The Union of French‑speaking Teachers (SER = Syndicat des enseignants romands) published the results of a survey on the health status of teachers done in collaboration with the Institut universitaire romand de Santé au Travail (Swiss-French University Institute of Occupational Health). This survey was conducted among 5,500 teachers.
A few findings from the survey:
- 83.8% of the respondents confirm that teaching is a positive challenge,
- Two‑thirds of the teachers find their job stressful,
- More than one out of two teachers feel that they must ‘hold on’,
- 60% of the teachers consider that their health deteriorates as the school year progresses,
- On average, the participants believed that they have taught 10.8 days of class whereas they should have stayed home to get better,
- 40.8% of the education professional cannot disconnect from their job.
- The survey shows that the health status of teachers is lower than that of the Swiss population in general.
SER believes that it is evident that a vast supportive effort must be put into place in two specific areas: the working conditions and vertical support. More information available here.
