Hardly anyone wants to be a teacher

The quality of the educational system largely depends on the quality of the teachers themselves; their professional knowledge, skills and values, and also their personality profile. It is therefore essential to attract the most talented, passionate and responsible people to the teaching profession. It is equally important to create conditions that will entice them to stay. From this point of view, it is crucial to discuss the topic of the attractiveness of the teaching profession. The findings of international surveys and the qualitative data of the Learning Makes Sense project in this regard suggest that the teacher’s salary is the most important aspect of the attractiveness of the teaching profession, and that this is critically low in Slovakia. These data point to a potential correlation between low salary and the attrition of education graduates or current teachers towards other professions. Negative stereotypes of teachers, according to which they have too much free time and the quality of their work is low, do not contribute towards elevating the social status of the teaching profession either.

The results of the quantitative and qualitative data analysis of the Learning Makes Sense project are presented in detail in the following sections:

Teacher salaries

The teaching profession is socially and financially underappreciated

Read further (available only in Slovak)

Teacher attrition

Teacher attrition towards other professions is significant

Read further (available only in Slovak)

Job responsibilities of teachers

Skewed images of the teaching profession do not reflect the difficulty of its responsibilities

Read further (available only in Slovak)

Personal and professional expectations

The teaching profession is associated with unrealistic social expectations

Read further (available only in Slovak)

Conclusion

In addition to educating students, teachers are responsible for numerous other activities. Quality education and the fulfilment of the additional responsibilities require a broad spectrum of knowledge, skills and socio-psychological competencies. These high demands and expectations are, however, not met with a corresponding level of salary and social recognition. It is the reality of low salaries and low social standing that turns young, talented and passionate people who would otherwise have considered teaching as their future vocation away. It also motivates current teachers to consider transferring to a different profession. This current state therefore negatively affects the quality of human resources in the teaching profession over the long term. In today’s world of rapid technological advancement and changes to the labour market and our lifestyles, both professional and personal qualities are crucial to the ability of teachers to promptly and appropriately react to these changes, and thus contribute to the holistic development of their students.

Author:

Jozef Miškolci