<p>According to surveys undertaken on people in <a href="/jobs/s-education/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">teaching jobs</a>, 61% of teachers feel proud to work in their profession, above the national average of 58%. Rail professionals, accountants and nurses are the least proud.</p>
<p>Teachers have more professional pride than most sectors in the UK, according to research by specialist recruiter Randstad Education.</p>
<h3>Professional pride.</h3>
<p>In a survey of over 2,000 British workers, 58% of British workers said they were proud of their profession. But 61% of teachers said they were proud of their profession. Those working in insurance, financial services and social services were also above average. At the other end of the spectrum, those working in rail, accountancy and nursing were the least proud to work in their sector (32%, 44% and 45% respectively).</p>
<p>In the sectors where employees felt least proud of their professions, staff generally spent less time at work than the national average, suggesting that employers need to make staff feel proud of their profession or they risk creating a disillusioned workforce.</p>
<p>Jenny Rollinson, managing director of Randstad Education, explained: “In order to attract and retain a talented, dedicated workforce, employers need to make their staff feel proud of what they do. No one wants to go to work each day without feeling proud of their careers – and the research proves that employees who fall into this category often spend less time each week at work. Pride in your profession isn’t just good for employees – it’s important for the well-being of an organisation.”</p>
<h3>An image problem in teaching jobs.</h3>
<p>Despite the increasing volumes of high-flying graduates who become teachers, a contradiction exists between the external perception of teaching and the reality of working in the profession.</p>
<p>Jenny Rollinson continues: “Teachers have battled against a negative perception in popular opinion. In the past, this has been exacerbated by the idea of teaching being a steady job in which many stay in the same post for their whole working lives. In addition, we sometimes notice a degree of negativity in the media towards teachers who go on strike.</p>
<p>“But the teaching profession of today is a beacon of professionalism. Teachers are increasingly accountable for their pupils’ attainment levels, and the increased number of business partnerships with schools is challenging the perception that the profession is removed from the business world.</p>
<h3><em>"73% of supply teachers are proud of the work that they do."</em></h3>
<p>“The supply teacher market is a prime example of this – far from being an easy option, underperforming supply teachers are weeded out at short notice and only successful, high-quality teachers are retained. Despite working against these pressures, our research has shown that 73% of supply teachers are proud of the work that they do. Given such high levels of employee pride, it’s high time that any potential image problem is overcome.”</p>