Published Feb 03 2020

Is teaching Australia's most underappreciated profession?

Lucas
Walsh
Professor, School of Education Culture and Society; Director, Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice
Amanda heffernan
Lecturer in Leadership, Education
Stephanie wescott
Lecturer, School of Education Culture and Society
Pitsa binnion
Principal, McKinnon Secondary College

Teachers play a vital role in every community, a fact widely acknowledged by the public. Yet recent research shows a looming shortage, especially in rural areas, with many teachers leaving – or at least considering leaving – the profession. Why is this happening?

A new study, Perceptions of Teachers and Teaching in Australia, by Monash University’s Faculty of Education has found that while more than half of teachers are satisfied in their role, more than a third aren’t, and while the public believe teachers are well-respected, teachers themselves feel undervalued.  

“I think there is a lack of appreciation on the whole, in terms of teachers and what they achieve and what they do at a systemic level,” says McKinnon Secondary College principal Pitsa Binnion. “But I think at the local level, teachers are loved. Most students are so appreciative of their teachers, and build really wonderful relationships with their teachers, but I think as a system and nation, I don’t think teachers are appreciated for the difference that they make to the level that they should be.”

Of the 2444 teachers surveyed, three-quarters cited unmanageable workloads as a reason to exit the profession – a point acknowledged by the members of the public also questioned for the survey – and also why more than half wouldn’t recommend a career in teaching.

“The work of educators should be acknowledged and celebrated. Behind every medical professional, accountant, human rights ambassador and climate scientist is a teacher that was committed to educating young minds for the future.” 

Professor Lucas Walsh

“You often hear this myth, I think, about teachers working short hours and for half a year,” says Monash Education’s Acting Dean, Professor Lucas Walsh. “I don’t ever think that was necessarily the case. Teachers I’ve met across time are dedicated to their students, and their work has always gone well beyond the school hours. We have, over time, seen those school hours actually extend, in addition to the work and preparation, the thinking, the teachers do outside of work hours.”

Pressure to perform

As one teacher commented: “Workload is unsustainable, and work-life balance is non-existent. The government continues to cut funding, and our workload continues to increase, while teaching quality decreases because of the sheer amount of non-teaching-related admin that is required.”

Another said: “The workload and pressure to perform to standardised testing is unbearable. The pressures from management and the government in accountability and all the administrative jobs that we are required to do every day take away from the core of what we are meant to do – teach children.”

According to the research, paying more attention to the workload and wellbeing factors will go some way to improving teacher retention, and attraction.

For more information about Monash University’s #ThankYourTeacher campaign, and to download a copy of the report, please visit monash.edu/thank-your-teacher.

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About the Authors

  • Lucas walsh

    Professor, School of Education Culture and Society; Director, Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice

    Lucas is exploring responses to the questions: what does the world beyond school look like for young people and what types of education and training do they need to navigate it? He has been chief investigator on projects for the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, South Australian Government, Western Australian Government, Federal Department of Education and National Curriculum Board (ACARA). Lucas was also Director of Research and Evaluation at the Foundation for Young Australians.

  • Amanda heffernan

    Lecturer in Leadership, Education

    Having previously worked as a school principal and principal coach and mentor for Queensland’s Department of Education, Amanda’s key research areas include leadership, social justice, and policy enactment. In particular, she is interested in the wider implications of accountability and autonomy for schools, as well as in how school leaders enact policies and discourses. Amanda's current research projects also focus on the working lives of school principals.

  • Stephanie wescott

    Lecturer, School of Education Culture and Society

    Stephanie is a lecturer in humanities and social sciences in the Faculty of Education’s School of Education, Culture and Society. Her research examines how education practice and policy intersects with, and is influenced by, current socio-political conditions, and she’s particularly interested in post-truth and its relationship to knowledge and expertise in education. Stephanie uses qualitative methodologies, including ethnography and discourse analysis, to examine the implications of these intersections for teachers' work and policy enactment.

  • Pitsa binnion

    Principal, McKinnon Secondary College

    Pitsa is the Principal of McKinnon Secondary College in Melbourne. She has turned her school into one of the most-acclaimed in the state, with her 2000+ students (non-selective, public) performing as well or better than many private schools and consistently at the top of the public rankings. She is part of the Monash Q Project, a five-year scheme to improve teaching outcomes by studying what works.

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