Even with Job Security Until Retirement, Teachers Leave... "A Profession Where You Can Achieve Neither Honor, Accomplishment, Nor Money"

Nearly Half of Teachers Say "I Will Leave Before Retirement"
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Research Reveals Growing Intention to Quit Among Teachers

A survey revealed that 60% of young teachers are considering changing jobs. The rate was particularly high among elementary school teachers.

According to the "Seoul Teacher Longitudinal Study" by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Research Information Center (Seogyo-yeon) released on the 27th, the percentage of teachers who answered "I would like to change jobs if I have the opportunity in the future" was highest among elementary school teachers at 42.5%. This was a significant difference compared to middle school teachers (34.8%) and high school teachers (34.7%).

A survey revealed that 60% of young teachers are considering changing jobs. The rate was particularly high among elementary school teachers. Yonhap News

Among elementary school teachers, 6 out of 10 teachers with up to 13 years of experience expressed an intention to leave the profession. Specifically, 58.0% of elementary school teachers with four years of experience said they would like to change jobs if given the opportunity. The intention to leave was even stronger among teachers with eight years (62.0%) and thirteen years (60.8%) of experience. Even among those with eighteen years of experience, the rate exceeded 40%.

Half say "I won't stay until retirement"... In reality, 7,467 teachers left last year

Job security until retirement, once considered an advantage of the teaching profession, no longer appeals to these teachers. Among elementary school teachers with less experience, 62.1% said they do not plan to stay until retirement. Among those with eight years of experience, more teachers said they would not stay until retirement (56.2%) than those who said they would. Looking at all elementary school teachers, nearly half (49.5%) gave this response. This was more than 10 percentage points higher than the rates for middle school teachers (37.7%) and high school teachers (36.5%).

In fact, last year alone, 7,467 teachers left the profession before reaching retirement age. This was a slight increase (63 teachers, or 0.9%) from 2023 (7,404 teachers). Both voluntary retirement and resignations reached their highest levels in six years since 2019.

Seogyo-yeon analyzed that increased work burdens and low salaries are lowering teachers' job and life satisfaction. In fact, the average score for the "distribution fairness" item, which refers to "appropriate compensation," was 1.91 for elementary school teachers, 2.07 for middle school teachers, and 2.22 for high school teachers, all below the "average" score of 3. On a five-point scale, 1 means "not at all," and 2 means "not really."

Regarding work burdens, "parent consultations" ranked highest for both elementary and middle school teachers, followed by "administrative tasks." In particular, elementary school teachers reported the highest burden for "parent consultations" at 4.25 points among all teachers. The burden for administrative tasks was also high at 3.86 points, close to the upper end of the 3-point range.

Seogyo-yeon explained, "While job responsibilities are increasing, the sense of achievement or fulfillment is low, and low salaries and unrealistic allowances are having a significant impact on teachers' quality of life." The center added, "Ultimately, the teaching profession is deteriorating into a job where it is impossible to achieve honor, accomplishment, fulfillment, or financial rewards."

Rumors of "teaching is tough" spread... Teacher training college admissions scores plummet

This atmosphere in the field has also affected teacher training college admissions results. For the 2025 academic year, the admission cutoff scores for both early and regular admission to teacher training colleges have dropped to as low as the 7th grade in school records and the 4th grade in the College Scholastic Ability Test. In addition, the number of teacher training colleges unable to fill their freshman quotas is increasing, regardless of whether they are in the Seoul metropolitan area or other regions.

The admissions industry explained, "Even though the number of admissions has decreased for the 2025 academic year, the drop in teacher training college cutoff scores is very noticeable," adding, "This reflects a decline in preference for teacher training colleges not only among top students but also among those in the middle tier."