Two-thirds silent reserve are considering teaching
People who have a PAB diploma, but are not in the classroom at the moment, would like to work in primary education. But then they must have enough time for the children in the classroom.
Photo: Helgi Hall
The group mentions salary as a second condition for return. That must be at least as high as what they now earn. Investico-based investigative journalism platform Investico carried out research for the newspaper Trouw, the Groene Amsterdammer and the Education magazine under the 'silent reserve', as are also called authorized persons who are not in front of the class. 640 of them responded.
“Although I enjoyed teaching, I also thought it was a dog job,” writes one of the inactive teachers. “So much and always busy… Then the disgraceful reward. It is not for nothing that there are too few teachers. ”
Nearly two-thirds of the silent reserve are considering returning as primary school teachers, or want to give it a try. 19 percent say they 'definitely want' and 45 percent 'maybe'. About a fifth of the people who completed the survey started doing something else immediately after the teacher training college. This summer, OCW calculated that at least 31 thousand people belong to the silent reserve. About six thousand of them receive benefits.
Permanent contract
The Investico survey provides a clear picture of the problems in recent years and now. Until recently, the group that never started working in education was often unable to get a permanent job. They therefore cite a permanent contract slightly more often as a condition for return (31 percent) than the group that did work in education (22 percent).
Respondents who had previously stood in front of the classroom often stopped doing so relatively quickly. Twelve percent dropped out within a year and 35 percent stopped teaching before the fifth year. This is in line with figures from the Education Executive Agency (DUO). In 2016 she calculated that 15 to 26 percent of teachers leave after one year of teaching.
Work pressure biggest problem
Anyone who wants to poke the silent reserve for education must ensure that teachers have enough time for the children (43 percent), that there is support for children with behavioral problems (27 percent) and that limits are set on the number of tasks that a teacher can perform. has (27 percent). Together with the salary (28 percent), these measures form the top 4 conditions for return.
Work pressure also tops the list of reasons for departure. A third of respondents cite 'too much work pressure' as the cause for the dismissal, followed by 'a lot of administrative work' (18 percent) and number three: 'too low salary' (16 percent).
One of the respondents responds: “A few years ago I considered going back and did an internship with a friend in education in preparation. It then became clear to me that the workload had only increased.”
Liesbeth Verheggen, chairman of the AOb, not that work pressure outweighs salary. “People go into education because they want to help students with their development and if that doesn't work, it is extremely frustrating. At the same time it is a chicken and egg story. You can only get healthy teacher teams if the salary is in order. The pay of teachers is now so inadequate that HAVO and VWO students who are oriented towards different careers are actually always losing out. Certainly if you also tell them the honest story that one in four teachers in primary education has to deal with a burnout because of overloading. ”
Education is more important than care
Silent reservists who work elsewhere do the same in the healthcare sector: 10 percent of them have a job there. When asked why care - not mild when it comes to work pressure - was preferred to education, the respondents indicated that they nevertheless experienced less work pressure, less stress and more flexibility in a position in the care sector. This is in line with the burnout figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics, where education is at the top.
“When I go home, I don't have to do anything or think about work anymore,” is a typical response from someone who switched the education sector for care.
Salary is more important to men
Salary clearly plays a greater role for men than for women. 40 percent of the outgoing men ticked 'too low a salary' as the reason for departure. Only 12 percent of the women did this. This difference between the sexes also plays a role in the consideration of whether or not to stand in front of the class again. Almost half of the men there stated that the salary should be at least what they currently earn, compared to a quarter of the women:
"If I went back now, I would be a thief of my own wallet"
“That is also a classic”, says Verheggen van de AOb. “For years, the salary has been more decisive for men than for women. In the meantime, women are increasingly conquering the sectors in the labor market that receive better pay. And the demand for highly educated people is only increasing. So it will rather be the women who will make the same financial demands. The level of the salaries must therefore really be adjusted. ”
The October Education Magazine assesses the use of the silent reserve as a solution to the teacher shortage. Read the whole article here.
