Key points:
- Educators plan to change careers due to feelings of burnout, lack of support
- Teacher burnout persists, but solutions are emerging
- Survey highlights troubling teacher morale issues
- For more news on teacher well-being, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being site
While finding their work meaningful, a majority of education professionals experience burnout above the national average, according to a recent study. In fact, more than 20 percent plan to switch to a related field and more than 30 percent look to change careers altogether.
Soliant, a healthcare and educational staffing company, published the report to help the industry better understand and address educator burnout, staffing challenges, and opportunities facing U.S. schools.
The survey draws from the insight and sentiment of more than 400 educational professionals. Respondents include teachers, special education teachers, school-based counselors, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and more.
Among key findings:
- Most education professionals feel they make meaningful contributions, yet 68 percent struggle with burnout.
- More than half plan to make a career change, with 22 percent planning to switch to a related field and more than 30 percent planning to switch to a different career altogether.
- Seventy-five percent of respondents believe their workload has been impacted by staffing shortages and 70 percent state the industry’s workforce has yet to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an open-ended response, survey participants provided further insight into factors contributing to burnout and potential career changes. Respondents cited long hours, mental health/stress, heavy caseloads and being asked to do tasks outside their duties.
As one respondent noted, “I feel that too much is required of educators today and there is a lack of support that is needed. The pandemic just propelled some things. I think that education has been headed in the wrong direction for quite some time because of the lack of support and the increase in workload.”
“In U.S. schools, workforce challenges are a widespread and enduring issue that is taking its toll on educational professionals,” said Lesley Slaughter, senior vice president at Soliant. “However, through a proactive and innovative approach to staffing, I am confident we can keep these professionals in the roles where they have reported finding fulfillment in their work.”
Based on input from respondents and Soliant’s experience, these issues may be mitigated by addressing areas such as compensation and benefits, providing professionals with more supportive work environments, greater autonomy and continuing education opportunities.
This press release originally appeared online.
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