Institut SYRI brings together 150 academics from Masaryk University, Charles University, and the Czech Academy of Sciences, with two of these researchers, Jana Straková and Jaroslava Simonová, revealing in their new study that the reasons for planned teacher departures from schools vary according to age. The study also shows that the percentage of teachers planning to leave is relatively high. Are money the main issue, or is there something else at play?
Older teachers are more likely to appreciate good school leadership. While we have been hearing in recent weeks that teacher salaries will increase after a few years, the study suggests that for middle-aged and older teachers, this is no longer the main factor for staying in education. Experienced teachers, when deciding whether to stay or leave, focus more on the quality of school leadership. In contrast, younger teachers consider salary, school resources, and the school’s innovativeness or rigidity as crucial factors. The study analyzed data collected in a survey among Czech teachers at the lower secondary level in 2021.
An interesting trend highlighted in the study is the shift in the shortage of teachers in the Czech Republic. While 12 years ago, the country had one of the lowest teacher shortages among OECD countries, the situation began to change six years ago. Currently, due to this shift, a new law had to be introduced, allowing unqualified individuals to take up teaching positions. According to data from the Czech School Inspectorate in 2022, some districts have unqualified teachers making up a quarter of the workforce. The situation is even worse regionally when it comes to subject expertise.
It is understandable that young teachers at the beginning of their careers, often starting families and settling down, expect adequate compensation. However, in the Czech Republic, despite many years of discussions about salaries, they still do not receive it. The study shows that poor school resources and low pay are the main factors driving their departure.
The Czech Republic is experiencing a significant outflow of young teachers. Another study from 2020 examined how long young teachers stay in the profession and what percentage leave the education system. The number is alarmingly high, with 65% of new teachers leaving the profession early, making us a country with the highest exodus of young teachers from education. According to the research, what keeps them in schools is a good collegial atmosphere, effective school functioning, and good leadership. Our education system cannot offer young teachers more, although it is not enough to pay off a mortgage.
Although some weight has finally been given to teacher salaries in recent years, as we were at the bottom of OECD countries in terms of salaries for many years, the growth is still very slow and does not significantly impact young teachers. It takes an incredible 30 years for a teacher to reach the salary ceiling.
Looking at the salary table for primary school teachers (most commonly in the 12th pay grade), where a starting teacher earns around 32,000 gross, the outlook is bleak. Another demotivating factor is the minimal salary increase over the following years. After two years, a young teacher will see a small increase, and after another six years, just over a thousand. The next salary increase is only after 12 years of practice. Many teachers who stay in the profession for six years can be considered fairly experienced, and after ten years, they are practically very experienced. However, the salary increase does not reflect this.
What does the future hold? As the Czech teaching profession is aging rapidly (over 60% of teachers are over 50 years old), young teachers are leaving, and faculties cannot naturally replace retiring teachers, several scenarios are possible. Unfortunately, none of them seem very promising.
One scenario suggests that teachers will gradually be replaced by unqualified workers, which has already begun. This means that these „teachers“ do not have the necessary pedagogical education, which, according to CSI data, is one of the most critical factors for successful education of our children. Another possibility is the merging of schools into larger entities, increasing the number of students in classrooms. With this scenario, we can expect class sizes to exceed 30 students. Another scenario that comes to mind is increasing the direct teaching obligations of current teachers who have the necessary qualifications. The indirect obligations have significantly increased in recent years, especially for class teachers, which is an undeniable fact. Aging teachers may not be pleased with such a change.
Lastly, another scenario that comes to mind is lowering the level of qualification required, where a bachelor’s degree would be sufficient to teach, allowing universities to produce the necessary number of educators more quickly.
All these scenarios seem to lead us back to times we have long left behind. It is disheartening, but the outlook is not entirely positive. As the study suggests, even increasing finances in the system will not drastically improve the situation. In my opinion, it will only keep optimistic, qualified mid-career teachers and older teachers in education a little longer, as the salary increase may deter them from seeking change. Education has been neglected for years and is now paying the price.
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