National Teachers' Union Seoul Branch Survey
"Job Satisfaction: Middle & High Schools > Elementary Schools > Special Schools > Kindergartens"
On the 14th, a day before Teachers' Day, a survey revealed that young teachers cited 'tight wages' and 'malicious complaints' as the biggest reasons for leaving the teaching profession. Job satisfaction among teachers barely exceeded 5 out of 10 points.
Yonhap News reported on the same day that the Seoul branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union conducted a survey from the 16th of last month to the 12th of this month targeting teachers in kindergartens, elementary, middle, high, and special schools in the Seoul area.
On the 49th day memorial of the teacher who died last September at an elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul, the classroom at an elementary school in Sejong City was empty on the 4th. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Among the 1,044 respondents, teachers identified the main reasons for teachers in their 20s and 30s leaving the profession (selecting two) as 'tight wages that barely cover living for a month in a big city' (34%) and 'malicious complaints' (34%).
Following these, answers included 'difficulties in student behavior management' (18%) and 'because social perception of teachers is becoming negative' (8%). Teachers also mentioned issues such as 'fewer opportunities to feel fulfillment and hope as a teacher,' 'excessive production of manuals controlling teachers by education offices,' 'an environment that does not allow focus on their main duties,' and 'pension reductions.'
The average job satisfaction score was only 5.7 points. By school level, high schools and middle schools scored the highest at 6.4 points, followed by elementary schools at 5.3 points, special schools at 5.3 points, and kindergartens at 4.6 points. Except for special schools, the younger the students, the lower the teachers' satisfaction.
When asked about necessary support measures besides wage increases for stable economic life of young teachers, 'housing stability support' (83%) was the most frequently mentioned. This was followed by 'transportation cost support' (7%) and 'cultural life support' (4%). For support needed to enhance young teachers' educational rights and professionalism, 'workload reduction' (30%) was the most selected.
The Seoul branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union stated, "The Seoicho incident last year was a heartbreaking event showing the harsh reality that young teachers face despite their hopeful dreams when entering the profession," adding, "To prevent such tragedies from happening again, it is essential to prepare support measures for young teachers."
Meanwhile, despite the enactment of the 'Five Laws for Protecting Teachers' Rights' last year?including the Early Childhood Education Act, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Teachers' Status Act, Basic Education Act, and School Violence Prevention Act?there have been criticisms that key measures such as the formation of school complaint response teams and student separation actions are insufficient, resulting in low on-site perception of teacher rights protection policies.
In response, the National Council of Superintendents of Education also pledged on the same day to "make efforts to ensure that policies based on the Five Laws for Protecting Teachers' Rights take root in the field." In a press release, the council emphasized, "Teachers raised their voices passionately on the hot asphalt for education," and "the 17 superintendents will do their utmost to ensure these systems are properly established in schools."
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