Newly qualified teachers work, on average, nine hours more per week compared to graduates in other professions - and two-thirds say their hard work is “unrewarded”, according to a new study.
Researchers at UCL Institute of Education, which carried out the study, say young teachers are feeling “undervalued” and that headteachers need to make greater efforts to show them “the job is highly valued and sincerely appreciated”.
Lead author Professor John Jerrim said: “If teachers are expected to work long hours, often for little extra pay - but do not feel that this effort is appreciated - it is little wonder why many end up choosing to leave the profession.
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“More work needs to be done to understand exactly why young teachers in England feel this way.”
Teachers were asked questions about their wellbeing, health, working and social lives as well as whether they believed that hard work in Britain is rewarded as part of the study.
Only around 30 per cent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that hard work was rewarded, compared with around 40 per cent of health workers and lower managerial workers, and 45 per cent of all graduates, and more than half of all office workers.
However, the study also found higher levels of wellbeing and life satisfaction among NQTs compared with other graduates.
A total of 37 per cent said they were “very satisfied” at ages 20 and 26, whereas 34 per cent of those in office jobs said they were “very satisfied” at age 20 compared with 25 per cent at age 26.
The findings also showed that, compared with all graduates, teachers are paid around £22 more per week. However, teachers receive £54 per week less than their peers working in health and £71 less than those in office jobs.
Cheryl Lloyd of the Nuffield Foundation, which funded the study, said: “It is reassuring that the early-career teachers in this study reported relatively good life satisfaction and similar mental health to their peers.
“However, given the ongoing teacher supply crisis, we must not be complacent, as less-experienced teachers are more likely to leave the profession.”
Researchers analysed data of around 16,000 people born in 1989-90 from UCL’s Next Steps cohort study. The study began in 2004 and continued to track individuals into their twenties. By age 26, the final sample of teachers who had been in the job for up to three years was 291.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Teachers play a vital role in our society, so it is hugely encouraging to see that young teachers are showing greater job satisfaction than their counterparts.
“We want to ensure teachers are rewarded appropriately and we have set out proposals to increase starting salaries to £30,000 by 2022-23, alongside above-inflation increases to pay ranges for more experienced teachers and school leaders.
“We are also rolling out our Early Career Framework, providing a two-year support package for new teachers, providing them with early career support and development including mentoring.”
