‘Why are teachers leaving the profession?’ A question I get asked over… And over.. And over.
Right now there is a huge teacher shortage.. More and more teachers are leaving the profession for a number of reasons. And this is leading to some huge teacher shortages all around the world. In this blog post today I’m going to be sharing some of the reasons that other educators have shared with me, why they have either left the profession.. Or are considering leaving the profession.
1. A Lack of Support
This is a lack of support from everywhere – colleagues, admin, even higher ups… Student’s families.. Other professionals. Now more than ever, teachers are really feeling the lack of support. You could scroll TikTok today and see any number of accounts that are minimizing the job that teachers do and taking advantage of it. Everywhere that teachers look, they are faced with a lack of support. Both within their profession and outside it.
2. Class Sizes
Class sizes are continuing to get bigger and bigger. And that doesn’t mean that the budget or support staff get bigger.. It often means smaller. Teachers are being given more and more students – of all different ability levels – into their classrooms.
3. Overworked
I think one of the most obvious reasons for most teachers choosing to leave the profession is because they are overworked and exhausted. You’ve probably seen the TikTok videos of people saying that teachers are glorified babysitters.. And how can teaching be hard when you get all of the summer off…
The problem is that people don’t see all of the hours outside of the classroom that teachers are putting in as well. And the problem is, once you start adding extra things to take home, or do before school.. Before you know it, work is literally taking over your life.
4. Low Salaries
Teacher salaries are not great.. And what you start on, can be pretty awful depending where you live. Unfortunately, in many places, those small pay rises each year take a long, long time to get you to a really good salary… And then you’ll probably be spending most of it on your classroom!
5. Their Time Isn’t Respected
This ties in with being overworked but it was a reason that was brought up specifically by a few ex-teachers. They all felt that admin especially would not respect their personal time. They would expect teachers to arrive early.. Stay late.. Volunteer on evenings and weekends for different events.. And to be available at all hours to respond to work emails etc.
6. Better Opportunities Elsewhere
I believe that when people become teachers, it’s because they truly love the profession, and they want what is best for their students. However, sometimes it’s really sad to say that all of the other reasons just override this.. And teachers are actively looking for better opportunities elsewhere.
7. Inadequate Preparation and Training for New Teachers
I don’t think this is necessarily a new reason.. And it’s something that’s been a problem for a long time. However, with the severe teacher shortages going on right now, this is definitely becoming a bigger problem. More and more teachers are being thrown into the deep end without adequate support, training or preparation.
8. Little to No Student / Family Accountability
A lot of ex teachers stated that this was one of the main reasons for why they quit.. That there is no accountability for students and/or their families.
9. Constantly ‘On the Clock’
Lots of teachers find that they feel that they are constantly on the clock. This can be even more stressful if you have students / student’s families calling, texting and/or emailing you at all times of the day.. And all days of the year.. Meaning that you can never truly shut off.
10. Sick Days Can’t Be Sick Days
In most professions, when you call in sick, it means exactly that. You call in sick, you go back to bed and you rest. It’s not really the same in the classroom.. When you call in sick as a teacher, you have alllll of the things to prepare to make sure the day is ok. This is why it’s super important to set up an emergency sub binder at the start of each year. It will mean that everything is prepared in advance for when you have a sub and you won’t have to stress as much if you have to call in sick.
11. Understaffed
A common theme right now that I’m hearing is that more and more teachers are having to cope with less and less staff in their classrooms.. Sometimes this is becoming dangerous, especially within special ed. with certain behaviors.
12. Budget Cuts
All we ever seem to hear are budget cuts, and this is just a recurring theme every year. Unfortunately some years that might just mean that you won’t be able to get much for your classroom so you’re gonna have to either suck it up and do without or spend your own money.. Whereas other years it can be that you’re given a last minute non-renewal and now you’re stressed trying to find a new position while also finishing up the school year.. This is so stressful!
13. Spending Money on Classrooms / Students
Which leads us to our final reason.. And that is the amount of money that we spend on our classrooms and/or students. Sure, this is a choice.. And not something you necessarily have to do. But, most teachers do. And those costs can add up really fast if you’re not keeping track or being careful.
So those are 13 reasons why a lot of teachers are choosing to leave the professional and pursue other career paths instead.
What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments down below.
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Nikki
