WHO’S LEAVING?AND WHY?

TEACHERS’ REASONS FOR LEAVING THEPROFESSION

A REPORT BY THE NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS

APRIL 2001

WHO’S LEAVING? AND WHY?

TEACHERS’ REASONS FOR LEAVING THEPROFESSIONA REPORT BY THE NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERSAPRIL 2001

INTRODUCTION

In the March 2001 edition of the NUT’s ‘The Teacher’ magazine, the NUT includedtwo short paragraphs entitled, ‘Who’s Leaving?’ on page 4 of the magazine.

“Are you a young teacher who is thinking of leaving the profession?” TheNUT is researching the reasons why recently qualified teachers quit.

So we’d like to talk to you – or any of your colleagues who are planning toleave”.

Within two weeks, the NUT had received 56 detailed letters from teachers who hadalready left teaching, had handed in their resignations, or were seriously consideringleaving the profession. They represented a wide age range.

The majority of these letters were detailed, frank, honest and heartfelt. Theydescribed the frustrations and, often painful, experiences faced by these teachers.Many of the respondents’ reasons for wishing to leave were common and, perhaps,of little surprise to the profession as a whole.

THE SAMPLE

This report involved initial analysis of the letters and follow-up telephone interviews.

Nursery &Primary

Secondary Total

Female 47% 24% 71%Male 9% 20% 29%Total 56% 44% 100%

65 per cent of the secondary teachers in the sample specified specialisms inshortage subjects (Modern Foreign Languages; Design & Technology; science;maths and Information Technology)

Age Range

Under 25 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49 50 to 547% 48% 22% 4% 4% 2% 13%

MAIN FINDINGS

Reason given for leaving Reasons given by Teachers (percentage)

Excessive Workload 82%

Pupil Behaviour 58%

Stress/Ill-health 56%

Pay 56%

Under valued 56%

Internal Pressure 51%

Lack of Time 49%

Lack of Support 40%

Lack of Resources 27%

Unfair incentives 22%

OFSTED/External Pressure 22%

Target Setting 20%

SEN/Inclusion 16%

Contractual Issues 11%

It’s better in Scotland 9%

Poor training/Induction 9%

• 82 per cent of respondents described the pressures of workload as an importantcontributory factor to their decision to leave teaching.

• Half the respondents (49 per cent) mentioned the pressures caused by the lack oftime in which to fulfil their duties and not being able to balance the demands ofwork and home.

• 58 per cent of the respondents cited the lack of discipline and poor pupilbehaviour as reasons for leaving. 16 per cent of respondents expressed theirconcern about impractical and unworkable ‘inclusion’ policies.

• Over half of the respondents (56 per cent) described their exasperation at beingunder-valued and undermined by negative publicity.

• 56 per cent of respondents mentioned that their job was making them ill.

• For 56 per cent of respondents financial reward was an issue, but money wasseldom cited as the main reason for wishing to leave the profession. Frustrationwas expressed by 22 per cent of teachers at the perceived unfairness of recentrecruitment initiatives and at the divisiveness of performance related pay.

• 51 per cent of teachers felt undermined by excessive pressure from within theschool, generally from the senior management team. 40 per cent of respondentscited a lack of support from colleagues in school

• 27 per cent of teachers described their frustrations at the lack of resources,particularly the state of the school buildings and the classrooms they worked in.

• 20 per cent of teachers mentioned their frustration that the ‘classroom has nowbecome a place for targets not children’.

• Several new teachers (11 per cent) mentioned the lack of a permanent contractas problematical.

• Nine per cent wished they worked in Scotland.

TEACHERS’ REASONS FOR LEAVING

Excessive workload

82 per cent of respondents described the pressures of workload as an importantcontributory factor to their decision to leave teaching.

“During my first year, I would spend all my evenings doing schoolwork andwould usually still be up until 1.00 a.m., midweek. Sundays, would just be aworking day without the children and the work would continue through to theevening again. I accepted this, as I was newly qualified and needed to buildup a bank of resources and curriculum plans. The only thing that kept megoing was the thought ‘it will be easier next year’, but I have been saying thisfor years now and I have finally come to my senses and realised that itdoesn’t get any easier, in fact my workload is just increasing. My enthusiasmand motivation have gone and I dread it when Sunday arrives, as I know myworking week has started again.” (Female primary teacher, aged 27)

Half the respondents (49 per cent) mentioned the pressures caused by the lack oftime in which to fulfil their duties and not being able to balance the demands of workand home. Several teachers said that they found that the demands of the classroomintrude too much on that of family life.

“I didn’t have a life – it got to a stage that when my children said they werecoming home to visit at weekends, I didn’t want them to come, as they woulddisrupt the planning that I had to do on Sunday.” (Experienced femaleprimary teacher, aged 53)

“Despite the support of the staff, to continue with full-time teaching wouldhave meant that whilst fulfilling my duties to my class, I would have had toneglect the relationship with my own child. That is a price not worth paying.”(Female primary teacher, aged 27, left teaching in under-four years)

One teacher, with excellent qualifications, described teaching as a ‘dead end’ jobmainly due to the lack of time available for professional development.

“For me, the biggest problem is the lack of challenge in the job. Yes, it istiring and the workload is huge; I regularly spend evenings and a day at theweekend on my work. Yet, the work is the same and there is little I can do tobetter myself, or my wage. Here is my proposition: that teachers be givennon-contact time to use as they wish. Some teachers could use the time tocatch up on their work, but those, like me, who wish to learn more andincrease their pay, could take on studies and further qualifications, such as inclassroom management. Therefore, I would feel challenged and valued whenI received pay rises linked to my new qualifications.” (Female primary teacher,aged 28, currently in her second year of teaching)

Poor pupil behaviour

58 per cent of the respondents - particularly, but not exclusively, less experiencedteachers - cited the lack of discipline and poor pupil behaviour as reasons forleaving.

During one telephone interview a teacher told how she was currently on sick leaveas a pupil had broken her finger. This former social worker had completed hersecondary science PGCE two years previously (despite the sudden death of herstudent teacher husband in the middle of his PGCE course) and yet now felt shewas unable to continue working as a teacher.

In addition, amongst these teachers, there was a feeling that the rights of childrenand parents were not balanced by responsibilities and that the rights of teacherswere largely ignored.

“Teachers are no longer respected, with pupils now believing they have thegreater power, often substantiated by law and Government implementation.”

“Instead of attempting to address the balance and restore a safe, disciplinedworking environment for the children in our care, it seems we have come torely upon meaningless awards such as ‘Investors In People’, which puts anice gloss on the sham. We were expected to complete numerous forms,giving targets and estimates, none of which have ever seemed to do anygood. A working day sometimes seemed to be a triumph of paperwork overaction. My voice is never heard. My opinions go no further than my head offaculty and I feel desperately sad and disillusioned that no one in authorityseems to value common sense.” (Male secondary teacher thinking of leavingthe profession after three years teaching)

Several respondents reported their frustration at the lack of support they hadreceived from the school in dealing with pupil discipline.

One such teacher, who has been teaching for nearly two years, has had asuccession of extremely challenging classes and had received little, if no supportfrom those who had been identified as her mentors.

“I’m thoroughly disgusted and saddened that a career, which I thought couldhave lasted several decades, has, in fact, come to an end in less than twoyears, and the £2,700 student loan that I have been left with, is the only relicof this sorry tale. I believe that the daily, unmanageable behaviour, coupledwith the desire of the senior management team to sweep wilfully under thecarpet any problems which required a radical re-think of current policy, havecontributed to forcing me out of a position that I believe I had much to offer.”(New secondary teacher, who will be leaving at the end of the Easter term2001)

16 per cent of respondents expressed their concern about what they perceived to beimpractical and unworkable ‘inclusion’ policies.

“The implementation of such ideas as ‘inclusion’ puts yet more pressure onteachers who find themselves no longer having any sanction with the children.

Lessons become more a form of ‘crowd’ control, rather than teaching thecurriculum. (Female NQT working in secondary school)

“I believe in Inclusion – but it needs to be funded, providing an extra memberof staff for 1:1 if needed” (Female teacher working in a nursery school)

“Some children who need to be in special schools aren’t assessed quicklyenough – we have to manage day in day out with no support and some havebeen put in mainstream due to ‘inclusion’ when they can’t cope withclassroom learning” (Female secondary teacher recently resigned from post)

Constant Criticism

Over half of the respondents (56 per cent) described their exasperation at beingunder-valued and undermined by negative publicity.

“I’m sick of being bullied by Government and the Press – every time I open apaper, or put on the television, either the Government or the Press is puttingdown, or misrepresenting teachers. This, in turn, gives parents permission tobully teachers too! Again, this kind of negativity, name calling andmisrepresentation, would not be allowed in any classroom.” (Female primaryteacher thinking of leaving after four years of teaching)

One telephone interviewee cited public perception of the profession as the mainreason for her serious consideration of leaving. She had previously given up herplace as a trainee accountant with a top accountancy firm to become a teacher andwas now completely disheartened by the general perception by society of teaching asa low status profession.

Few of the respondents mentioned an OFSTED inspection as a contributory factorto them leaving the teaching profession. Of the 22 per cent of respondents that didrefer to external monitoring and inspection, their comments were not alwaysnegative.

“The school also underwent an OFSTED inspection. During the inspection,my lessons were well received by the inspector. I achieved a satisfactorylesson, with a very difficult class, and a ‘good’. The school, however, failedand went into special measures. I decided to leave this school as it wascosting me too much to live in Swindon and I was still overdrawn at the bankafter a year of working. I did not leave because of the OFSTED results.”(Female secondary teacher in second year of teaching)

The same teacher, however, went on to describe her difficulties in the next school.Her experience illustrates the importance of support from senior management.

“By November, I felt that I was not progressing in the job and, at times, failingthe pupils. I went to the head of department and explained that I did not feel Iwas doing my best and I wanted to improve to become a better teacher. Thiswas the start of my problems, as all I received from him was a long list ofthings I was doing wrong. I did not think that I was such a bad teacher, but I

was made to feel that I was the worst teacher in the school and that I couldnot teach. I feel that the school had taken a good teacher and turned him/her[me] into a bad teacher.” (Female secondary teacher in second year ofteaching)

51 per cent of teachers felt undermined by excessive pressure from within theschool, generally from the senior management team. 40 per cent of respondentscited a lack of support from colleagues in school and several, including the youngteacher above, felt bullied and undermined by senior colleagues.

Others expressed a feeling of being pressured by the culture within the school orfrustrated by the compliant attitudes of their colleagues. Many of the teachers whowere thinking of leaving, or had left, felt guilty for thinking this way.

“Many of the other members of staff felt the same as myself, and they actuallytold me that they were jealous of me when they heard that I was ‘getting out’.What I mainly felt was that there was no support from anywhere – my headteacher told me that, as a teacher, I could not expect to have a weekend off,or be free in the evenings.” (34-year old primary teacher who now works as asupply teacher)

“The overall mentality of the profession needs to change. I know teacherswant to do their best for the pupils, but when they work all these additionalhours, for very little reward, then this is soon accepted as the norm. Anyonewho does not comply seems to be shirking his or her responsibilities. Ifteachers only work the 35-hour week, then people may realise that somethinghas to be done either to attract more teachers to the profession or reduce theamount of work that needs to be done.” (Female NQT, who previously workedin industry)

On a more positive note, several of the respondents (sixteen per cent) emphasisedthat their frustrations were in no way related to the school they were working in.These teachers had nothing but praise for the collegiate atmosphere within theschool and the privilege they felt in being able to ‘make a difference’ to the childrenand young people they taught.

“As a new head of department, I’m lucky to be working in my current school. Ifeel thoroughly supported and part of a team, making an effective contributionto our students.” (Female secondary teacher thinking of leaving after fouryears of teaching)

Stress

56 per cent of respondents mentioned that their job was making them ill.

“Within two weeks I had called Teacherline for support and advice. The strainwas already beginning to show. I became very familiar with the shippingforecast on Radio 4, and the BBC World Service. When I found myself cryingnot just on return from school, but also before I left the house I knew I had to

leave.” (New teacher resigned from the profession after 16 weeks off work onstress-related sick leave)

“After winter half term the pressure continued to increase culminating in amorning drive to Brighton and a walk to the end of the pier both of which I stillcannot remember. Over Christmas I found out that the school had let bothfood technology teachers go without replacement and that my Head ofDepartment and myself would have to cover for them. My doctor signed meoff for two months during which I was contacted by my union representativewho finally informed me I would need to return to school for at least eighteenmonths to stand any chance of winning any legal action. This being a totallyunacceptable condition I sent in my resignation which was accepted by returnof post.” (Male teacher, former engineer, left teaching after 3 years)

One teacher wrote describing how he, having already resigned from the profession,was still affected by the pressures on his wife and daughter, both teachers, whowere also thinking of leaving. While the majority of the reasons he cited were similarto those experienced by others, he also commented:

“Being the only male adult/teacher in the school – the pressures here aredifficult to describe!” (Male primary teacher aged 52)

Poor financial rewards

For 56 per cent of respondents financial reward was an issue, but money wasseldom cited as the main reason for wishing to leave the profession. Several of theyounger teachers who had been teaching for two, three or four years, found itdifficult to cope with the high cost of living on such a relatively low salary.

“Personally, I am finding it extremely difficult to keep my head above waterfinancially. I am a single person, living in London. I live in a sharedownership property because I could not afford a full mortgage on my salary. Ihave student loan debts and am always overdrawn. My monthly outgoingsbarely leave me with enough money to live on.” (Female primary teacher)

Frustration was expressed by 22 per cent of teachers at the perceived unfairness ofrecent recruitment initiatives. Teachers who had been teaching for three or fouryears, in particular, felt a certain degree of bitterness and frustration by the fact thatthey were not eligible for any of the incentives proposed by the Government.

“I trained as a teacher, from 1994-1995, incurring a huge amount of debtthrough student and bank loans. I trained in London and that made the debtshigher. However, I have not been helped to clear my debt at all. I have beenworking for five years and, yet, I will not finish paying these debts off for atleast another two years. However, teachers who are currently training havebeen given thousands of pounds to train and have been told that their studentloans will be ‘written off’! I am a mentor for training teachers and I listen tothem talking about the holidays abroad they will be going on at Easter, when Ihave not been on a holiday longer than three days yet, due to finances. Also,

I see teachers who have been working longer than me, able to go over thethreshold and earn another £2,000. The middle band of teachers, like myself,will gain NOTHING for at least another three years. NQTs have the possibilityto go on the ‘fast track’ scheme, earn extra money and gain faster promotion.One NQT at our school has been able to use their training salary to fund anMA.” (Secondary teacher, thinking of leaving the profession)

“Newly qualified teachers are receiving an incentive. Retired teachers arereceiving an incentive. What about the teachers who are actually in theprofession now? Are they just forgotten about because they’re not posing athreat because they are actually doing what they should be doing –teaching?” (Female primary teacher aged 28)

Several teachers also expressed concern at the divisiveness of performance relatedpay.

“Performance related pay is currently being awarded to those at the top of thepay scale, which widens the pay gap between teachers like myself and themand yet we are expected to work as equal members of teams with them.”(Female primary teacher – mature entrant to the profession)

One of the teachers contacted by telephone said that she was now almost definite inher decision to leave having been offered a job outside the profession.

The system which rewards some but not others is also perceived as unfair byoverseas trained teachers.

“The UK Government is crying out for teachers, yet when teachers arrive herewilling to work, they are put through a process that is insulting anddemoralising, with very little prospect of promotional progression, unless youare a ‘fast track’. If one of those crosses my path, they had better watch it!What makes them a better a teacher than the ones we’ve already got? Whyare graduates getting cash incentives? – why will an NQT next year earn morethan I can make now?” (Australian teacher with 11 years experience, havinggained QTS, has just completed her induction year1)

Several respondents, however, were ambivalent about pay.

“My disillusionment is not based on pay (although more would be nice), but onthe destruction of individuals in their vocations by a succession of Ministersand their cronies who, in most cases, have no experience of teachingwhatsoever.” (Male primary teacher aged 34)

1 The current regulations restrict the employment of overseas trained teachers (from countries outsidethe European Economic Area) in a maintained school to four months in any one post up to a totalperiod of two years. If the teacher wishes to remain employed in a maintained school after this two-year period he or she must undergo a Graduate Teacher Training Programme in order to obtainQualified Teacher Status. Overseas trained teachers without Qualified Teacher Status are paid asunqualified teachers.

“Pay is not a big issue for me. I don’t believe that anyone becomes a teacherfor the money. I don’t think teachers’ pay is too bad, considering that I don’thave to commute and the holidays are good. I believe that many teacherswould prefer their current pay, with reduced workload, than a pay increasewith the same workload.” (Male primary teacher with 12 years experience whoresigned from his post last Easter. He now works as a supply teacher)

Two teachers mentioned the GTC. Their comments were not positive.

“The final straw for me was the GTC. This flagship of the Government is toraise the status of teachers. Who destroyed it in the first place? Governmentdid! Who is to pay for this revival in status? Teachers! £30 a year.Outrageous!” (Male primary teacher aged 34)

Lack of appropriate resources

27 per cent of teachers described their frustrations at the lack of resources,particularly the state of the school buildings and the classrooms they worked in.

“The main problem is that I have no classroom. I work in a village school with6 classes and a nursery. There are only 6 classrooms and a small libraryroom. This is my ‘classroom’ complete with books. It is half the size of anormal classroom and I have a class of 24 year 1 pupils. Parents havecomplained but what can we do? We have obtained a quote from a companyrecommended by Nottingham County Council for over £90,000”

“The short term solution is a portacabin. So, say I work in a portacabin, Ihave an autistic child who wets himself and a child with cystic fibrosis whosoils himself, (not including others with learning and behavioural difficulties).There will be no toilets because our ancient plumbing system cannot takeanother set without backing up. So I am stuck outside in a portacabin, boilinghot in summer, freezing cold in winter, with a soiled child and a wet child withlittle extra help (one to one mornings only for the autistic child). I amexpected to change the children and teach at the same time. Am I a careassistant still? This is what I was before I took on the debt and a 4 yearsdegree.” (Female primary teacher thinking of leaving)

“The children never have their books or pens. They have mobile phones, £60scooters, videos, PC games, Pokemons and Nike trainers, but no pens orrulers!” (Male supply teacher)

Contractual Issues

Several new teachers (11 per cent) mentioned the lack of a permanent contract asproblematical. One such teacher also found that the NQT assessments added morepressure when ‘already over-worked and stressed’. This teacher said:

“I love teaching and if there was a way to teach where I could have apermanent job, not be classed as an NQT, and manage to work nine to five,Monday to Friday, then I would come back.” (Female NQT)

Some new teachers were finding it very difficult to get a full-time teaching job.

“I cannot keep in the profession by just doing supply, I do not enjoy supply, Ifind it very lonely and very unsettling, but the main reason I cannot stay doingit is because it is so unpredictable – some weeks I may only get one day’swork, and then in the holidays I have no income coming in, and what am Imeant to do when it comes to the summer holidays? I need a steady incomebecause my partner and I have a mortgage and bills to pay." (Female NQT,working as a supply teacher in Wales)

Nine per cent of respondents wished they worked in Scotland:

“Teachers in Scotland seem to be getting a more reasonable deal with a 23%pay rise and a genuine 35-hour week so why can’t we? Perhaps we shouldall migrate to Scotland” (Female primary teacher – mature entrant)

Insufficient preparation

Two teachers specified dissatisfaction about the arrangements for induction while afurther two implied that their PGCE course had not sufficiently prepared them for thechallenges they would face in the classroom.

In one of the most frank and heartfelt letters received by the NUT one teacheradmitted that he did not feel he was sufficiently prepared for the job.

“My teaching practice had been difficult and whilst I survived with the help andsupport of the teachers at the school, I did not feel prepared for my newcareer. I felt weak in the areas of planning, monitoring and assessment,classroom management and control.

“As my first term progressed my teaching did not, and I found myselfincreasingly worn down and frustrated by classroom discipline issues. Thisletter is not about apportioning blame on anyone else – pupils or staff – and Iwas fully supported throughout.

“My head teacher emerged as a concerned and compassionate person whocounselled me then gave me time and space to come to a decision. Shestopped the review process of my induction programme before any formalassessment was recorded.

“I have decided to take my time reflecting on whether to pursue teaching as acareer. To this end, and to keep up contact with school life, I have taken apart-time temporary contract as a Learning Support Assistant assigned to aYear 8 boy, who has been excluded for a year, in an attempt to reintegratehim into mainstream schooling. I am able to observe experienced teachers

but have already realised that the problems that I had in the classroom wereby no means unique to me.” (Male teacher)

I just want to teach

20 per cent of teachers mentioned their frustration that the ‘classroom has nowbecome a place for targets not children’.

Many teachers just wish they could do their job.

“I have, on the whole, enjoyed teaching children, and have settled into my job.However, I have felt increasingly overwhelmed by extra pressures throughpaperwork and filing. It seems to me quite depressing, that each day we waitfor the children to go home before the ‘real’ work can begin, or we rush to getthose jobs done before school and then are ‘interrupted’ by the childrenarriving. The very essence of teaching is the care/consideration of thechildren and putting their needs first, but within such a system, this doesn’tseem to be the case. We are satisfying the needs of parents and politicians,where does this leave our children?” (Female NQT, First Class BEd Honours,who has wanted to be a teacher for ‘as long as I can remember’)

“I will be the first to admit that my conscientiousness is somewhatburdensome. Nevertheless, whilst appreciating that the first few years arebound to be onerous, surely this job should not require every single wakinghour? I stand at the end of teaching now, not far from the water, closeenough to paddle, but too deep to be caught by the strong pull of the currentthat can sweep you off your feet and away. It is a dreadful waste really, I aman energetic person, who loves to find interesting ways to capture children’simaginations. It is interesting that you never hear the words ‘balance’ and‘harmony’ much. What happened to lighting fires rather than filling buckets?”(Key Stage 1 teacher, who now works as a supply teacher)

“I actually really love teaching the children! I want to stay in London andteach ‘tough’ inner-city children. I want to inspire them and get them thegrades. When I have taught bottom sets, they have always achieved morethan was ‘expected’ of them from above. The last group of children I taughtfor GCSE gained over 95% A-C. In the recent OFSTED inspection, I receivedtwo ‘very good’ observations. However, nobody seems to want to keep me inteaching. In fact, nobody said, ‘Well done!’ I feel very sad about this and it isno way to motivate me or make me want to stay.” (Secondary teacher withfive years experience)

Many of the teachers expressed feelings of sadness, tinged with guilt, about leavingthe profession after such a short time.

“I will start looking for a new career and, with much sadness, prepare to leavethe profession for good after only two years and wanting to teach since I waseight years old.” (Female NQT working in primary school)

CONCLUSION

The majority of the reasons given by these teachers for leaving or wanting to leavethe profession will be recognised by teachers everywhere. The causes of thedifficulties faced by many of these teachers are complex.