Many teachers are working up to 60 hours a week, report suggests

A fifth of teachers in England are working 60 or more hours a week, according to a new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI).

The report examined teachers’ working hours, pay, and experience in secondary schools using the OECD’s latest Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS).

It found that full time teachers in England work an average of 48.2 hours per week, which is 19 per cent longer than the average elsewhere, placing it the highest out of the 36 OECD jurisdictions surveyed.

The report found that the long working hours were principally down to time spent marking pupils work and other administrative tasks, with the average time spent planning lessons only two minutes longer than the OECD average of 22 minutes.

The EPI has warned that the long hours are hindering teachers access to continuing professional development (CPD), as England’s teachers were found to spend an average of four days a year on CPD, compared to the OECD average of 10.5 days.

Additionally, the report suggests that long hours, paired with low starting pay a limited access to CPD creates a risk of teacher ‘burn out’, with starting salaries for teachers in England 16 per cent lower than the OECD average.