Health-impaired teachers

Numerous teachers are forcing health into early retirement

04.10.2011

The psychological burden on teachers is enormous and, as a result, a significantly higher proportion of teachers drop out of working life prematurely because of health reasons than is the case with average workers in Germany.

The German Employees' Health Insurance Fund (DAK) has now had the trend for the early retirement of teachers from school operations in a comprehensive study by the Leuphana University Lüneburg examined. According to the findings of the current study, less than half of teachers are convinced that they can stay in retirement until retirement age. Almost one fifth of respondents today assume that they will have to retire prematurely for health reasons. Although in the public the teacher profession is often perceived as relatively relaxed with a lot of free time, the current figures speak a different language. In particular, the emotional burdens make numerous teachers considerably to create.

16 percent of teachers retire prematurely
In the context of the current DAK study, the Leuphana University of Lüneburg had asked 1,300 teachers between the ages of 24 and 65 from 29 schools in seven federal states about their probable retirement. 16 percent of teachers said that for health reasons, they probably will not hold up to the retirement age, reported the DAK on Tuesday morning in Hamburg. In addition, 44 percent of respondents said they were not sure they could work until retirement age. Only 41 percent of the teachers were convinced that their strength and health will continue until retirement age and that they regularly complete their service.

Emotional stress as a cause of early retirement
The main reasons behind the trend towards early retirement were that teachers called attention to the problem of early retirement „Time pressure, lack of rest and great performance differences in the students“, emphasized Cornelius Erbe, Head of the DAK Product Management Business Unit, at the presentation of the study. Even after work hours, the teachers are also burdened with emotional stress, and 45 percent of respondents at home also think about the work and the difficulties with pupils, parents and occasionally colleagues. One third of teachers, according to the latest study results, are emotionally stressed, the DAK reported. Actually an intolerable condition, as teachers under pressure are more likely to find it hard to devote their full time to the education of their students. Here, too, politicians - especially the ministers of education and culture of the federal states - are called upon to ensure further relief for teachers with further reforms of the school system and the recruitment of sufficient teachers. (Fp)

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Picture credits: Gerd Altmann