Wellbeing alert: Half of teachers reporting symptoms of burn-out

A study has found that half of teachers report permanently suffering from at least one of four recognised symptoms of burn-out since September.

Furthermore, 43 per cent of more than 1,000 teachers responding to researchers said that they have experienced all four symptoms at some point.

The study was carried out by YouGov TeacherTrack and commissioned by teacher wellbeing charity Education Support. The four symptoms of burn-out investigated by the research are:

It comes as previous Education Support research found that 46 per cent of teachers are considering leaving the profession this academic year because of the pressures on their health and wellbeing.

One teacher told researchers: “I’ve been teaching for five years and am incredibly passionate about what I do. However, my mental health has really suffered in the past year to the point of burning myself out and having to take a month off sick when I hit crisis point. I was working myself into the ground and not prioritising my wellbeing. Support and medication have helped me through.”