Teaching is a revered profession since ancient times, they were valued and respected as true masters of their craft. Today, unfortunately, we often hear bad things about the profession of a teacher, we know how difficult it can be for them sometimes, we know about their workload and wages. What about other countries, if you dig deeper?
Workload
The workload of teachers in different countries of the world varies from 4 to 6 hours per day. For example, in the United States , primary and secondary school teachers spend 1004 and 966 hours a year, in Japan and Poland - 750 and 609 hours, in Israel - 1200 hours. However, these figures do not show the real picture of the load - in the United States, Great Britain and Japan, the established norms are exceeded. In the United States, the workload on teachers will be an average of 53 hours per week, in the UK, daily overtime is 4.5 hours more. In Japan, the working day lasts up to 11 hours, the official overtime of teachers is 45 hours per month, but in reality it reaches 95 hours! Teachers are forced to work even on weekends to organize extracurricular activities and maintain discipline. Such huge loads lead to professional burnout.
Too many students
In Japan, there are an average of 32 students in a class, in Finland - 19. Due to the lack of teachers, in some countries one teacher can work with two or three groups of children. The problem is especially acute in the third world, where 90% of educational institutions do not have enough teachers. In primary school, there are 26 students per teacher, in Europe and North America - 15. The problem of teacher shortages persists! In 2022, tens of thousands of teachers were missing, including the Netherlands, France, Lithuania and the UK. In Australia , 90% of school principals reported that there is a shortage of teachers, in the United States, the shortage of personnel is estimated at about 28 thousand specialists.
How is labor paid
In different countries, teachers' salaries, of course, vary. For 2023, the average salary of teachers was:
- in the USA — $700,
- in Japan – $400,
- in Tajikistan — $100,
- in Hungary, according to 2021 data, the starting salary of a teacher was $400,
- in Spain, the Netherlands and Austria - more than $1,000 (also for 2021),
- in Germany , more than $2,500 (2021).
However, not only the amount of money "on hand" is important, but also the quality of life of the teacher. In the United States, educators are well paid, but face financial challenges due to the national standard of living, inflation, and prices.
According to UNESCO, in 2022, teachers' salaries in Western Europe and North America are 2-3 times higher than those in Eastern Europe and Latin America. The most prosperous in terms of wages are Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Teachers' salaries are estimated by some ratings compared to the salaries of other people with a similar level of education. In low-income countries such as Liberia, teachers earn almost three times as much, in Singapore teachers earn more, and in Sierra Leone they earn less.
Opportunities for a Successful Career
Teachers around the world are facing low salaries - this situation forces them to look for additional sources of income. A survey of teachers in the UK showed that 34% of young professionals under the age of 29 save on food, and 20% work outside educational institutions.
On average, by state, teachers of the highest category earn about $38,000 per year, and with high professional preparation - more than $51,000. But it takes many years of work to achieve maximum income: in France, the maximum salary is reached only after 35 years, in Scotland, Denmark, New Zealand and Australia - in 10 years from the date of graduation. In addition, it is difficult for women teachers to be promoted to managerial positions - their share, according to statistics, does not exceed 20%.
Many teachers work on the basis of temporary contracts without social guarantees - this approach allows educational institutions to hire staff without skills. In Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso, 60%-80% of teachers work on a temporary basis, in Italy by 2021, one in six teachers was engaged in teaching activities in the same way.
To solve the problem with personnel, you can pay attention to graduates of pedagogical universities without work experience. This practice is gaining popularity in Tajikistan.
The attractiveness of the teaching profession is still in question
Experts note that low wages make the teaching profession unattractive. The international survey of teachers TALIS 2018 showed that only 26% of teachers agree that their work is valued by society, most believe that teachers are valued only in certain countries (Vietnam, Singapore, the UAE and Finland were most often named).
Most teachers in Belgium, Quebec (Canada), Morocco and Mexico believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Teachers in the Gambia believe their profession is highly valued in society, but 76% of teachers in France disagree that their work is valued.
Teachers highly appreciate independence in the performance of work. Relationships with students and their parents are noted separately. Approximately 50% of teachers are satisfied with their professional activity and would choose it again – this indicates a good status of the profession, despite any shortcomings.
However, there is a global problem that leads to the closure of many schools - insufficient financial support. For example, in Lithuania, Poland and Portugal there were even teachers' strikes on this topic, teachers in Australia and Israel also protested.
Another problem is the few people who want to get a teaching qualification. In the United States, the number of applicants entering teaching specialties decreased by 100 thousand from 2012 to 2020. Only 2% of teachers in Italy are under 30 years old, similar to 5% in Poland. A TALIS study found that 25% of teachers are going to leave their jobs within the next 5 years.
