Beyond the pay rise: bold steps to make teaching a profession of choice
Professor Beng Huat See, Professor of Education Research
| University of Birmingham
While there is strong interest in teaching careers, significant challenges remain around workload, retention and entry barriers. To strengthen recruitment and retention, the government must promote teaching as a career early on, increase undergraduate enrolment in shortage subjects, and re-evaluate how teacher training providers screen applicants.
This autumn, teachers in England have received a 5.5 per cent pay increase, and the government has also pledged to remove the system of performance-related pay for teachers, streamlining salary progression. While these changes are welcomed, they may not be sufficient to attract and retain teachers. Most teachers would tell you that they do not go into teaching for the money. To create a sustainable teaching workforce, deeper issues need to be tackled to make teaching a profession people actively choose – and choose to stay.
Current challenges
- Barriers to entering teaching
Contrary to popular understanding, there is a strong interest in teaching careers. UCAS data show that each year there are more people applying to initial teacher training than there are places available. In the 2023/24 cycle, only 50 per cent of applicants were offered a place. Although the number of applicants had increased, the number accepted had not.
High accountability pressures, inadequate support, and resource shortages in schools are among the few things that make retention challenging. International comparisons reveal that teacher shortages are often associated with factors such as teacher abuse, low relative pay, extensive preparation demands, lack of resources, and workplace stress, conditions notably absent in countries like Cyprus, Finland, Singapore, Slovenia and Taiwan, which do not have the same shortage and retention challenges.
Recruiting more teachers can reduce workload pressures and improve retention, but a long-term solution requires improving the status and prestige of the teaching profession. Teachers need to feel that they are valued and appreciated. While policies such as flexible working recommendations and the wellbeing charter have been introduced to reduce workload, implementing these initiatives remains challenging. Many schools face practical constraints, including limited funding and staffing, which hinder their ability to adopt flexible schedules or prioritise wellbeing initiatives effectively.
What can the government do to strengthen the recruitment and retention of teachers?
- Re-evaluate how teacher training providers screen applicants for teacher training programmes
The current selection system for teacher training programmes is limiting, with only 50 to 67 per cent of applicants accepted over the past decade. As training providers are judged by Ofsted for the completion rates of trainees, and penalised for low success rates, many have taken to risk-averse practice, admitting only those that are most likely to pass.
We suggest that a set of minimum criteria for teacher training should be applied consistently and fairly across all providers so that anyone who meets these criteria will be accepted. Where the quota is exceeded, additional criteria could apply, similar to school admissions.
Additionally, applications to training could be made on a regional basis rather than to individual institutions.
- Increase undergraduate enrolment in shortage subjects
Despite increases in the number of undergraduates in maths and physics, much of this increase is from international students. To meet teacher recruitment targets, nearly 50 per cent of maths and 36 per cent of physics graduates would need to enter teaching, despite strong industry demands for these skills.
Policies should prioritise increasing home-domiciled students in STEM fields to ensure a sustainable pipeline of future teachers. Without this, teacher training recruitment may struggle to meet targets even with increased funding.
- Promote teaching as a career path early on
Initiatives should be introduced that encourage students to consider teaching as a career before they select their university subjects. Our research indicates that most students decide on their career paths by the time they begin their undergraduate studies, making early exposure crucial. Currently, almost all initiatives to increase recruitment addressed graduates.
Careers events in secondary schools should include teacher training providers or agencies to attract interest early on.
- Reform teacher pay structure following pay award
The relatively flat pay scale of teachers is a point of concern for many teachers, facing limited pay progression unless they assume leadership roles, which can be discouraging for those who want to stay in the classroom.
It also means that teachers who are not ready for leadership roles are taking on these responsibilities just to get on the higher pay scale. This can have a negative impact on the school climate and ethos, which in turn leads to higher attrition of teachers. In the 2020 School Teachers’ Review Body report, this issue was discussed at great length. The bottom line is affordability.
While the recent 5.5 per cent pay award is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t adequately address long-term structural issues with the pay scale. A model similar to the medical profession could be considered to address pay and prestige issues.
- Enhance the status and prestige of teaching
To improve retention and recruitment, teaching must be made more attractive by addressing workload and working conditions. This can be done by:
- Reducing teaching hours
Reducing actual classroom hours (not overall paid working hours) to help alleviate burnout (Gorard et al. 2024) in a profession that can be intense, relentless and emotionally draining. There is no time-out. But this aspect of teaching is rarely recognised.
- Increase classroom resources
Provide funding for essential classroom resources and subscription for online resources to reduce teachers’ preparation time.
- Address intimidation of teachers by students
Implement policies and resources to reduce incidents of student intimidation. Most importantly, teachers need strong support from school leaders and the government to effectively address dangerous and violent behaviours in the classroom.
Our research highlights these factors as central to addressing teacher shortages. To tackle the shortage, we must make teaching an aspirational career: competitive, respected, and sustainable. By investing in teachers now, we secure the future of education for generations.
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