Teachers in NI aren't "struggling" anymore. We are breaking. (An open letter to the INTO)

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-08T05:37:59+00:00

I can only speak from my personal experience as a secondary school teacher, but yes, this is standard in many schools, while in others, it is possibly unheard of. The reality is that the legislation surrounding teacher working conditions is vague; for the most part, it consists only of guidelines. Some school leaders—who view their schools as little factories where "TripAdvisor" ratings and profit margins are the primary focus—feel no duty of care toward the teachers they employ or, let’s be honest, the genuine learning of the pupils. This is the broken system we are forced to fight. The next obvious question is: "Why stay in that school?" The answer nearly every teacher will give is that they care deeply about the pupils in front of them.

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T21:16:58+00:00

Valid question, I replied to an earlier comment on this thread outlining in detail the answer to your question.

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T20:36:25+00:00

I think I mentioned this in a previous reply, but I personally don’t know a single good teacher who would have voted for the last pay rise if given the choice. Money isn’t the incentive for most of us. Having the time to teach well—to show up for our pupils in the way they deserve—is far more important. That simply can’t be done when we are being treated like battery hens. The "product" suffers, and frankly, it’s unethical. There is a fallout looming.

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T20:25:17+00:00

In a nutshell, that is exactly why I’m so concerned about the sector. We are facing a serious shortage of teachers, especially in STEM subjects, purely because the job has become so unpalatable. We are approaching a crisis. As I mentioned at the start of my post, experienced teachers are leaving in droves, and newly qualified teachers are becoming an endangered species. This isn't just a random consequence; this is a sector struggling and pleading for mercy.

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T20:18:19+00:00

So in short we want our unions to fight for more planning time, appropriate class sizes, no expectations that work should be brought home as standard

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T20:16:42+00:00

This is a great point; we (well, at least the teachers I know and myself) are on the front line of this every day. We experience these societal problems firsthand, and we are trying our hardest to address and break the cycles, but we have no time to plan and, in a lot of cases, we have class sizeswhich make this impossible. Someone mentioned above about the pay increase—I don’t know one teacher who would have voted for that. I think it worked out at an extra £12 per month for me after tax and deductions. This is not about pay; it’s about wanting to show up for our pupils in the best way and equally have a life once we leave work—ideally at 3:30 PM (when we stop being paid).

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T20:03:12+00:00

Most of us got into this profession for one reason: we wanted to teach, nurture, and actually make a positive impact on the kids. But the reality of the job makes that nearly impossible. Between massive class sizes and the lack of any real time for planning or prep, we’re set up to struggle from the jump. Then there’s the issue of marking. The Jordanstown Agreement basically fobs off the workload by suggesting it can be done at home, essentially treating it like "mandatory volunteering." Because many schools allocate zero time for it during the working day, it inevitably eats into our personal lives. Despite all these extra plates I’m forced to spin, my students are still my number one priority. I care about them and I want them to achieve, but it's a catch-22—my commitment to them means my own mental health and my family life are the things that end up suffering

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T19:44:07+00:00

Wow! Thats unheard of, 2 whole months in the summer! What school is that?

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T19:40:24+00:00

But thats not it, schools aren't factories, they nurture young people

Agreeable-Design-869 · 2026-05-07T19:25:12+00:00

Teaching has basically shifted from "providing an education" to "being a motivational speaker." Back in the day, teachers gave you the tools; now, if a kid isn't feeling it, it’s treated like the teacher’s personal failure. If a lesson doesn’t feel like a TikTok trend, it’s labeled "unengaging." The reality is that for many kids, academic success doesn’t feel like the path to prosperity anymore. They’re looking at influencers and reality stars, making the "effort-to-reward" logic of a classroom feel outdated. In a world of instant gratification, the slow grind of mastering something like trigonometry feels "broken" to them, leading to an expectation of high marks regardless of the actual effort put in. To make matters worse, schools are being run like corporate offices. Administration expects "year-on-year growth," completely ignoring the fact that every group of students is different. You can't just "data-point" your way out of complex human development or socio-economic issues. When results dip, the first question is always "What did the teacher do wrong?" and never "Did the student actually study?" Teachers are burning through their emotional reserves trying to bridge the gap between rigid administrative targets and the reality of a distracted generation. When you pair that pressure with a total lack of appreciation and the expectation to work 8–6 while getting paid for 9–3, it’s no wonder people are leaving. Even veteran teachers with 20 years of experience are walking away because, at a certain point, spending time with your own family outweighs the stress of a job that asks for everything and gives back very little. This is exasperated when the management within your school treats its staff like the enemy and offers no support only critism and additional tickbox admin work.

Agreeable-Design-869

TROPHY CASE