About The Authors

June 2023 - Education

16% of teachers in NEU survey said they plan to leave education within two years: A survey by the National Education Union of its members has found that 16% of teachers are planning to leave the education profession within two years, with 41% saying they plan to leave within five. Almost a quarter of support staff members are also planning to leave within the next two years, with almost half saying they'll leave in the next five (48%)

Conducted ahead of the Annual Conference in Harrogate, the survey garnered the thoughts and opinions of almost 18,000 NEU members, asking them to consider their future plans and the current situation at their workplace.

According to teachers polled, more than three-quarters have seen increased levels of absences amongst staff due to sickness (78%), with 72% also reporting a reduction in support staff at their workplace. Almost two-thirds said they have seen an increase in the rate at which staff are leaving their roles (66%).

It is a similar story with support staff with respondents reporting worsening staff absence levels (71%) reduced support staff (62%) and an increase in staff leaving (63%).

Of those who said they would no longer be working in education in two years, workload was overwhelmingly the top reason cited (73%), followed by 'the feeling that the education profession is not valued or trusted by Government/media' (40%), and pay (39%). Three in 10 respondents polled said that accountability (including inspection and its impact of workplace accountability) was a reason for their plans to leave teaching (29%), while pupil behaviour was cited by a quarter of respondents (26%).

Other reasons included the impact of funding levels (20%), lack of flexible working opportunities (13%), retirement (8%) and their own personal childcare responsibilities which are 'incompatible' with school/college responsibilities. One in twenty said that a lack of career progression was behind their decision (5%) while the impact of the pandemic (4%), fulfilling a different ambition (4%), health reasons (4%) and personal or family reasons (3%) were also cited.

While 5% of teachers said a lack of career progression was behind their decision to leave, this was a bigger issue amongst support staff, with a third (33%) saying they plan to leave in two years due to limited opportunities.

The NEU pointed out in its press release that the Government missed its target for recruitment of new secondary school teachers by 41% this year, and by 7% for primary school teachers. Government statistics also show that one third of the teachers who qualified in the last decade have left their role, while one in eight teachers who qualified in summer 2020 had already left the profession by the end of the following year.

Other Education Research Findings

Other Latest Market Research Insights