‘A recruitment crisis is coming’: Readers debate looming teacher strike threat

Iindependent Responding to the union’s warnings about possible teacher strikes, readers said the crisis in schools is much deeper than a single pay award, pointing instead to workloads, underfunding and a system stretched to breaking point.

Many commentators argued that the pay rises masked the reality of falling real earnings, worsening pensions and unpaid overtime, with teachers routinely working 50 to 60 hours a week throughout term and most holidays.

They identified excessive paperwork, outdated IT and lack of SEND support as key drivers of burnout, and said staff were being asked to support failing systems with their own time and money.

Cost and fairness dominated the discussion. Some readers backed the strike as inevitable after years of erosion in pay and conditions, and warned that schools faced a growing recruitment and retention crisis as teachers left for the private sector or jobs abroad.

Others were more skeptical, arguing that strikes risked fueling inflation and that the real issue was productivity, not wage demands.

Overall, readers painted a picture of a profession under relentless pressure. While our community was divided on solutions, they were largely united in their belief that long-term underinvestment was driving schools and staff into the abyss.

Here’s what you need to say:

Teachers work more than 50 hours per week

Teachers received 5.5 percent in 2024 and 4 percent in 2025; This rate is lower than private sector salary increases. Given that the teaching contract stipulates that teachers must work any additional hours necessary to fulfill a professional standard of work, most teachers work more than 50 hours a week during term time and a few hours a week during holidays.

I used to be a maths teacher and would often work over 60 hours a week during term time, and during holidays (which our department scheduled for the week before each holiday) I would spend a lot of time marking exam papers and preparing lessons for the next term.

The amount of paperwork requested and the lack of resources available were ridiculous; I was financing the school by purchasing resources for my lessons so that there would be diversity in the lessons. There were very few resources available for SEND and lower ability classes.

Having been a teacher for 17 years, having observed various areas of different NHS organizations from the perspective of a patient, partner and parents of patients, and also as a local councilor who has had many meetings with local NHS officials, I have many ideas for improving efficiency and effectiveness in education and healthcare. But all of this will require a significant initial investment to increase front-line staff, provide more training, fully upgrade IT systems and provide more practical resources.

Frontline staffing is so thin in most industries and IT systems and equipment are so outdated that it is impossible for staff to do their jobs efficiently or effectively. Many local government services are so under-resourced that they only deal with situations after they have reached emergency level; then it becomes much more expensive and time consuming to deal with these situations; Extinguishing and rebuilding a burning fire is much more expensive than preventative measures that stop fires from spreading.

The cost-cutting of the Thatcher years and then those of Cameron and others meant that there was a lack of investment in infrastructure, training and staff to take a proactive approach to public health, local services and education. As a result, each one’s remit has been narrowed down to achieving easily measurable goals, but the truly important work that will make a difference and help things run smoothly is being missed.

CScarlett

Maybe everyone should strike?

Maybe everyone should strike, get a wage increase, experience the resulting inflation, and pick things up again?

No economic principle dictates that wages should increase as well as the cost of living, and this has not been the case throughout history. The truth is that real purchasing power has not increased in decades and will not change until we have a significant increase in our productivity.

frankie

Recruitment crisis approaching

About 2018, I said that teachers talked about leaving the profession, but few actually did it.

Teaching has become much more challenging since Covid and wages and pensions have deteriorated. I predict that schools will have a hard time if the private sector starts recruiting and hiring personnel again.

jakedaykin

Either everyone can attack or no one can attack.

The right to strike should either be granted to every worker or abolished.

Most professions are not represented by unions, cannot strike and have to work hard to get a pay rise. Some need to press the magic button and get an automatic boost. Either everyone can do it, or no one can.

AgeOfStoopid

Teachers go abroad to work

I’ve never understood why teachers agree to work so much unpaid overtime. They face harassment all day, then go home and spend the evenings taking notes on their work, planning lessons, and answering parents’ questions. I’m surprised there are any left.

Some countries understand the link between economic performance and education. We are only interested in lower taxes. Schools are facing a recruitment crisis due to very poor working conditions and salaries. Most of the rest are building their resumes to find better jobs abroad.

ajames

Replace teachers with artificial intelligence

They got a big pay deal from Labor after getting an above-average pay deal from the Conservatives. It’s time we looked at artificial intelligence in the classroom. There are no more teachers, there are better paid teaching assistants to work with AI. Other countries have already started down this path, and it’s time for us to follow.

think and think

Some of the comments in this article have been edited for brevity and clarity.

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