University of South Australia study finds one in two teachers plan to quit profession in next five years

Most South Australian public teachers are fed up, with a huge proportion telling researchers they plan to walk away within years.

Ninety per cent of SA’s teachers have considered quitting, with one in two planning to leave in the next five years, a major new study has found.

The recent UniSA survey of 1600 teachers found many believed they were at breaking point, with most working over 50 hours a week but only spending 20 hours teaching.

Researchers found the number of teachers who said they felt stressed had doubled since 2018 while most were dissatisfied with their salaries.

Teachers widely complained about the amount of administrative work they were required to undertake rather than spending time with their students, especially those with complex needs.

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Australian Education Union SA president Andrew Gohl. Picture: LinkedIn

The UniSA report contained over 20 recommendations on urgent action which needed to be taken to address a growing teacher shortage.

Its release by the Australian Education Union on Thursday coincided with the announcement of a $25m trial to reduce the workload on teachers to increase their time in classrooms.

The funding was part of a $328m national strategy announced last month by federal Education Minister Jason Clare to stem an exodus of teachers from schools across the country.

AEU state president Andrew Gohl said the union had commissioned UniSA to provide independent evidence of the teacher shortage in SA – and various pressures facing the public education system.

“This report is a damning indictment on a system in desperate need of reform,” he said.

“The issues cut across workload, wellbeing and student complexity, all of which are weighing down on educators’ ability to give their students the best outcomes.” Mr Gohl said the report recommended cutting red tape so teachers could spend more time with students, increasing wages and employing more teachers, especially young graduates.

A UniSA survey of 1600 teachers has found 50 per cent plan to leave the profession in the next five years. Picture: File

“Virtually all participants reported an increase in the complexity of their work over the past five years,” he said.

“For most, this increase has been significant, spanning administrative tasks, the diversity of student needs, expectations to differentiate learning and the collection, analysis and reporting of data.”

Mr Gohl said it was imperative to reduce the workload on teachers, especially administrative tasks, to stop them from leaving the professionalism.

“The findings in this report support the hundreds of anecdotal accounts we’ve heard from our members across South Australia”, he said.

“For years, we’ve been raising these concerns and have seen few measures to help address the root causes of what is now a teacher shortage crisis.”

Education Minister Blair Boyer said he was working closely with Mr Clare on the national strategy to tackle the teacher crisis, including SA.

“It focuses on building the respect and reputation of the profession, encouraging more young people to want to become a teacher, better preparing teachers for the classroom and tackling workload issues,” he said.

Originally published as University of South Australia study finds one in two teachers plan to quit profession in next five years