If you have ever considered becoming a teacher, you are probably wondering what are some of the reasons why teachers decide to leave the profession. Whether its stress, teaching to the test, low pay, long hours or overall dissatisfaction with the field; there are numerous reasons, both good and bad, as to why teachers would want to leave. Here are five reasons why teachers leave the profession.
Doesn’t Meet Expectations
One of the main reasons why many teachers end up leaving the profession is because often many start off with a very unrealistic expectation of what the teaching profession requires nowadays. With the rise of vouchers, charter schools, online schools and home schools, many teachers are having to compete for a job. Also, the highest demand right now for teachers are in urban school districts. Many who come out of teaching colleges aren’t equipped with skills and know-how to work in urban environments and end up leaving the profession after two or three years. This is often seen with programs like Teach For America and the New Teacher Project.
Resource: Top 10 Best Online Masters in Teaching Degree Programs
Long Hours
Long gone are the days when the teaching profession used to be a simple 7:00 AM to 3:00 AM profession. Teachers, in order to ensure that their students are performing up to standards, often stay behind after school to provide tutoring and other education enhancement services. With exploding classroom sizes in public school districts, teachers are having to take home work such as lesson planning and grading assignments. Additionally, a lot of teachers, to make ends meet, will engage in extracurricular activities, teach summer school or sign up for other roles within the school.
No More Tenure
With the rise of charter schools and the education reform movement, many large-scale urban school districts are going toe to toe with unions in regards to teaching tenure. 20 to 30 years ago, teachers were protected through tenure. After five years of being in a profession, they were pretty much guaranteed a job regardless of student or overall school performance. With the rise of No Child Left Behind and other education reform policies, many school systems are challenging teacher tenure and are moving towards a performance-driven system. Teachers are increasingly being held accountable for their students’ performance and many teachers see this as an attack against the profession.
Teaching to the Test
Another major reason why so many teachers end up leaving the profession is that many are tired of teaching to the test. Many teachers want to teach and want to be creative with it. With the rise of the new education reform movement, many school systems are adamant that school teachers align their teaching style and curriculum with standardized tests. Many teachers feel as though this has caused a severe brain drain and many as a result have left the profession.
Seeking New Career Options
Like any other profession, after a while people get bored with what they are doing. Teachers are no exception. Many teachers decide to pursue careers in administration, policy, advocacy or move onto to private careers such as becoming corporate trainers or going into sales.
Low Pay
The teaching profession at one point was once considered a well-cushioned middle class career. Nowadays with the proliferation of charter schools, many teachers are working for less wages. Some of these charter school systems start teachers off making below $35,000 even with a master’s degree. In major cities like Chicago, teachers could make over $60,000 starting. At the end of the day, teaching is an occupation and if people aren’t satisfied with the salary, they will leave.
Regardless of the challenges that teachers face, teaching can be a very worthwhile and rewarding career. There are numerous reasons why teachers leave the field. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and make sure that this is the occupation you can see yourself in.
