaching profession?

	A great deal	A fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Don't know	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%
The general public	1	29	65	4	1	1
The Government	1	20	60	18	1	1
The media	*	12	65	21	1	1
Other public sector professionals	1	33	50	7	7	1
Private sector professionals	1	18	55	17	8	2
Parents generally	2	48	47	2	1	1
Pupils / students generally	3	51	42	2	1	1
Governors	20	61	14	1	3	1
Teachers' employers	8	53	30	4	4	1
Other employers	1	25	48	6	17	3

Q21. How far do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

	Strongly agree	Tend to agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know	Not stated
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
A sustained campaign is needed to promote and raise the public profile of teaching	45	34	12	4	1	1	2
Compared to other professions (e.g. doctors, social workers), teachers get a fair press	1	15	26	41	14	1	2
Most members of the public don't understand the nature and complexity of the teacher's job	74	21	1	1	1	*	2
Our profession suffers from the lack of a widely-known, single representative as our "public face"	23	33	26	8	4	3	2
Teachers could do more to promote their achievements	10	35	29	16	6	2	2
The Government must become a better advocate of teachers and a career in teaching	56	34	6	1	1	*	2
Teachers would benefit from a primetime TV factual equivalent of "Vets in Practice" or "Children's Hospital" in raising their public profile	16	25	23	17	14	3	2
The portrayal of teachers on TV is unrealistic	37	39	14	3	1	4	2

The teaching profession in the 21st Century

Q22. In which THREE of the following ways, if any, would you most like to see the role of the teacher develop in the 21st century?

	%
Adept users of educational ICT	17
Entitled to appropriate support to be able to concentrate on teaching and learning	59
Flexible career structure incorporating opportunities for career breaks or "down-sizing" without impact on salary / pension	38
Free to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of individual pupils	44
Free to use autonomous and creative teaching and learning approaches	36
Greater clarity of roles and responsibilities, re-emphasising the activity of teaching and learning	16
Incorporating regular opportunities for career-long professional learning (e.g. sabbaticals)	25
Increased status and recognition	45
Other specified (see data tables for breakdowns)	*
Other	5
Don't know	*
Not stated	2

Q23. And finally, which THREE of the following statements, if any, come closest to your vision of the role of the teaching profession in the 21st century?

	%
To create active and responsible citizens	60
To develop the whole child	61
To ensure basic levels of literacy and numeracy	28
To inspire a love of lifelong learning	51
To maximise the strengths of individuals	49
To meet the needs of a competitive economy	2
To produce a skilled and effective workforce	11
To serve the needs of a socially cohesive society	20
Other specified (see data tables for breakdowns)	*
Other	2
Don't know	*
Not stated	2

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