Now we are well into the October half-term break we thought we would take the time to look at what inspires people to pursue teaching as a career path and look at the stigmas that can sometimes plague the profession in regards to wellbeing.
Teaching can be one of the most rewarding careers helping children nurture their talent, reach their potential and set them up for a successful life wherever it may take them. If you enjoy working with young people and are driven by the motivation to make a difference in people’s lives then teaching is the perfect career for you! If you are also looking for variety in your job and not the typical 9-5 office role then teaching will provide you with that, with a Guardian survey showing that 57% of teaching staff chose this as the number one reason why they got into teaching.
As with any job role, there are stresses and strains to everyday work. Back in January 2018, it was stated that the current ’Stress Epidemic’ was seriously hindering the teaching profession in the UK with 3,750 teachers going on long-term sick leave. But what is causing this stress epidemic and how can it be halted?
Based on the findings in the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2018, undertaken by the education support partnership, it was found that 67% of teachers are stressed at work with 29% working more than 51 hours a week and a further 74% saying they have the inability to switch off from work which contributes to a negative work-life balance.
Every job role holds an element of stress, however, there are a number of things that can be done to make sure your work life balance works for you. For example not checking your emails at home, with technology making it far easier for work to creep into our personal time, resist the temptation! Your working day may already be long enough so in order to build a better work-life balance for you, click that logout button when you leave the school gate and make some well deserved time for yourself so you are mentally fresh for the next working day. Also, Be social! To help combat not being able to switch off during work hours, find a hobby or interest that takes you out of your mental ‘work zone’ and gets you interacting with other people.
At Sugarman Education we have placed over a thousand candidates within the education sector and have a team of over 50 education recruitment specialists ensuring we find the right match for clients and candidates to ensure a strong working relationship can develop, promoting a positive work-life balance. To speak to one of our Consultants about our latest roles, please call 0207 614 4270.
*Data and Statistics used from The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2018