PRIMARY TEACHERS in Ireland enjoy high levels of job satisfaction and virtually all say they are happy in their job.
A study by the Teaching Council and the Economic and Social Research Institute found that teachers were overwhelmingly positive about their work.
Almost two-thirds of those teaching nine-year-olds said they were “very satisfied”. Only a small proportion of teachers (2 per cent) were not satisfied in their job.
A broadly similar pattern was evident among primary school principals. Forty-nine per cent reported that they were “very satisfied” and 44 per cent “fairly satisfied”.
These high levels of satisfaction were reported despite “the occupational stress evident at all stages of the teaching career’’. Teachers in their 40s had higher stress levels than other age groups.
Stress levels, however, were markedly lower for new teachers and for experienced school principals.
Other main findings include:
* Teacher stress was associated with relationships with other staff members and the stress levels of the school’s principal.
* While gender was not a significant factor in teacher job stress,female teachers had higher job satisfaction levels than their male counterparts. Principals’ occupational stress did not vary by gender.
* Stress levels were higher for principals aged over 40, whereas principals’ job satisfaction did not vary by age.
* Teachers of multi-grade classes were more stressed, but teaching multi-grade classes did not affect job satisfaction levels.
* Teacher stress was associated with the composition of the student body (especially in terms of behavioural difficulties) and with the extent of contact with parents.
* Teachers were more satisfied when their students were well behaved and parents were more involved in school life.
The study found that the task of combining teaching with school leadership posed considerable challenges not only for principals but also for teachers. This, it said, pointed to the need for professional development support for principals, and raised more fundamental concerns about the long-term viability of this dual role. About 60 per cent of primary school principals are also classroom teachers.
A parallel study also published yesterday, on continuous professional development, found that the take-up in professional development programmes increased as teachers gained more experience. Teachers with more than 20 years in the classroom were more likely to participate.
Take-up was also related to the type of students in the class. Teachers with one or more pupils with a learning disability were more likely to participate in such programmes, while those with “disengaged’’ pupils were less likely to take part. Broadly, female teachers engaged more than their male colleagues.
Last night Teaching Council chief executive Áine Lawlor said the findings highlighted the importance of providing access to continuous professional development and of encouraging take-up of such programmes at all stages of a teacher’s career.