Teaching Is “One of the Least Popular Jobs in the UK”

The UK government has just published a report on the future of secondary school teaching, and the conclusion of the report is that many secondary schools now face great difficulties in finding people who want to be teachers. Since the 1980s, the number of graduates who would “seriously consider” teaching as a career has fallen sharply, from 64% in 1982 to just 17% today. The report suggests that urgent action needs to be taken in order to encourage more intelligent young graduates into teaching.

The main drawback (缺点) of secondary teaching, according to the report, is the low salary.

Earnings in teaching are much lower than in many other jobs. Joanne Manners, 24, is a good example: “I graduated in maths last year, and I was thinking of doing a teacher-training course to become a maths teacher---but I saw I could earn twice as much if I worked in marketing or advertising, so I decided not to become a teacher.”

It’s not just about the money, however. The survey concluded that another reason why people don’t want to be teachers is that some teenagers behave very badly in school. A lot of schools have problems with discipline, and it seems clear that children do not have the same respect for teachers as in the past. Here’s the view of Dave Hallam, an accountant from London: “I think parents are to blame. They should have stricter rules with their children at home and also teach their children to have more respect for teachers.”

The report is clear that the problem of teacher shortage is a very serious one. It says that the government should raise teachers’ pay significantly, to catch up with workers in other professions. It also indicates that the government could launch a nationwide publicity campaign, with some advertisements on TV and in the newspapers, to show the positive sides of teaching to young people.

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A few years ago, I got a phone call from a company representative on my way home. “Thank you so much for taking the time to apply for the position. Your application has not been successful. We wish you every success in securing a suitable position in the future.” I felt very upset. But the conversation wasn’t over. “Would you like to hear feedback from us?” the voice said.

The representative went on to tell me I hadn’t clearly demonstrated my motivation for applying for the position and why I wanted to work for the company. The feedback was tough to hear. But I quickly realized they were right. After completing my Ph. D. in Germany, my top priority had been to find a position in Poland, where I grew up. As a result, I wasn’t very selective about what I applied for. I pursued any job opportunity that broadly fit my skills and interests. The job at the consulting company was something I was technically capable of doing, but I didn’t feel passionate about it — and that clearly showed in the interview process.

From then on, I decided to carefully evaluate each job opening and only pursue ones that truly resonated (引起共鸣) with what I was passionate about. In my applications, I also began stating more clearly and emphatically why I wanted that particular job. Soon the approach started to pay off, as I got an offer for a postdoc position in Poland that I was truly excited about.

A few years later, I found myself on the other side of the interview table. As a freshly hired group leader, I was interviewing candidates for the first Ph. D. position in my lab. I was particularly looking forward to talking with one candidate. On paper, his application looked great — nice CV, good recommendations, strong cover letter. But the interview went badly. He didn’t seem to have done any reading in advance about the research I was doing, which made me wonder whether he was truly interested in working with me.

I called to tell him I couldn’t offer him the position.

A month later, I received a letter.