More than 13 % Czech primary school teachers want to leave the profession. However, the factors leading to this decision differ between young teachers and their colleagues who are at the end of their careers. While low salary is a key factor for young teachers, other factors are already decisive for older teachers. This is based on an analysis by Jana Straková and Jaroslava Simonová from the National Institute SYRI.
Adequate financial remuneration, the composition of the student body, pedagogical leadership, and school innovation are important for teacher retention. The much-discussed salary has grown faster on average for teachers than for other employees over the past three years. However, the increase has been felt especially by senior teachers. Teachers over 55 years old receive 25 % more than teachers under 35.
"Czech education policy should therefore focus not only on general increases in teachers' salaries, but also on adjusting these increases over the course of a teaching career. Starting salaries can be important for retaining young people in the profession, while other factors influence decisions later in their careers," said Straková.
In their study published in the International Journal of Educational Management, SYRI researchers highlighted the importance of leadership. "In schools where the principal supports his or her teachers and cares about their professional development, teachers are more likely to stay than in schools where the leadership does not perform this function," said Straková.
The satisfaction of the teaching staff depends on a quality principal, which is reflected, among other things, in the way teachers perceive their profession. This is a problem, however, because the Czech education system is characterised by an unusually high degree of school autonomy. As a result, principals have little time to manage education and in many cases do not even consider it their primary task.
"The importance of leadership in retaining teachers in the profession is key to changing the way we view the role of the principal. This was clearly demonstrated during the covid-19 pandemic. Teachers who felt supported by school leadership were more satisfied with their jobs and less likely to leave the profession," Straková added that the decision to remain in the profession is further conditioned by the proportion of socially and economically disadvantaged pupils.
Intention to leave is also higher in schools with a greater lack of equipment (school resources) and in schools with lower levels of innovation. "The less innovative, and therefore more rigid, a school is, the higher the tendency to leave the profession," Straková added. Lack of school resources or space also negatively influences young teachers in terms of whether or not to stay in the profession.Older teachers, on the other hand, tend to leave the profession for schools with inadequate pedagogical leadership.
The researchers used data collected in a survey of Czech teachers carried out in 2021 as part of the project Reasons for non-entry of graduates of pedagogical faculties into the profession of teacher/educational worker, conducted at the Faculty of Education of Charles University in 2020-2022 in the same schools as the OECD TALIS survey from 2018. Teachers answered questions about their autonomy, their ability to participate in school decision-making, teacher-student and teacher-teacher relationships, job satisfaction of the teaching staff, stress levels among teachers, and school innovativeness.
SYRI/ gnews - RoZ
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