Teachers are undervalued in the UK.
Just look at the graph. The evidence is clear and I am going to share my opinion on why I think this is the case.
➡ Rigorous studying + 2 years ECT - The most common route to becoming a teacher is a 3-year undergraduate followed by a 1-year PGCE. Those who have done the PGCE know how intense this can be. Most teachers I speak to say their hardest year was the PGCE. Once your PGCE is finished, you have to also complete another two years of the ECF as an ECT.
➡ Salary - After 4 years of studying, what is a teacher’s annual salary? £30,000 before tax. After-tax, this is a take-home of £24,772.80. Followed by a yearly increase of around 6%. This is not awful but when compared to corporate jobs where a salary increase is likely every 6 months, this is something to consider. The difference in progress between teaching and corporate careers over five years is significant.
➡ International Market - The international teaching space is far more lucrative and values teachers. I genuinely feel as a teacher I am so much more valued in Qatar than in the UK. Talking about the details of the international market is probably another whole conversation.
P.S. I have not even talked about the teacher workload. That is another conversation.
Please share your opinions as I am curious what other teachers think of the system currently. How can the government retain teachers and entice more new teachers to come on board?
Sidxt's Journal
Teachers are undervalued in the UK.
